This article is from page 30 of the 2009-05-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
THREE Clare schools have been acknowledged for their roles in pro- moting a cleaner and better environ- ment.
Colaiste Muire, Ennis, Doora Na- tional School and Holy Family Na- tional School, Ennis have all been awarded Green Flags by Minster for the Environment, Heritage and Local
Government, John Gormley.
Mr Gormley raised the flags at the three schools during a visit to Ennis last week.
Doora National School was the first port of call for the minister. Staff and students there have been work- ing tirelessly to achieve green flag status. With the formation of a Green Schools committee, students under- took a comprehensive audit of all
the school’s waste. The committee set out a plan to drastically cut paper and other types of waste around the school. Waste paper is now shred- ded and given to the local Equestrian Centre and dog kennels run by the Clare branch of the Irish Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).
Students also maintained gardens and developed a system for getting
rid of old batteries.
At Colaiste Muire, staff and stu- dents have also been engaged in a determined effort to reduce waste. Speaking after Minster Gormley had raised the Green Flag, teacher Sa- rah Griffin paid tribute to the efforts of the students and said the school was already aiming to win a second Green Flag.
Songs and celebration were very much the order of the day at Holy Family National School where stu- dents displayed their keen knowledge of environmental issues to Minster Corunna
Speaking at O’Connell Square af- ter the Green Flag ceremony, Mr Gormley praised the efforts of all the schools. “It’s always a great privi- lege to go from school to school. The Green Schools, I think, is one of the best aspects of my job. I really en- joyed coming to Clare to Colaiste Muire, Doora National School and Holy Family. That was fantastic; the singing was fantastic. Just to listen to the kids talk about the environment and their enthusiasm always inspires me,” he said.
The Green Schools programme is an international education programme, which helps students to recognise the importance of environmental issues. In Ireland, the programme is administered by An Taisce. The Green Schools initiative has gone from strength to strength since it was launched in Ireland in 1997.