Introduction

Green-Schools, known internationally as Eco-Schools, is an international environmental education programme, environmental management system and award scheme that promotes and acknowledges long-term, whole school action for the environment. Unlike a once-off project, it is a long-term programme that introduces participants (students, teachers, parents and the wider community) to the concept of an environmental management system.

St Fergus established it’s Green School Committee in 2006 and to date have successfully attained and maintained two green flags, one for ‘Litter and Waste’ and a second for ‘Energy’. The school is currently working on its third flag which is on the theme of ‘Water’.
In order to achieve this flag we must continue to reduce our litter and waste, and keep our energy use down and now start to reduce the amount of water the school uses.  We began working on the water theme in October 2015.

Green School’s Committee

In St Fergus National School the committee is made up of students from 3^rd to 6^th class and are changed each month.  The children have been elected to the Green School’s Committee by their class teachers – Ms. Dillane and Mrs. Ambrose.  We feel that every child should get a chance to serve on the committee.  The previous months green team help to show the new members jobs, and explain the action plan.  There are 8 students in total on the committee each month – 2 from each class.  Their jobs are as follows:

• Energy Detectives
• Litter & Waste Wardens
• Recycling Experts
• Water Wizards

Students from Junior Infants to 2^nd class are not represented on the Green School’s Committee.  These students will be kept informed by their class teachers and by the children on the committee who will visit each class to pass on the necessary information e.g. our green school rules, surveys and competition details etc.

February & March 2016 Committee members:

Breean, Cillian, Cian, Martin, Céilí and Niamh.  Missing from the photograph are Colm and Natalia.

April 2016 Committee members:

Jack, Iain, Killian, Conor, Ella O’C, Ella F, Clodagh and Harry.

Work to Date:

• Mrs. Ambrose attended two teacher workshops run by An Taisce.
• We set up our Green School committee.
• We monitored and recorded the amount of water being used in the school by reading the water meter located on the footpath outside the school gate.
• Mrs. Gee checked for leaks in all school toilets using food colouring.
• Mrs. Healy is working on drawing a map of the school and looking at where water is being used.
• We participated in a two hour workshop provided by Water Explorers.
• We Walked for Water – wearing blue and giving a donation of €2.

Upcoming Events:

• Limerick County Council will hold a workshop explaining what is involved in achieving our third green flag.
• Fundamental to all our studies on water is an understanding of the water cycle.  This will be the focus in Geography classes over the coming weeks.
• We will be having a visit from Our Wildlife expert, Geoff Hunt.
• We will also be having a visit from the Inland Fisheries Board in May, who will teach us about the fish that live in Irish waters.
• Students will participate in a beach clean-up organised by Clean Coasts.  This clean-up will be carried out on Ballybunion Beach in June.
• Fundamental to all our studies on water is an understanding of the water cycle.  This will be the focus in all Geography classes over the coming weeks.