GreenSchool's Programme |
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Our Green Code
Litterbugs need not apply |
Click here to view our Green School's Newsletter.
| Committee Principal: Gavin Kenny James O'Grady Sibeal Hanrahan Paddy Fahy Seamus O'Donoghue Paudie Grealish |
Our first committee meeting was in October 22nd 2004. The commitee meets approximately once a month where we evalue projects undertaken and discuss new ideas. At our first meeting we discussed current practise in the school and decided to carry out an environmental review. A record of our meetings is logged in our Green School's Book. Each teacher talked to their own classes to get feed back on how they felt our school could be improved to become a greener school. After carrying out the Environmental Review on a whole school level.
The following are a list of the main areas highlighted for action:
* Landscape features
* The School's Role in the local community
Action Plan
Litter Management
| Target | Action Taken | Person Responsible | Timeframe | Monitoring | Progress to date |
| Litter policy to be drafted and implemented and displayed on the Green Schools Noticeboard and on the school web-site. | Whole school involvment in the discussion and arising from this a number of simple and child friendly guidelines applicable to our school were drafted as our litter policy. | A.Comyn P.Lee All student population |
Sept. '04 | Policy review June'05 | Completed |
| To create a system of litter monitors in the school building and grounds. | Roster drafted-litter monitor roles rotated among the student population. | 6th Class | Sept '04-ongoing | Initial litter survey conducted. Monthly survey at the end of each calendar month. | There has been a decline in quantity of litter surveyed as indicated by our graphed results. |
| To participate in activities which encourage responsible attitudes to the disposal of litter and the promotion of recycling. |
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Jan '05 Nov '04 Apr '05 |
Monitoring ongoing. Teachers revisit regularly throughout the year to reinforce responsible attitudes to litter. | Completed |
| Healthy Eating Week | Pupils encouraged to eat healthily. Encourage the use of reusable lunch boxes and drink containers. Waste disposal-composting/recycling/litter. Heighten awareness of food products with excessive packaging for marketing purposes. | All teachers and students and the parent body. | Apr. '05 | Ongoing encouragement of healthy eating practices and "green" choices in food selection/waste disposal | Completed |
Waste Management
| ACTION TAKEN | PERSON RESPONSIBLE | TIMEFRAME | MONITORING | PROGRESS TO DATE | |
| To encourage recycling in the home | Class based discussion on current practices in the home and how we can improve on these. e.g. composting, buy recycled products, reuse containers, eco-friendly nappies. | A.Comyn P. Lee |
Sept '04-ongoing | Findings recorded and displayed Feedback from the children about changes in habits in the home | Increased awareness of recycling options in the home. Needs to be revisited regularly. |
| Purchase of composter and its location in our developing school garden. | Installing bin and use of compost bin(balance green and brown waste). Correct use of the compost bin to be taught and shown to the children. | A.Comyn P. Lee Hannah Quinn |
Nov '04 | Separation of waste materials and the placement of appropriate materials in the composter. Daily Monitoring. |
Composter has been acquired from Clare Co.Council. Composting in early stages. |
| Reduce waste leaving the school recycling bin from one full bin fortnightly to1/2 of a bin and the regular bin from one full bin to 3/4 by reducing the volume of waste in the school. | Recycling aluminium cans through the schools recycling scheme. Recycling stamps by forwarding them to Irish Peatlands. Greeting cards. Composting. Children take home all lunch rubbish. Reusable drinks containers. | Mary Fogarty
(Caretaker) Caoimhe Fahy Ronan Taaffe |
Nov '04-ongoing | Record the amount of rubbish leaving the school on a weekly basis in the wheelie bins. | Ongoing |
| To set up battery recycling centre in the school. | Battery recycling box collected from Clare Co.Council | Mary Clancy | Dec '04 | Recording the date that the box is full. Box will be taken to recycling centre for safe disposal because of the toxic contents. | To be initiated |
| To renew involvment in the schools cans recycling | A.Comyn P. Lee Niamh Baker | Set up centre for aluminium drinks cans recycling in school. | Jan. '05 | Record no. of cans being brought into the school. | |
