Our Lady of Good Counsel
Boys National School

Green School Committee – Working Together for a Sustainable Future

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Green Schools is an environmental management and education programme for schools, working together for a sustainable future.

Promoting long-term, whole-school action for the environment, Green-Schools is a student-led programme with involvement from the wider community. The programme is operated and coordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce (FEE member for Ireland).

 

Mission

Green Schools mission is to protect planet Earth.

 

Our Committee

Our Green School committee, consisting of student representatives from 3rd to 6th class, has been in operation for many years within our school.

 

To date we have earned the following flags:

• Litter & Waste

• Energy

• Water

• Travel – Committee secured funding for our Covered Cycle & Scooter Parking

 

Events & Activities promoted through the year:

• Recycling & Upcycling of Paper

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Poster Competition

• DLR Recycled Christmas Tree Decoration Competition

• Walk on Wednesdays

• Clean Air Week – Poster Competition & No Power Hour

• National Tree Week – Promotion of Lessons & Activities

 

In addition to engaging in activities to maintain our existing flags, we are currently working on our Biodiversity Flag.

 

Biodiversity in Our School

Our school slogan, based on a competition run from 1st to 6th class and decided upon by our committee is:

 

Biodiverse should come first,

Help us fix our Wildlife’s thirst,

Save our Plant NOW,

Or our Future goes Kappow!!!

 

We are fortunate to have extensive biodiverse habitats within our school grounds.  This has been cultivated over many years of hard work by our School Caretaker and our Gardening Club (Staff & Students).

 

Some of our awards include:

• 2025 – Silver Stag award for Biodiversity & Sustainability

• 2019 - Best School for Supporting Biodiversity

• 2018 - 2nd Place Tidy Schools

• 2017 - 2nd Place Tidy Schools

• 2016 - Overall Winner Tidy Schools

• 2014 - 1st Place Tidy Schools          

• 2015 - Best School for Supporting Biodiversity

 

Our committee, within their Biodiversity school survey, documented the following habitats and Harry Keegan and Adam Burke have done a fantastic job of drawing all of this information on a Habitat Map (displayed on our notice board outside the school hall):

• Woodland Garden – Large variety of different trees

• 40 Year Garden

• Insect Hotels / Log-piles

• Bird Houses / Bird Baths

• Log-pile

• Bat Boxes

• Pond – Fish and Frogs

• Butterfly Wildflower Garden

• Bee Pollinator Garden

• Fruit Trees – Apple, Pear & Plum

• Summer fruits

• Vegetable Patch

• Butterfly / Bee - garden growing plants to support these insects

 

7 Step Programme

For each flag our Green School Committee, actively engage with the An Taisce 7 Step Programme.

1. Green School Committee

2. Environmental Review

3. Action Plan

4. Monitoring & Evaluation

5. Curriculum Work

6. Involving & Informing

7. Green Code (Slogan)

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