Green Schools Initiative
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Our school is involved in the Green Schools initiative. We have organised a Green Schools Committee.
The committee is all about looking after the environment and using less energy so we started recycling and making sure we are not using too much energy by turning off the lights more.
The people in the committee are:
Fíona, Shane, Andrew, Jasmine, Bill, Edward, Michael and Dáire. We are also doing compost and the committee collects it every day at 2pm. As well as recycling and using less energy we are trying to keep our school as tidy and litter free as possible.
So we put up this chart that says whether your classroom is tidy or messy, with happy faces or sad faces. So when we go into a classroom and its untidy we give them a sad face and if its tidy we give them a happy face. We also pick up litter around the school so thats it even more tidy.
We will be in the committee until the 16th of March and then a new committee will be picked. If we keep our school tidy an inspector wil come in, inspect the school and if its tidy we will get the Green Schools Flag.
In 2006, Scartleigh National School, Cloyne, Co Cork first got involved in the Green Schools programme. Since then, we have achieved two green flags for our school.
We were awarded our first flag for our hard work on the theme of LITTER & WASTE and we received our second flag for our work on ENERGY CONSERVATION.
Now we are on course to receive our 3RD flag on the theme of WATER CONSERVATION. The Green Schools Committee comprises the Principal,one teacher,two parents, the secretary and eight pupils from 2nd class to 6th class.
The children in 2nd, 3rd and 6th class were nominated by their teachers and fellow class members. In 4th class an election took place whereby the children had a vote and the boy and girl with the highest votes were nominated. Along with this each class will be given a particular job to do just to ensure whole-school involvement.
Committee Members are as follows:
– Sophie Geffroy, Zach Walsh, Alannah Hall, Kieran Galvin, Shaye O’Sullivan, Lauren Linehan, Sarah Leahy, Ciara Hurley, Róisín Moloney (6th Class)
– Rory Bawden, Ben Kileen, Laura Cosgrave,Craig Healy (5th Class)
– Sam Murphy, Jay Wilson,Holly Hoban, Ronan Connelly, Orla Kileen,Aisling Gilroy (4th Class)
– Jake Mallon, Sarah O’ Hanlon (3rd Class)
– Briain Roche, Seán Busteed,David Cremin,Sarah O’ Driscoll,Sophie Colghan,Olivia O’ Driscoll (2nd Class)
– Ryan, Carla (1st Class)
– Caoimhe,Samuel,Tom,Emily (Senior Infants)
Our Committee because it’s so big is split into sub-committees with 6th class having responsibility for 6 different groups. The Green Schools Committee meet informally on a weekly basis and formally on a monthly basis. During our monthly meetings the minutes are taken and kept by a 5th/6th class pupil/teacher and used as the reference point in the event of any queries. After each meeting the pupil committee members visit all the classes or use intercom to keep everyone informed of Green School issues.
On the 26th June 2013, we raised our third “Green Schools Flag”. Congrats to the Green Schools Committee and Múinteoir Karen for all your hard work.
Luke O’ Farrell and Conor Lehane helped with the raising of the flag amid great celebrations.
Congratulations to Sophie Geffroy 6th class who won the overall green code!
Minutes of Meeting:
02/09/2012
(Minutes taken by Múinteoir Karen)
-Discuss what needs to be completed as part of our environmental review.
-With principal’s help,locate leak.
-Organise surveys for different classes:
1)Water metre readings-who is going to take readings and when?(Alannah- Friday evening/Monday morning)
2)From that see how big the leak is.
3)Count the number of toilets/sinks in main building and prefabs.
4)Find out how many times the dishwasher is being used daily.
5)Check for leaks in toilets and sinks throughout the school.
6)Tally survey-each class has to complete a survey to indicate how many times toilets are being flushed daily in each class.
7)Compile a list of problematic areas within the school.
