Green-Schools is an environmental management and education programme for schools. It promotes long-term, whole-school action for the environment. Green-Schools is a student-led programme with involvement from the wider community. The programme is operated and coordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce.
There are 10 flags in all. Litter and Waste, Energy, Water, Travel, Biodiversity, Global Citizenship Litter and Waste, Global Citizenship Energy, Global Citizenship Marine Environment, Global Citizenship Travel and Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity. The work which goes towards being awarded each flag takes two years. It involves setting up a student led committee, conducting an environmental review to assess the needs, development of an action plan, creating a green code - motto and acrostic, monitoring and evaluating, curriculum work and informing and involving family and community of the work being completed Over the past 16 years St Patrick’s BNS, have been striving to improve our habits and educating ourselves within our school community to care for and protect our beautiful environment here in West Cork. Through awareness and actions we are involving and educating our families and community by sharing our activities through local newspapers and social media. Some of the things we have done are purchasing a full set of plastic cups, plates and bowls for use during school activities. We cut down on single use plastics in lunch boxes. We use lunch boxes at cake sales to cut down on plastic bags and aero board containers. We filled plastic bottles with soft plastic to make eco bricks for the creation of a fish pond in our school garden. We wrote and delivered letters to all of our supermarkets encouraging them to consider a refill aisle for pasta, rice and other dried foods. We welcomed Brendan Mc Carthy, a Grandad to speak to us about life before plastic growing up in the 40's in Union Hall. This was published in the Southern Star.
We reuse our shredded paper to provide bedding for our hens and chickens.
We compost our fruit waste to create fertiliser for the garden.
We frequently use curriculum links in our SESE subjects in all subject areas to teach our pupils about global efforts in sustainability.
We do not write into workbooks from 2nd class but use the book scheme which we have done with 20 years. We take part in the cycle bus every Thursday to cycle to school. Our past 6th class JEP project designed and developed insulated double walled drinks cup.We have three bins in each class for tissues and non recyclable, paper and card and compostable materials.
We reuse card and paper for art projects throughout the school.
Aladdin connect and Aladdin management system help to allow us not to use paper but use e mail instead.
Our intention this year is to teach all students about the 17 Environmental Global Goals which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Our Marine Environment Committee are preparing a slide show to present to all classes on Marine Environment Care. One of our parents, Ann Haigh is preparing a workshop showing sea creatures which inhabit our coasts. We are planning beach cleans and litter picks around our locality. We are also watching Ireland’s Wild Islands programme which is presented by Bantry born Eoin Warner.
West Cork is a beautiful place and our students are showing that they are committed to protecting it by encouraging sustainability in our consumption and in our lives. We are custodians of our planet and we must change our attitudes and behaviours to ensure that we protect our planet for all of our futures.
