Green Schools environmental initiative

Information

Green-Schools is the Irish branch of an international environmental education programme and award scheme known as Eco-Schools. It is designed to raise students' awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues through classroom study. Eco-Schools is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education, an organisation founded in 1981 to raise awareness of environmental issues and effect change through education.

Green-Schools is run by An Taisce, an independent, environmental, non-governmental organisation, in conjunction with local authorities in Ireland. The scheme offers a well-defined, controllable way to take environmental issues from the curriculum and apply them to the day-to-day running of the school. This process helps students to recognise the importance of environmental issues and take them more seriously in their personal and home lives.

Benefits of the Green-Schools initiative

The Green-Schools initiative can help schools to:

• Improve the school environment
• Reduce litter and waste
• Reduce fuel bills
• Increase environmental awareness
• Involve the local community
• Gain local publicity
• Create links with other schools in Ireland and abroad

The Eco-Schools Green Flag is awarded to schools that have shown high achievement in their individual programmes and it is a recognised and respected eco-label for environmental education and performance. In Ireland, the Green-Schools award is given to schools that successfully complete the 7 steps of the programme. A Green-Schools award is in the form of a Green Flag that can be flown outside the school or displayed in a foyer. Award winners also receive a certificate, a logo to display on headed notepaper and other publicity material.

Seven steps of the Green-Schools initiative

The 7 steps of the Green-Schools programme are:

• Green-Schools committee: This step directs the school's involvement in the project. Ideally, the committee will include pupils, teachers, non-teaching staff, management and parents.
• Environmental review: This process involves the examination of the school's environmental impacts in order to identify targets for action and improvement.
• Action plan: This step involves setting specific and achievable targets with proposed completion dates that will show real success.
• Monitoring and evaluation: This step ensures that progress towards targets is checked, amendments made when necessary and success celebrated.
• Curriculum work: This involves providing curriculum materials that give ideas on how to integrate environmental issues into lessons.
• Informing and involving: This involves developing a publicity programme that keeps the school and wider community involved and informed through displays, assemblies and press coverage. A Day of Action involves the whole school and wider community in meeting the school's targets.
• Green code: This is a statement of the school's commitment to environmental good practice.

After a period of participation, the success of these initiatives and the school's methodology is evaluated and the whole Green-Schools programme for each school is assessed. Successful schools are then awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag.