This article is from page 25 of the 2010-02-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 25 JPG
STUDENTS at Knockanean Nation- al School got a glimpse of the future this month with an up-close look at one of the country’s first electric ve- hicles.
Representatives from the ESB visited the Ennis school earlier this month to speak on renewable energy and showcase one of the company’s new electric vehicles.
On Friday, February 5, Paul Mul- vaney, MD Electric Vehicles ESB and Sean Hegarty of ESB Wind Development, visited the school to give a talk on renewable energy and climate change. Afterwards all the pupils had the opportunity to see one of the ESB’s electric vehicles.
ESB is leading the way in develop- ing a network infrastructure to pave the way for electric vehicles and sup- porting Ireland in meeting its climate change targets.
The visit by the ESB came as the school continues its efforts to earn a second Green Flag.
The Green School Committee was set up in 2007 and its primary ob- jective was to increase awareness in Cnoc an Ein about litter, waste and other environmental issues. Pupils from third to sixth class became in- volved and the first Green Flag was awarded by An Taisce in May 2008.
The level of wet waste going to landfill was reduced by 30 to 40 per cent and more emphasis was placed on reducing, reusing and recycling. The pupils from fifth and sixth class look after the composting and the refuse bins on a bi-weekly basis and take responsibility for a better school environment.
The goal now is to achieve a second Green Flag based on the theme of en- ergy. The children on the committee spread the word about saving energy in their respective classes and turn off lights, computers, music centres, etc when not in use at lunch time and break times.
Parents like Sean Hegarty came onboard to highlight the important
themes surrounding energy, sustain- ability and to help pupils understand its importance in everyday life. Fur- ther to the presentation, a visit will be arranged for the pupils to one of the ESB’s wind farms in the area. The aim of Green Schools is to increase students’ and participants’ awareness of environmental issues through classroom studies and to
transfer this knowledge into positive environmental action in the school and also in the wider community.