The Ursuline has a very active, successful Green School’s committee, a representative from each class meets every Wednesday at lunchtime. Currently the school is working on its 10th Green Flag, ‘Food, Biodiversity and Global Citizenship’.
The committee entered the Globe Project along with two-hundred other schools in Ireland. They set up three air pollution monitors on our School grounds and they were left there for a month. The results were, very good with low air pollution levels on the School grounds. The Globe Project also produced a fact file of energy saving tips for home and School, which are currently displayed for all to see and take note of these and implement them to cut down on energy consumption and cost.
In order to achieve a more environmentally friendly school, the committee was divided into groups to accomplish goals in certain areas throughout the School.
Group One – Batteries . Ms Fahey and the members of the committee in this group have entered the WEEE Battery Collection and they have been a dedicated bunch, constantly reminding classes to bring in used AAs, AAAs, Ds, Cs and 9vs.
Group Two – Single Use Bottles Ms Carroll and other committee members in Group Two were strong willed in getting the message across to use
a reusable bottle.
Group Three - Energy Saving Ms Fogarty and the other committee members oversaw the energy usage in the School. They took immediate action by researching where in the School we were consuming the highest amount of energy and how we could reduce this cost. They also came up with ideas like making sure all computers in the School were fully powered off at the weekend.
Group Fours – Bins Ms Gaynor and the other committee members undertook the challenge of reminding students of the importance of using the right bin and ensuring the correct disposal of waste and what to put in each bin.
In March 2023 the committee started an exciting project of planting crops, and planted five crops in total. These included potatoes, radishes, spring onions, herbs (parsley and chives) and rocket leaves. They were harvested in late May and the committee enjoyed baked potatoes and salad!
Crop planting comes with lots of benefits - it tastes better, it reduces the grocery budget which has risen hugely due to inflation, keeps you active by looking after your crops, reduces carbon emissions and provides learning opportunities and overall, gives you more nutritional value and a sense of achievement.
Our Green Schools Committee is hardworking and determined to reduce the risks of climate change and make our School more environmentally friendly. Throughout the year, with the various projects they have undertaken, it shows how we care for our environment and how we most definitely deserve the Tenth Green Schools’ Flag.