School's Environmental Education and Awareness Programme
Donegal County Council’s School Programme has been operating for a number of years. All schools are invited to participate in the scheme where the Awareness Officer visits schools around the County and delivers presentations and demonstrations on Recycling, Litter, Composting and in general, responsible waste management. In 2009,appproximately 90 schools in the County were visited.
Green School's Programme
The Green Schools programme has been operating in the County with great success for the past 12 years. 152 Schools in the County have registered to complete the programme with view to applying for the Green Flag. In total 85 flags have been awarded to schools in County Donegal. The Awareness Officer promotes this programme to schools and more information can be obtained by downloading information from An Taisce, new Green Schools website
http://www.greenschoolsireland.org
Green Schools is an international project designed to encourage and acknowledge whole school action for the environment. Green Schools offers a well-defined controllable way for you to take environmental issues from the curriculum and apply them to the day to day running of your school. The process will help pupils recognise the importance of environmental issues and take them more seriously in their personal and home lives. The programme is co-ordinated by an Taisce in association with the local authority’s Environmental Awareness Officer. School’s that register are invited to complete a seven-stage programme, following which they can apply for the Green Flag Award.
Step One: Green Schools Committee
The committee directs the operations of a school’s Green-Schools programme. The Green-Schools committee should be as representative of the whole-school and as student led as possible. However, it is up to each school to decide how their committee operates.
Step Two: Environmental Review
Carrying out an environmental review helps the school to identify its current environmental impact and highlights the good, the bad and the ugly.
Step Three: Action Plan
The third step is to produce an action plan with manageable and realistic targets and goals.
Step Four: Monitoring and Evaluating
Step four involves monitoring and evaluating progress and should be incorporated into the action plan.
Step Five: Linking with the Curriculum
Step five involves integrating the programme into the curriculum, either directly through science, civics and environmental classes or indirectly in other subject areas through innovative teaching.
Step Six: Informing and Involving
It is essential that the whole school is involved in, and the wider community aware of, the schools Green-Schools programme.
Step Seven: Green Code
The Green-Code is a statement of the objectives demonstrating the school’s commitment to environmentally friendly actions.
For more information visit www.greenschoolsireland.org or contact Suzanne Tinney, Environment Section on 074 91 76276 or email suzanne.tinney@donegalcoco.ie for a Registration Form. The website takes you through the Green Schools programme and give lots of ideas and case studies for other schools. It is well worth a visit!