This month will see the number of Irish schools flying the internationally recognised Green Flag exceed 2,500 as over 1,050 schools attend Green-Schools Award ceremonies across the country.
214 schools will be awarded their first Green Flag in recognition of their hard work on the Litter and Waste theme while 874 schools will be successfully renewing their Green Flag under the themes of Energy, Water, Travel, Biodiversity, Global Citizenship and Climate Change.
The Green-Schools programme continues to grow at a remarkable rate with over 3,700 schools now registered with the programme, representing over 90 per cent of all schools in Ireland.
Schools from across Donegal will attend a ceremony in The Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny today. Five schools were awarded their first Green Flag while 51 schools renewed their Green Flag.
The programme is coordinated in Ireland by An Taisce, operated in partnership with Local Authorities and is supported by the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, National Transport Authority, NPWS and Trócaire. Green-Schools Ireland is sponsored by Repak and the Wrigley Company Limited.
Repak is the lead sponsor of Green-Schools in Ireland and Dr Andrew Hetherington, CEO, Repak commented: Repak has been the lead sponsors of the An Taisce Green-Schools programme for the last six years in Ireland.
In that time there has been a major attitudinal change to packaging recycling which is in no small part due to Repak’s involvement in the Green-Schools initiative. Ireland’s Green Schools divert 60 tonnes of waste from landfill every school day. Over the period of their sponsorship Repak has seen the numbers of schools participating in the programme grow from 1,809 to 3,746 and the number of new flags awarded increase by 1,681. Repak is delighted with the success and legacy this program creates for long term environmental change.”
Congratulating schools at the awards ceremony, Green-Schools Manager, Anthony Purcell commented that, “it is a great achievement that so many primary and secondary schools continue to implement the Green-Schools programme successfully and as a result students across Ireland are having a very positive impact on the environment both nationally and locally”.
Suzanne Tinney, Waste Awareness Officer with Donegal County Council commended the schools for their efforts.
“I am delighted with the large number of Donegal Schools being awarded with Green Flags today. I wish to congratulate all the schools that are being awarded with their first Green Flag. This is a fantastic achievement and a great reward for all the hard work that the schools have put in over the past few years.
“Today is also quite significant as we have a first for Donegal with the awarding of a Green Flag to a creche for the first time. It is great to see the green schools ethos starting at such a young age. To compliment this I would also like to congratulate all those schools who are today renewing their green flag on the Energy, Water, Travel and Biodiversity themes.
“These schools will be receiving their 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th green flags which shows their level of commitment to the programme and also highlights the sustainability of the programme. I must say a special word of thanks to all the pupils, teachers, parents and other school staff without whose commitment and dedication the Green-Schools programme would not be such as success in Donegal.”
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