Kilkenny Green Schools Programme
Kilkenny Green Schools Programme
Green Schools is an international environmental education programme and award scheme that promotes and acknowledges long term, whole school action for the environment. In Ireland the programme is run by An Taisce and schools are assisted locally by the Environmental Awareness Officer in Kilkenny County Council. Over 70% of all schools in Kilkenny participate in the programme and it proves to be an excellent interactive way to promote environmental awareness among students.
Unlike a once off project, Green Schools is a long term programme that introduces participants (students, teachers, parents and the wider community) to the concept of 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. It brings children into the decision making process and makes them responsible for their decisions and actions.
The award takes the form of a prestigious Green Flag that can be flown outside the school and has to be renewed every two years. In June 2011 a total of 43 schools have been awarded a Green Flag in County Kilkenny.
Essentially the Green Schools programme is a seven step process. It is also a themed programme with schools initially tackling the issues of waste and litter and subsequently moving onto issues like energy, water and transport.
The 7 steps for achieving your award!
Step 1
This involves setting up a committee.
Step 2
This involves conducting an environmental review of the school.
Step 3
Produce an action plan with manageable and realistic targets and goals.
Step 4
This involves monitoring and evaluating progress (e.g. number of wheelie bins heading to landfill every week, units of electricity used, litres of water used, number of aluminium cans recycled etc).
Step 5
Involves integrating the programme into the curriculum either directly through science, civics and environmental classes or indirectly in other subject areas.
Step 6
This step involves a Day of Action. It is designed to bring the school and the local community together to undertake a common task. In many instances the school and the local community undertake a National Spring Clean event. The green school committee may decide to have an open day and invite the local public to attend and offer advice on environmental topics.
Step 7
This is the final step in the implementation of the programme and sees the school produce a Green Code. This is a sort of mission statement summing up the whole Green School process.
Schools that have successfully implemented the seven step programme can apply to An Taisce for the Green Flag!
Bernadette Moloney, the Environmental Awareness Officer offers local support by school visits, organising an annual green school information evening for teachers every autumn and organises different resources for schools through Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Funding and the Anti-Litter & Anti-Graffiti Awareness Community Initiative Grant.
If your school would like assistance with the Green School Programme please contact Ms Bernadette Moloney, Environmental Awareness Officer, Kilkenny County Council at 056 - 7794487 or by email at bernadette.moloney@kilkennycoco.ie.
There is a Green Schools application form available from The Green Schools website.
