2024- 2025 Global Citizenship Marine Environment
We currently have 7 green flags for our school and we are working on our 8th one at the moment. We have flags for our work on litter and waste, conservation of energy, conservation of water, travel and transport, biodiversity and global citizenship litter and waste, Global Citizenship Energy.
This year we are working on the theme of Global Citizenship Marine Environment. The very first step was to elect a new committee. All children were invited to put their name forward to be on the committee. Some classes held elections where the children interested gave speeches and the class voted for their favourite. Other classes put names in a hat. Our committee consists of Alannah, Christopher, Fionn, Molly, Sophie, Orlaith, Fionn and Tadhg.
The environmental review was carried out next. Here the Green Team did a class Marine Litter and awareness survey with children from 3rd class to 6th class. We examined plastic litter in our oceans, where it comes from and how it is harmful to marine creatures. We looked at all the different types of plastic we use in school and at home and how sometimes these can end up in our oceans and seas.
Once the environmental review was completed the Green Team got working on their action plan. They set up a Green Schools notice board for all to see and organise. A Marine Environment day of action was organised and everyone had great fun and learnt so much about all things marine. Some classes made posters ‘What I’d like to see for the sea’, watched David Attenborough documentaries, researched marine creatures, examined plastic litter, explored the great garbage patch, did projects, studied climate change and did a big clean up of our school yard.
The Green Team asked all the children from 1st class to 6th class to devise a Green Code to depict our theme Global Citizenship Marine Environment. The children could work on their own or in pairs. The Green Team looked through all the suggestions and choose the ones they liked best. It was a very difficult job but the Green Team decided on Eoighan’s Green Code. Molly and Orlaith made a lovely poster to display our new code.
Let’s Go Plastic Free
- Invest in a reusable water bottle
- Use a lunch box instead of cling film or a plastic bag
- Use pencils and crayons instead of plastic twist crayons and pens
- Swap plastic cartons of milk for Tetra Pak
- Choose reusable plastic pockets over laminating
- Swap balloons for colourful paper decorations
- Use cloths instead of plastic sponges for cleaning
- Stop using glitter
- Avoid plastic straws. Use paper or metal straws instead
- Encourage friends and family to go plastic free too