For the past two years our Green School Committee have been working diligently and consistently to raise environmental awareness in our school. Our committee was elected in 2015 and comprises of 2 children from classes 3rd to 6th ( two from 2nd in 2016) and 3 adults. We meet regularly to plan events and discuss what we intend doing in the immediate future.
We operate a 3 bin system recycling, landfill and compost. The first task of the committee was to visit the Junior classes and explain and teach the children where the waste goes and what goes into each of the bins.
We have tried to follow the motto “What we do locally has effects globally”. The children throughout the entire school have worked tirelessly to keep our classrooms and yard litter free and the committee operate a monthly competition to determine the tidiest classroom and ensure the proper use of bins. The scheme is called “scores on floors” and “tens for bins.” It’s basically where two Green school members are assigned to a certain classroom and points are deducted for any litter on the floor and where waste is placed in the wrong bins. We count up the scores at the end of each month and results are displayed on our Green school notice board and announced at assembly. Awards such as a night free from homework is given to the winning class.
We’ve held three assemblies in our school to raise awareness of different topics such as biodiversity, fair trade and climate change. At assemblies we also remind classes about reducing reusing and recycling waste and proper use of bins. We also inform children about competitions such as creating a motto for our green school work, colouring competitions and about any local clean up or walk or cycle to school.
Our Green school committee have carried out many surveys during the past 2 years including an environmental awareness audit early in 2015 and again in 2017 which showed a marked increase in the level of environmental awareness and increase in knowledge in areas such as Fair trade and biodiversity. We have surveyed where parents of children in our school originate from and this information is displayed on a map on the Green school notice board.
As a whole school we plant a wonderful organic garden and water, weed and tend the vegetables planted. We had a wonderful day making soup with the kind help of Ms Breda Heffernan last harvest. Every child in the school sampled the tasty soup and 4th class with the green school committee prepared peeled and chopped our own vegetables. We hope parents will kindly offer to care for the garden during the summer 2017 for one week as they so kindly have done in the past.
Our Green School Committee were questioned thoroughly on their role by Olivia from An Taisce and they responded with great enthusiasm and a vast body of information. They passed with flying colours and our school was deemed worthy of the Global Citizenship Green Flag.
On the 11th of May Fraser, Nicole, Briain, Mrs O Rourke and Mrs Hampson went to Claremorris to receive our 6th Green Flag on behalf of the school. It was a beautiful sunny day and schools from Mayo Sligo and Leitrem were there to get their well-earned green flags.
May 18, 2017
