Green-Schools, is an international environmental education programme, environmental management system and award scheme that promotes and acknowledges long-term, whole school action for the environment.
Desmond College has been a proud participant of the Green-Schools initiative since 2006, having achieved our first Green Flag for Litter and Waste in 2008. Since then, over the past two years, we have made environmental conservation a regular topic of action and discussion with the students of our school.
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Green-School Codes
Our litter code is: “We are a lean, mean, green, litter recycling machine“.
Our energy code is: “Remember to switch it off, turn it down and plug it out“.
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School Waste Management Guidelines for All Students
Red Bins
General Waste: Food, Tayto bags and sweet wrappers only.
Green Bins
Plastic bottles, cans and paper only.
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Our main focus is to change peoples’ habits of dropping litter in public places and on the school premises. We also discourage people from leaving lights and equipment on when there is no real need. It is with great delight that we can announce the attainment of our second award of the Green-Schools programme for Energy while maintaining the litter free status of our school! This achievement is due to a dedicated team of students and teachers devoted to the committee over the past two years.
Green-Schools are far more than just an environmental management system. It fosters a strong sense of citizenship and leadership among participants that spreads far outside the school into the wider community. We are also committed to the conservation of our environment locally, nationally and on a global scale. During the year we have raised awareness in the minds of parents, students and teachers regarding energy conservation, global warming and proper recycling of waste through our daily actions and with the realisation of a multitude of cross-curriculum projects.
Our Green-Schools committee is made up of a group of teachers from a variety of departments, a cross-section of student years and students from the student council.
Mr. Keith O’Rahilly is the co-ordinator of the teacher’s aspect of the committee.
The following staff members are also part of this committee:
- Ms. Gavin Barry (Principal)
- Ms. Boohan
- Ms. Liston
- Ms. Walsh
- Ms. Hartnett
- Ms. Corkery
- Mr. Bill Flaherty
- Ms. Collins
While concentrating on the energy campaign, we have also being monitoring the litter management in the school. On occasion there have been some lapses and to counter this, we regularly organise pickups around the school making sure the grounds are well kept. We take part yearly in the national Spring Clean and the Irish Business Against Litter initiatives in collaboration with the Limerick County Council and An Taisce.
The Green-Schools programme has benefited our school enormously through educating our staff and students to take responsibility for their environment at home and in school. We urge all existing and new students entering our school this year to participate in our continuous campaign of keeping Desmond College a beacon of environmental conservation.