Congratulations to everyone on getting the green flag (litter & waste) for our school!
We are now aiming to achieve the Green Flag Award for Energy. The aim of the Green-Schools programme is to move from environmental awareness in the curriculum to environmental action in the school and wider community. It covers a number of different themes: litter and waste, energy, water, travel, and healthy living.
| Action/Target: Year One | Person/Group Responsible | Timeframe | Progress Made |
| Maintain targets from Litter & Waste theme:· To keep classrooms, hallways and school yard clean and tidy at all times.· To cut down on school waste and promote recycling (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)· To make the school grounds more attractive· To encourage the whole school community to be more environmentally-friendly |
Whole school | Ongoing | See ‘Maintaining & Monitoring – Litter and Waste theme’. |
| Take part in a Day of Action in conjunction with The National Spring Clean, to maintain Litter and Waste theme | Whole school | April 2013 | Achieved |
| Introduce energy saving awareness (gas & electricity) | Whole school | Over 2 years reduce gas & electricity consumption by 5%. | Explained to staff and pupils why they need to change energy wasteful behaviour.· Showed them how to change.· Encouraged their efforts. |
| Display Environmental Review findings on Notice Board. | Green-Schools Committee | December 2012 | Achieved |
| Replace as many bulbs to CFLs as possible | Caretaker | By Year 2. | 27 incandescent bulbs replaced by 27 compact fluorescent.· Priced to change all fluorescent tubes but not feasible to do so, given the expense and lack of return on investment in such. Instead they were changed to energy rating A bulbs. |
| Place reminder labels on light switches to turn them off | Green-Schools Committee | December 2012 | Classroom light switches all labelled with ‘LOLO – Last Out Lights Off’ |
| Collect data from gas and electric bills | Green-Schools Committee | Ongoing | Data examined and compared. |
| Action/Target: Year Two | Person/Group Responsible | Timeframe | Progress Made |
| Maintain targets from Litter & Waste theme:· To keep classrooms, hallways and school yard clean and tidy at all times.· To cut down on school waste and promote recycling (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)· To make the school grounds more attractive· To encourage the whole school community to be more environmentally-friendly |
Whole school | Ongoing | See ‘Maintaining & Monitoring – Litter and Waste theme’. |
| Take part in a Day of Action in conjunction with the National Spring Clean, to maintain Litter and Waste theme | Whole school | April 2014 | Achieved |
| Encourage staff to ensure:· Laptops are switched to ‘Power Saving Mode’· Laptops/data projectors/photocopiers etc. are not left on overnight |
All staff | Ongoing | Staff more vigilant about unnecessary energy wastage. |
| Upgrade heating system | Summer Works Project | Summer 2014 |
Thermostats were changed to digital, which give a more accurate reading. They are set between 19-22 degrees.· All pipework in Boiler House and attic is completely lagged with foil-backed pipe lagging. There is a summer/winter setting for more efficient heating. |
| Replace single-glazed windows with double-glazing | Summer Works Project | Summer 2014 | Six windows replaced. |
| Insulate walls and attic in Old Block | Summer Works Project | Summer 2014 | Walls pumped with bonded beads and more fiberglass laid in attic. |
| Ensure when optimum heating is reached in the classroom that heating turns off automatically | Caretaker | Ongoing | When outside temperature changes, the heating automatically turns on or off. |
| Trial draught-excluding mechanisms on doors near the main school entrance. | Caretaker | Ongoing | Brush-type draught-excluder trialled on 2 doors. This was then replaced with a more effective polystyrene-type draught-excluder. |
| Place/replace reminder labels on light switches and doors around the school | Green-Schools Committee | January 2015 | LOLO signs replaced (where needed) in classrooms.· ‘If it’s bright, turn off the light’ signs placed in corridors.· ‘Please keep door closed’ signs placed on any doors that don’t shut automatically. |
| Collect meter readings to graph and compare energy consumption | Green-Schools Committee | Ongoing | Meter readings collected and compared daily/weekly or monthly. |
| Promote a ‘Switch it off’ campaign in the school to remind staff and pupils to switch off lights when not needed or when leaving the classroom, and to switch off appliances when not in use. | Whole school | Ongoing | Pupils are reminding teachers to turn off lights and appliances. |
| Hold an energy quiz to find out levels of awareness | 2nd-6th classes | December 2014 | Achieved |
| Conduct another lighting audit and appliance audit | Green-Schools Committee | September 2014 | Achieved |
| Update parents on the Green-Schools programme via the school website | Coordinator | Ongoing | Ongoing |
| Research renewable energy sources | SI/1st | January 2015 | Achieved |
| Create posters to increase awareness of energy conservation | 4th-6th class pupils | January 2015 | Achieved |
| Organise a ‘Low Energy Day’ for whole school participation and awareness-raising | Whole school | February 2015 | Achieved |
| Register for the National Spring Clean 2015 | Coordinator | February 2015 | Achieved |
| Get storage heaters serviced in the Prefabs | Caretaker to organise | February 2015 | Achieved |
| Fill in and submit Application Form for Green Flag | Green-Schools Committee | February/March 2015 | Ongoing |
Green Code
[Litter & Waste]
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle is the campaign
It’s all of us who will gain!
Green Code
[Energy]
Saving energy is our plan
Working together – yes we can!
- Turn off appliances when they are not in use. Do not leave them on standby. Standby can use up to 20% on some inefficient appliances.
- Buy A rated appliances for your Home. This can be a huge saving of €150 annually on your electricity bill.
- Turn down your heating – by even 1 degree Celsius and it will save you up to €150 per year of your money. A 10% percent saving.
- Buy energy efficient light bulbs (CFLs) instead of traditional bulbs – they use 1/5th energy and last up to 10 times as long. They will pay for themselves in under a year and from then on they are saving you on your electricity bill
- Attic Insulate – insulating your attic will keep the heat in your home for longer and pay for itself in 2-3 years.
- Fit a lagging jacket – lagging your hot water tank will keep the water hotter for longer and will have paid for itself in a few months.
- Don’t overfill your kettle – boil only as much water as you need.
- Walk or cycle to work instead of driving – it costs nothing and it’s healthy for you.
- Use the clothesline when possible – Tumble dryers use a lot of energy.
- Buy Local Produce – A considerable amount of energy is consumed transporting produce around the globe, reduce this by sourcing food form a local farmers market and also help the local economy.
Our school has also received a Silver and four Gold Awards in the Louth Local Authorities Environmental Awards Scheme.