Green Flag Raised in Scoil Ide, Clondalkin.

Green Flag Raised in Scoil Ide, Clondalkin.

The Principal in Scoil Ide is Mary O Neill and the Green School Co-Ordinator is Eileen OToole.

Their Green School Ceremony is on Tuesday 27^th March, 2007 and the flag will be raised by Mayor Eamon Moloney at 11.00 a.m.

Scoil Ides Green School Committee was formed from students, teachers, parents and the School Caretaker. The Committee meet every two weeks to review the work carried out, record achievements and also plan their activities.

This school did a survey of their waste and found that plastic containers and wrapping made up a high proportion of their waste. The school went about recycling their plastic, and making sure that the children reduced their wrappings in their lunchboxes. Their waste going to landfill has now greatly reduced.

The school recycle batteries, corks, printer cartridges, stamps and mobile phones. They also compost.

Scoil Ide have entered various competitions and won a prize in South Dublins Recycled Art Competition last year. They have also entered the Challenge to Change Project run by the Presentation Sisters, their project was done on the Rainforest and they presented this project at a seminar in Kilkenny in May 2006.

The school have had visits from Environmentalists and they also had the mobile farm to their school. Two of their teachers also dressed up as Green Police inspecting their classrooms which shows that recycling can be fun.

As Scoil Ide have successfully completed the 7 steps of the Green School Programme An Taisce in conjunction with South Dublin County Council have awarded this school their first Green Flag for Litter and Waste.

65% of Irish Schools are now involved with the Green School programme. 32 schools in South Dublin now have the Green Flag Award. Green schools is an investment in the future because it fosters a strong sense of citizenship and leadership among participants that spreads far outside the school into the wider community. It promotes teamwork among teachers, students and parents to reach a common goal. Initally schools taking part in the programme tackle basics such as litter and waste and then move on to wider issues such as energy, water, transport and healthy living. Every two years the school have to renew their flag with one of the above themes. Schools partaking in the programme normally find they divert on average 60 per cent of their rubbish away from landfill with some schools close to zero. The most important aspect of green schools is that each school fits the programme to its needs and circumstances and not the other way around.