Raising our seventh Green Flag!
On June 8th we had a very exciting day in Cloontuskert N.S. We invited Lanesboro native and 2FM's Breakfast Republic Presenter Keith Walsh to raise our 7th Green Flag for Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste. We all had a very enjoyable day and celebrated our latest Green Flag with dance and music performances!
Receiving our 7th flag : Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste
We were very excited today to receive our seventh Green Flag. We attended a ceremony at the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone where we were presented with our Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste flag!!
Our WOW day
Wildlife Survey
The Green Committee were busy this week carrying out a wildlife survey on a nearby site in Cloontuskert. We were delighted to assist the Tidy Towns association in this project and we learned so much about the wildlife in the area.
Waste Review: March 2017
With the help of Kerri our cleaner, we weighed our rubbish again over a two week period to determine how much we were recycling, composting and putting in our landfill bin.
We were so excited to discover that we had managed to achieve and surpass our overall aim.. which was to reduce the rubbish going into our landfill bins by 2kg.. when we added up our results over the two week period we found we had reduced the rubbish going into our landfill by a whopping 8kg!!
We were so excited to discover that we had managed to achieve and surpass our overall aim.. which was to reduce the rubbish going into our landfill bins by 2kg.. when we added up our results over the two week period we found we had reduced the rubbish going into our landfill by a whopping 8kg!!
Fairtrade
When you buy Fairtrade products you can guarantee that the farmers who have worked hard to grow them get a minimum price. Fairtrade is a way of giving regular support – and enjoying delicious high quality foods at the same time.
-- Emma Thompson
-- Emma Thompson
During November 2016 we had a whole-school focus on Fairtrade.
The Green School committee carried out a global awareness survey back in 2015 and this was one of the areas that they felt the school needed to raise awareness of. A lot of the pupils were unaware of what Fairtrade was and they didn't know if Fairtrade products were being purchased in their homes.
Over the course of November we all learned so much about Fairtrade in school . We encouraged our parents at home to buy Fairtrade products and we were able to explain why it was important that they did so. We showed them the Fairtrade symbol on the products.
The middle room had a Fairtrade display in their classroom, the children brought in lots of Fairtrade products for all the school to see. The senior room were busying researching Fairtrade and they each completed an essay on Fairtrade highlighting the importance of buying Fairtrade.
National Spring Clean Day
Busy planning our actions!
Following on from our Environmental review we are planning what we can do to improve our Litter and Waste in school. We are intent on reducing the rubbish going into our landfill bin!!
- We have organised a Bin poster competition in the school, the winning poster will be placed beside each bin helping to remind the pupils of the correct bin for their rubbish. Well done to Cian Walton, the winner of our competition!
- We have decided that we will appoint bin wardens each week. A committee member and another child will pick a day to do a spot-check on the bins in the classrooms. While in the classrooms they will do a litter check too.
- The two children appointed for the week will also have the responsibility of bringing the recycling and compost bins out to the yard at break-times ( currently we only have a landfill bin outside).
- Along with this the bin wardens for the week will carry out an Energy and Water spot-check in every classroom, on whatever day they choose, at break-time. This will involve checking that classroom doors are left closed, lights switched off, no taps left running etc. It is important to us that we are maintaining the good work we have done on previous flags.
- The Green Committee will regularly update each classroom on actions in progress.
- Every Friday 5 litter pickers will be chosen to pick litter in the yard and pitch areas using their 'litter picker'. Grace in the middle room has made out a list of the children in the school and organises the rota so that every child will get a turn. Younger children are paired up with the more senior pupils.
- All of the children are being encouraged to bring a lunchbox to school. By encouraging the use of lunchboxes we are hoping to reduce the amount of tinfoil, cling-film etc being used and put into our bins. We plan on having a lunchbox competition later in the year. A day will be chosen where members of the Green Committee will visit each classroom and determine which classroom is making the biggest effort ie which classroom has the most lunchboxes! The winning classroom will have no homework for the night!!
- We are continuing with Lenrec recycling in our school. Collections are organised during the school year. The children are encouraged to donate unwanted clothes and textiles, mobile phones and laptops. This recycling has a global impact also as we will be helping charities such as Friends of Calcutta
- We have installed scrap boxes in each of the classrooms. When there are any unwanted pieces of paper or card they are put into the scrap box instead of the bin. The children can then use this paper for art etc. We love to re -use our paper in Cloontuskert N.S.!
- Our school has recently taken the WEEE pledge. This is a free battery recycling programme. By taking the pledge we are not only helping protect the environment from harmful waste, we will also be helping raise funds for LauraLynn, Ireland's Children's Hospice. For every full battery box we collect €5 will go directly to LauraLynn.
- Our compost and wormery leaders continue to be rotated on a regular basis so more children receive the opportunity to experience and learn how to do both.
Our Green School Code!
The World doesn't belong to one
It belongs to everyone
Look around, there's so much plastic
Let's recycle, it's fantastic!
Reuse it's only fair
Let's go now and show we care
Come on out and help us clean
So our world can become green!
It belongs to everyone
Look around, there's so much plastic
Let's recycle, it's fantastic!
Reuse it's only fair
Let's go now and show we care
Come on out and help us clean
So our world can become green!
Waste Review -January 2016
With the help of Margaret our cleaner, we weighed our rubbish over a two week period to determine how much we were recycling, composting and putting in our landfill bin.
The results were Landfill: 14kg, Recycling: 9.5kg and Compost: 3.911kg
We have set ourselves a target of reducing the landfill by 2kg over the next year and a half!
The results were Landfill: 14kg, Recycling: 9.5kg and Compost: 3.911kg
We have set ourselves a target of reducing the landfill by 2kg over the next year and a half!
Litter Review
Litter = 'waste in the wrong place'.
If it's in the bin it's waste, if it's on the ground it's litter!
If it's in the bin it's waste, if it's on the ground it's litter!
We conducted a litter review of our school building and the school grounds. Groups of pupils were assigned a different area. They had to draw a map of their area and mark where they found litter. As can be seen from the examples above paper was marked on the map with a green highlighter, plastic with pink, food waste with orange and 'other' was marked with a yellow highlighter.
These results gave us plenty of food for thought! They will help us in determining what areas both inside and outside the school need to be improved on with regard to litter!
Bin Survey
On the 18th of November the Green Committee carried out a bin survey. This involved gathering the landfill waste from all of the bins in the school and determining what rubbish was in the bins. Plastic gloves at the ready and we were set to examine our rubbish!!
We were amazed at the results of our bin survey. 60% of our waste was in the landfill where it was supposed to be but a massive 40% was in the landfill when it should have been in the recycling bin!! We have a lot work to do to improve on this bin survey over the next two years!
We were amazed at the results of our bin survey. 60% of our waste was in the landfill where it was supposed to be but a massive 40% was in the landfill when it should have been in the recycling bin!! We have a lot work to do to improve on this bin survey over the next two years!
Green Committee Sept. '15- June '17
In September we elected our Green School Committee. Pupils in the middle and senior room prepared speeches explaining why they would like to be on the committee.
The following six pupils were chosen to be on the committee, Eoin, Éabha, Katie, Seán, Harry and Marijana. They are excited at the prospect of learning more about Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste and leading the school towards hopefully obtaining our seventh Green flag in 2017!!
The following six pupils were chosen to be on the committee, Eoin, Éabha, Katie, Seán, Harry and Marijana. They are excited at the prospect of learning more about Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste and leading the school towards hopefully obtaining our seventh Green flag in 2017!!