How green is your school?
Draw a plan of your school.
Use colours to shade in the different uses.
Colour in the public areas. If there are special areas for different class groups, colours them in separately.
Shade in private areas e.g. teacher's offices or staffroom.
Use symbols to show where it is permitted to eat, to play, for the library and other functions.
Don't forget to use symbols and provide a key so that others can read your plan.
Now check your school for any signs of litter. Make a note of where it is being dropped and what sort of rubbish it is.
Next, check how many and where the litter bins are located.
A Green School
Beaches which are clean and well managed are awarded the Blue Flag. Can you see the flag on display outside this school? What colour is it?
1. Modern Irish School with Green Flag
Flags like these are called the Eco-Schools Green Flag.
They are awarded to schools which have successfully completed the seven steps of the Green Schools programme. You can read about the seven steps on the Green-Schools website.
Green Flag winners also receive a certificate, and a logo to display on headed notepaper for their school.Schools which work to become a Green-School improve the school environment by doing things like reducing litter and waste, recycling and cutting down on energy used.
They also get involved with people in the local area so that the environment not only inside the school grounds but also in the local area is looked after.
In Ireland in 2006 there are almost 2,015 Primary, Secondary and Special schools participating in the Green-Schools programme.
This is about 50% of all schools in the country.
651 schools have implemented the programme successfully and have been awarded the Green Flag.