Minister Mary Hanafin Visits Our School
to raise our
Second Green Flag

Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin T.D., raised the second Green Flag at Scoil Iosa, Carracastle in the presence of parents, pupils, members of the local community and distinguished guests. The Green Flag was awarded to the school in recognition of the school's dedicated efforts to reduce energy consumption.

Over the past two years a Green-Schools committee, comprising pupils, parents and staff members, worked diligently at implementing an energy conservation policy. The committee developed an action plan designed to reduce the number of electricity units used in the school.

The committee has summarised their plan in the following slogans; Last out lights out. Close the door be cold no more and Switch it off save energy.

This is the second time that Scoil Iosa has merited recognition under the Green Schools Programme. In 2004 they were awarded a Green Flag for the successful implementation of the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle environmental policy in the school.

Speaking at the flag raising ceremony today school principal, Marian Maloney said, the Green Schools Programme involves all members of the school community. It extends learning beyond the school into the home and the wider community. It is a long-term programme that aims to improve the local environment.

The Green Schools Programme is an international environmental awareness programme. The programme is co-coordinated in Ireland by An Taisce in partnership with the local authorities. It is run in over 30 countries around the world throughout Europe , Africa and South America . It helps schools to take environmental lessons from the classroom and to apply them to the day to day running of the school.

The spectacle of the Green Flag flying high at the front of the school is a source of pride not alone to the school population but to the wider community of Carracastle. By taking part in this programme the pupils have learned valuable lessons about respecting their environment and these lessons extend beyond the classroom into the home and the local community, concluded Mrs Maloney.