Boys’ School Awarded Second Green Flag, May 2007

Green Schools is an international project managed by An Taisce to encourage and acknowledge whole school action for the environment. The prestigious award is given to schools who complete the seven steps of the programme and must be renewed every two years.

Following the award of our first Green Flag and taking into account that the theme for the second Green Flag was “Energy”, we continued improvements in litter and waste management while at the same time focusing on conserving energy in the school environment.

A huge effort and lots of hard work was involved in organising a whole school energy conservation programme.

We continued our policy of REUSE, REDUCE and RECYCLE with special colour coded bins! Various surveys were undertaken, a Green Schools Code, and Rhyme and some impressive Mascots were created to remind everyone of the importance of saving energy. A special guest visit from renowned environmentalist, Gordon D’Arcy, also helped fuel our enthusiasm for reducing energy waste and caring for our environment. A special Green Schools newsletter kept everyone informed of the progress in our quest for the Green Flag.

We also involved the wider community through our Green Schools Action Day 2006, where we did a huge and successful clean up of the local playground and school grounds.

All in all, our whole school has become completely accustomed to recycling, and our efforts have led to a deep sense of respect for our environment both in and outside of school.

This article was first published in News and Views May 2007

Schools’ Green Flag Award