| Reduce the quantity of paper being used in the school | Use recycled paper. Trays containing scrap paper. When using the photocopier use both sides of the paper. Visual stimuli to be created as component of art/I.T. class to promote this message. | A. Comyn P.Lee Sibeal Hanrahan Gavin Kenny Kellie McElhone Caoimhe Fahy | Dec. '04 | Audit on the amount of paper currently being used in the school. Efforts to be made to purchase recycled paper in lieu of regular paper. | To be initiated |
| Reduce the quantity of tetra drink cartons in use in the school and promote the use of reusable containers. | Create among the student population an awareness of the use in the school of such cartons by conducting a survey and displaying the results on a graph. | P Lee A. Comyn | Jan '05 | Monthly recordings of findings of the usage of the cartons by 5th and 6th classes and the production of a trend graph of the results. | To be initiated |
| Research alternative recycling projects which may be applicable to Tubber N.S. | Green School Committee make suggestions for possible projects | Green School Committee and school community | Sept. '04 | Observe the awareness among the students of the varying materials that can be recycled | Results of Research Aluminium Cans Christmas Cards Batteries Composter Paper recycling Stamps |
| Book environmentalists to give presentations | Robin Barry(ENFO) contacted John Murphy(Birdwatch Ireland)-no reply yet | P. Lee A. Comyn | Jan. '05 Ongoing-no reply | Prior discussion regarding presentation approach and the content to be covered. Other preparations for the visit. | Date set with Robin Barry for Jan. '05. Awaiting response from John Murphy |
Landscape Features
| TARGET | ACTION TAKEN | PERSON RESPONSIBLE | TIMEFRAME | MONITORING | PROGRESS TO DATE |
| To improve the landscape of the school | Pupils give opinions/suggestions of ways of improving the school grounds | Green School Committee with the support of the B.O.M. | Oct '04 | Suitable suggestions were highlighted for action | Planting of Spring flowering bulbs. Planting of Mountain Ash. Bird table in place with nesting box on the wall. 3 window boxes to planted in early May '05 School shrubbery to be dug out and planted in Apr. '05 |
| To design and plant a school shrubbery | Local horticulturalist visited the school and advised us on the selection of shrubs for the shrubbery and the steps in planting. | P.Lee All pupils Paudie Grealish Seamus Donohoe | Apr '05-ongoing | Pupils will water and weed the plants. Roster drawn up. | Shrubbery to be planted in Apr '05. |
| To show the pupils how to plant/grow flowers from bulbs. | Pupils plant bulbs (hyacinths,crocus, iris, daffodilnd tulips) in the specially designated bulb bed in the garden. | All pupils | Planted in November '04, expected to bloom in April '05. | Pupils investigate requirements for successful growth i.e. light water heat and observe their relative effects on growth | Bulbs planted. Awaiting results |
Other Links
| ACTION TAKEN | PERSON RESPONSIBLE | TIMEFRAME | MONITORING | PROGRESS TO DATE | |
| Birds in the Schoolyard Project | All pupils participate in feeding, observing, naming birds that visit. Proposed presentation from John Murphy from Birdwatch Ireland. Local gamekeeper has agreed to take the children on a fieldtrip so the children will be enabled to identify local wildfowl and their contribution to the local environment. | All pupils John Murphy Enda O'Connor on the B.O.M. | Dec.'04 To be confirmed Spring '05 | Pupils/teachers observe if peers/pupils can identify and record the number of visiting birds to the bird-station. | To be initiated |
| Field Trips | Junior classroom visit Coole Park annually. Local Gun &Game Club organised afield trip for the senior classes. Teacher organised/directed environmental trails to identify local flora/fauna etc. to local wetland/hedgerows | All pupils/ Local community | Ongoing during academic school year. | Variety of field trips selected to cater for differing age groups and interest levels. | Ongoing annually. |
| Green School Noticeboard/Website "Green Page". | This notice board is placed in the school hallway clearly visible to all school visitors. Used to display pupils work and information regarding this project. | Mary Clancy Green School Committee. | Sept.'04 | Regular rotation of displays and updates on the latest news. | Litter policy displayed. Litter survey results. Anti-Litter Slogan. Template page set up on the school website dedicated exclusively to the project. |
