Irish Water Green-Schools of the Year Award 2014/2015
The Irish Water Green-Schools of the Year Award recognises innovation and creativity among schools that have applied for the An Taisce Green Flag for Water in the 2014/2015 academic year.
A total of eight winners – four primary and four secondary schools were selected on a regional basis. The successful students represented their schools at an awards ceremony in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in May 2015.
Tallaght Community School in South Dublin was the overall winner of the secondary level category and St. Joseph’s National School from Swinford in Co Mayo won the primary school prize. Both schools have introduced measures to reduce water consumption, including communication via the school newspaper and assigning students to check for leaks on a weekly basis. Each school now has water usage of less than seven litres per person per day; representing a 45% water reduction in the case of St. Joseph’s National School.
Irish Water wishes to congratulate the regional winners for the Irish Water Secondary School of the Year Award 2015:
- Scoil Uí Mhuiri
Dunleer,
Co. Louth
Eastern/Midlands Region
- Carrigallen Vocational School
Leitrim
Ulster/Connaught Region
- Salesia Secondary College
Pallaskenry
Limerick
Southern Region
The regional winners for the Irish Water Primary School of the Year Award 2015 were:
- Kinnity NS
Birr
Co. Offaly
Irish Water Eastern/Midlands Region - St. Mary’s NS
Milltown
Dublin
Irish Water Dublin Region - Maghoonagh NS
Limerick
Irish Water Southern Region
Highlights from schools working across the country on their Water Flag include:
- Creating a life-size water saving board game
- Holding ‘Walk for Water’ events nationwide
- Reducing water consumption by 50%
- Visiting their local Water Treatment Plants
- Designing a mascot: ‘Happy, the Hydro Helper’
Schools working on the Water Flag this year alone saved 370 million litres of water. This is enough water to:
- Have 10.6 million five minute showers
- Brush your teeth (with the tap off of course!) 370 million times
- Make nearly 3 billion cups of tea
- Supply the population of towns such as Longford or Shannon for an entire year
For more information, visit the Green-Schools website.