Latest news with #GreenSchools
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Waterford student impresses at national Green Schools awards
Jessica Ferguson was named as a winner in the Green Schools poster competition and received her award at a ceremony held in Dublin city centre. The award ceremony was held to recognise the efforts of primary and secondary students across the country who participated in the Green Schools Water Programme in the 2024-25 academic year, and to honour the winning students in this year's poster competition. The annual event marked the twelfth year of Uisce Éireann's sponsorship of An Taisce's Green Schools programme which supports schools working to gain a Green Flag under the water theme. The theme of this year's poster competition was 'Water is Life', and participating students were asked to design a poster focusing on the theme of water's intrinsic importance to every aspect of life on our planet. 'The response from pupils of the participating schools was phenomenal, with a record 4,300 entries received across the junior primary, senior primary and secondary categories,' said a spokesperson. 'The standard of entry was exceptionally high, and the judging panel had a hugely difficult task in choosing their winners.' Twelve regional winners were each awarded a €100 voucher and had their poster professionally framed, while three overall national winners were also announced at the ceremony. Uisce Éireann's Head of Customer Operations, Geoffrey Bourke, was on hand at the award ceremonies and said that the record number of entries was evidence of the Green-Schools Water Programme going from strength to strength around the country. 'The Green Schools awards are always a wonderful occasion and this year, the quantity and quality of the submissions across the various categories has been truly incredible. 'The vital work being done by Green-Schools in schools across Ireland is clearly bearing fruit in terms of how our young people think about water and the need to conserve and respect it. We in Uisce Éireann are proud of our long-standing sponsorship of the programme,' said Mr Bourke. Cathy Baxter, An Taisce Director of Education, said, 'The Green Schools Water Awards are one of the highlights of our year. 'They celebrate the creativity, commitment and teamwork of students and teachers working together to protect one of our most precious resources: water. These young people are leading by example and showing that real environmental change begins in our schools and communities. We're so proud of their efforts and inspired by their impact.' Throughout the current academic year, An Taisce has been engaging directly with 330 schools on the Water Flag, working with over 100,000 students and 10,000 teachers across the country. The Green Schools water theme is a grassroots sponsorship that aims to foster awareness and understanding of a range of activities, tailored to students at both primary level and secondary level. In addition to developing awareness around water conservation, the sponsorship incorporates wider engagement around stewardship of our water resources.
Arab Times
12-05-2025
- Health
- Arab Times
'Green Schools' program fosters eco and health awareness in students
KUWAIT CITY, May 12: The Kuwait Environment Protection Society (KEPS) continues its commitment to fostering environmental and health consciousness in educational institutions through its "Green Schools" program. This initiative aims to equip educators with the necessary knowledge and tools to address emerging environmental and health challenges, particularly in the context of accelerating climate change. On Monday, KEPS organized an awareness workshop titled "Viruses from Origin to Mutations, Climate Impacts, and Prevention Methods" at Latifa Al-Barak School for Girls. This session is part of a series of activities designed to promote health and environmental awareness in schools and create a safe, child-friendly educational environment. Dr. Hessa Taqi, a certified trainer in the Green Schools program, led the workshop. She provided insights into the origin and genetic evolution of viruses, their relationship to climate change, and the impact of environmental changes on viral mutations. The session also offered practical guidance to help teachers prevent viral diseases within the classroom, especially in light of recurring health challenges. The workshop aimed to raise awareness among teachers about ways to prevent viral diseases and link them to environmental factors, thereby enhancing the ability of schools to provide a healthy and safe educational environment. A simplified guide was distributed, outlining immediate procedures when symptoms of illness appear among students, such as temporary isolation and communication with parents. The guide also emphasized promoting a culture of cleanliness and ventilation inside the classroom and discouraging the sharing of personal items. The importance of seasonal vaccinations, particularly the influenza vaccine, was also highlighted to maintain a healthy and safe school environment for all students and teachers. KEPS's ongoing efforts through the "Green Schools" program underscore its dedication to enhancing environmental and health education in Kuwait's schools, preparing educators and students to effectively respond to the challenges posed by climate change.
