Willow Park Junior School have been involved in the Green Schools Programme for the last eight years. Our school received its first green flag for reducing litter and waste in our school in 2001. Since then we have been awarded two more green flags under the following themes- energy and biodiversity. We had to work very hard for two years on each theme to be awarded the flags. We are now working on the Marine Flag and we are in the second and final year of the effort. We are also proud to say that in 2017 we formed the Green Campus initiative with the Committees from Blackrock College and Willow Park First Year. The three schools now work together on the same theme.
Waste
Willow got its first flag with Sara O’Malley in 2010. The boys explored the theme of Litter and Waste. They ensured that each of the classrooms was equipped with recycling bins so that the boys can separate their rubbish. For their action day they had a ‘Squashathon’ where the boys filled up a litre bags with cartons after squashing them! It was great fun. They had litter wardens in the yard too and the boys took turns to ensure the yards were litter free!
Energy
We received our second green flag in 2012 for energy. We focused on educating ourselves and our parents at home about energy saving. We did lots of lessons on energy saving in class. We looked at various ways in which we could be more energy efficient in school and at home, such as keeping outside doors closed to keep the heat in, not leaving electrical equipment on standby, turning off lights when rooms aren’t in use. We sent out a questionnaire to parents which helped to increase their awareness of their own energy use.
Biodiversity
The final flag that we received was for Biodiversity. For this theme we conducted an environmental review of our school grounds and revisited past green school themes. We looked at the various plants and trees growing on our grounds and looked at ways in which we could increase their diversity. To do this we planted apple trees to attract different insects. We created our own sensory garden with vegetables in the centre of the school. Children also planted herbs and tomatoes to take home and replant. In class we kept track of the seasons and changes on our grounds during these times.
We are currently working on the Marine Flag. The boys have taken part in a visit from Sea Creatures and have learnt about caring for sea life. The committee have taken part in a Beach Clean with all of the committees across the Campus. We are hoping to get the whole school involved in a Beach Clean when the weather improves in April/May.