Environmental Review:
The Main Findings from our Review
– Children not aware of water conservation
– Huge water leak between main building and prefabs
– Toilets being flushed too often
– 6-8 litres of water being wasted each time a toilet is being flushed
– Too much pressure in taps resulting in water splashing on floor
– Dishwasher being used too often each day
– Taps being left on
– Lights being left on when rooms vacant
– Doors/windows left open when heating on
– Interactive whiteboards left on when not being used
– School garden needs sorting
– Litter black spots around the school
Our action plan for water conservation
GOAL:
• TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER BEING USED DAILY AND WEEKLY
• CONTINUE TO CONSERVE ENERGY
• KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LITTER BLACKSPOTS AROUND THE SCHOOL
– LOCATE & FIX LEAK
– PLACE BRICKS OR 2 LITRE BOTTLES INTO CISTERNS OF TOILETS TO DISPLACE 2 LITRES OF WATER PER FLUSH
– SAVE 574 LITRES OF WATER PER DAY (287X2)
– VISIT TO INISCARRA DAM & WATER TREATMENT PLANT
– REMINDER SLOGANS TO BE PLACED AROUND SCHOOL TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CONSERVE WATER
– USE DISHWASHER TWICE DAILY INSTEAD OF 3 TIMES DAILY – SAVING 50L OF WATER PER WEEK
– TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER CONSERVATION
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
– THE LEAK HAD BEEN FIXED RESULTING IN HUGE WATER CONSERVATION
– CO-ORDINATOR AND COMMITTEE HAVE PLACED 2 LITRE CARTONS IN CISTERNS
– COMMITTEE HAVE VISITED INNISCARRA DAM & 4th CLASS HAVE VISITED THE DAM & WATER TREATMENT PLANT
– REMINDER SLOGANS HAVE BEEN PLACED AROUND THE SCHOOL
– DISHWASHER BEEN USED TWICE DAILY INSTEAD OF 3 TIMES
– CHILDREN MORE AWARE OF WATER CONSERVATION
LINKING WITH THE CURRICULUM
• 4TH :THE WATER CYCLE
• 4TH :THE STORY OF A RIVER/LAKES
• 4th :WATER EXPERIMENT:OIL & WATER DON’T MIX
• 4TH :DISCUSSION ON WATER POLLUTION
• 4TH:WATER EXPERIMENT:WATERPROOF MATERIAL
• AN CUAN: HOW TO MAKE A RAIN GUAGE & THE STORY OF A RIVER
• 5TH:BRAIN STORMING EXERCISE ON WATER CONSERVATION
• 4TH:WATER TREATMENT & DAMS-VISITING INNISCARRA DAM 8TH MARCH
• 3RD:THE WATER CYCLE, THE USES & DANGERS OF WATER, WATER CONSERVATION AT HOME & AT SCHOOL
• 2ND:USES OF WATER,ACROSTIC POEM ON WATER,WATER CONSERVATION POWERPOINT
• 1ST:THE USES OF WATER & DRIPPY THE RAINDROP
• SENIOR INFANTS:PLANTS NEED WATER TO GROW & HOW WE USE WATER EVERYDAY
OUR DAY OF ACTION
Here are some of the things we did: (15TH March ’13)
• Everyone will wear green!
• Everyone will bring something green in their lunchboxes.
• Low Water Day!
• Science Day: Water Experiments
• Litter Inspections
• Designing Water Conservation posters.
• Designing Water Conservation signs.
• Water Wardens touring the schools, checking for leaks etc
• Some children walked to school instead driving.
• School garden: parents & children planting vegetables/shrubs etc.
• National Spring Clean
INFORMING AND INVOLVING
WHOLE SCHOOL WAS INFORMED AS FOLLOWS:
• Pupils visit classes regularly to update everyone.
• Green Schools notice board.
• Our school website.
• Our Day of Action.
• Intercom.
• Notes sent to parents regularly.
• Committee deliver Power point presentation to every class.
WHOLE SCHOOL INVOLVEMNENT AS FOLLOWS:
• Completing curriculum work based on the theme ‘Water’.
• Our Day of Action.
• Our school garden.
• Keeping our school litter free zones and conserving water within the school.
• Staff and children bring their waste home.
• Every child coming up with their own Green Code.
CONTACT WITH THE WIDER COMMUNITY
• Parental involvement with school garden.
• Tús Geal: Our school has teamed up with an local Irish company which is working with us to recycle used old clothes.
• Jack and Jill foundation: Our school is recycling old phones.
• ESB: Iniscarra Dam & Water Treatment Plant.