RTÉ News
09-05-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
733 schools across Ireland receive Green Flags for sustainability
Over 700 schools across Ireland are set to receive Green Flags in honour of the sustainability goals they've worked on in recent years. 733 schools were awarded Green Flags in recognition of the sustainable practices they've introduced in their schools acorss themes such as water, energy and biodiversity. Now in its 27th year, the Green Schools Programme, which is organised by An Taisce and hands out the Green Flags, is a long-term, whole school, action-based programme and award scheme for both primary and second-level schools that covers a whopping 92 per cent of Irish schools. The programme kicked off its award season today at the Clayton Hotel in Galway today, in the first of 12 ceremonies taking place in nine locations throughout the month of May. At each ceremony, schools will be awarded Green Flags for their work on 10 themes in the Green Schools programme, and the various projects they've developed in their schools. First, each school must work on five themes: Litter & Waste, Energy, Water, Travel and Biodiversity. They then move on to Global Citizenship themes of Litter and Waste, Energy, Marine Environment, Travel and Food and Biodiversity. Each theme needs to be worked on for two years before the school can be awarded a Green Flag. If the hundreds of successful schools wasn't impressive enough, this year 15 schools are being recognised as Primary Climate Ambassadors, having completed all ten themes over the course of at least 20 years. The number of schools awarded for each theme were: Litter & Waste: 57 Energy: 1 Water: 77 Travel: 97 Biodiversity:116 Global Citizenship Litter & Waste: 112 Global Citizenship Energy: 75 Global Citizenship Marine: 70 Global Citizenship Travel: 70 Global Citizenship Food & Biodiversity: 42 Primary Climate Ambassadors: 15 Speaking about the initiative, Joanne Scott, Manager of the Green-Schools Programme, said: "Green-Schools is just one part of the global Eco-Schools initiative of more than 60,000 schools in 82 countries. That's school children around the world working towards a common goal. "So every journey to school on foot instead of the car, every tree planted, every reusable water bottle makes a huge difference when looked at on a global scale. These actions are just inspiring to see."
New Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Coastal resilience: Cuddalore, Thoothukudi to get bioshields
CHENNAI: The government has announced a series of initiatives to improve climate literacy, prevent marine pollution and explore the possibility of setting up carbon neutral markets in the state. Minister for Environment and Climate Change Thangam Thennarasu made the announcements while replying to the demand for grants for his department in the Assembly on Saturday. Among the coastal initiatives, the state government plans to create bioshields in Cuddalore and Thoothukudi at a cost of Rs 10 crore to enhance coastal resilience, protect natural ecosystems and support local livelihoods. Similarly, in a Rs 4-crore pilot project under TN-SHORE, the state government will set up three material recovery facilities for plastic waste in Chennai, Ramanathapuram, and Thoothukudi at Rs 1 crore. Separately, trash booms will be introduced to prevent plastic waste from reaching the ocean through rivers at a cost of Rs 4 crore. The waste will be recovered and recycled. Since Tamil Nadu faces numerous challenges, including emission of greenhouse gases, waterbody encroachments and air pollution, the government is planning to restore Sanjeevi hills in Rajapalayam by removing invasive species and planting native trees at a cost of Rs 5 crore. Additionally, waterbodies in Rajapalayam will be restored at a cost of Rs 16 crore. Thennarasu said abandoned mines, degraded landscapes and polluted waterbodies will be reclaimed to make way for green spaces and environmental tourism at a cost of Rs 10 crore. As their first step, the government will focus on areas like the mines in Madukkarai. A sum of Rs 24 crore has been allocated to expand environmental clubs in schools, organise nature camps, and conduct state-level competitions. Infrastructure to support green practices, including solar lighting, rainwater harvesting, composting units, and plastic-free zones, will be developed under Green Schools programme.
