Carramore N.S.

Green-Schools Project 2009-2010
In January 2009 we decided to become part of the nationwide Green-schools project. Our aim was to get our first green flag for Management of Litter and Waste. We had to decrease the amount of rubbish we were sending to landfill, recycle more and make the whole school community more aware of environmental issues.

Firstly, we formed a committee who would be in charge of the running of the project and who would guide the rest of the pupils in the school.

The following are some of the activities in which we took part during the completion of our project.

Ballina Recycling Centre
In February 2010 the children from Junior Infants to 3rd Class went on a trip to Rathrooen Landfill & Recycling plant in Ballina. It was a very interesting trip and we learned lots about recycling. We found out lots of new things that we can recycle, such as tyres, timber and metal. We saw how bottles and paper and other items are squashed and wrapped so that they can be sent for recycling more easily.
We also learned that household wastes like oil, paint and any toxic or hazardous waste should be taken to centres for safe disposal.
We also noticed the huge mound of rubbish that has been sent for landfill. We were disturbed by the strong smell of gas in the air and this made us think more about the effect rubbish is having on the environment.

Keep Our School Tidy
We have worked very hard to make our school a tidier school. We had recycling and compost bins in our classrooms an corridors. We went on litter picks and made sure our playground was litter free. We made lots of signs and put them up around the school to remind everybody not to drop litter

Spring Planting 2010
We learned lots about the importance of trees and plants in the environment. In March 2010 Junior and Senior Infants decided to do some planting during their Science class. The Green-Schools committee helped out. The flowers looked lovely in summer.


Good News
In April 2010 we had an assessment in our school and we were delighted when we awarded our first green flag. In May, Ms Murtagh, Ms Kelly, Seán and William travelled to Galway to the Green-Schools awards ceremony. We were delighted to bring our flag back to school that afternoon. The infants couldn't believe how big it was!!

Flag Raising Day
On June 22nd 2010 we raised our green flag. Lots of parents and friends came to celebrate with us. We had a short ceremony in the school hall. The children played some lovely tunes and sang songs about recycling. The Green-Schools committee told us all about their hard work on the project. Afterwards our flag was raised by committee members Aoibheann and Laura. Then we had a party to celebrate our achievement. We all had a lovely day.

We look forward to working on our next Green-Schools project.