This article is from page 35 of the 2007-12-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
SOMETHING prominent has been missing from the grounds of Scar- iff Community College. It’s the An Taisce Green Flag for environmental awareness.
Continuity on the award was bro- ken during the period of re-roofing and other structural updates on the buildings. Now, however, the Green School committee has reconvened to resume full activities, hoping to re- gain the green accolade that slipped because of the limitations placed on the schools activities while renova- tions were under way.
The committee is involved in rais-
ing awareness about the three r’s: reduce, reuse, recycle in the context of the college. Its modus operandi to make the college more environmen- tally friendly is to concentrate on an issue a month. For instance, during October the emphasis was on out- door recycling.
Thirty-five people make up the green committee – students’ repre- sentatives from first year to Leaving Certificate, teaching staff, non-teach- ing staff and the college caretaker. Recently, a parents’ representative was invited to join them.
The Scariff college was one of the first secondary academies in the county and the first under Vocational
Education Committee control to achieve ‘green’ status.
Last month the emphasis was on the area in front of the main build- ing. A tree dedicated to deceased past pupils and another to deceased staff were planted.
There was also a ‘green code’ com- petition in which a student comes up with a slogan.
This month the committee visited the Mr Binman recycling centre as well as mounting a campaign to reduce Christmas packaging. Aine Purcell, Green-School Co-ordinator, says that ongoing projects include paper recycling, composting and plastic bottle recycling.
The aim of the Green-Schools pro- gramme is tO move from environ- mental awareness in the curriculum to environmental action in the school and wider community. As with any environmental management system, a structure is required to help it run smoothly. Pilot testing showed that a programme embodying seven es- sential elements provides a structure successful in achieving this aim.
These elements range over the adoption of a green code, environ- mental review, action plan, forming and involving, curriculum work and monitoring and evaluation. Hopes are high that the green flag will soon be flying again in Scariff.