Green day at Scoil Oilibhéir
by Peter Goulding

The weather may have been inclement but the drizzly conditions failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the 250 Gaelscoil students who took part in a Green Day of Action last week.

As part of their application for the prestigious Green Flag award, the environmentally conscious children of Coolmine’s Scoil Oilibhéir had organised a Day of Action, involving the entire school community. The emphasis was on all things green and the day began with a different mode of transport to what most of the children were used to.

The school had organised a walking bus (or Bus na gCos as Gaeilge.) Children congregated at eight pre-arranged sites within a mile of the school and proceeded to stroll in an orderly fashion to school, thereby nullifying the need for countless car journeys. With the support of parents and teachers who all rallied round, and the provision of hi-visibility vests by Fingal County Council, the Bus na gCos was a great success and there is talk of it becoming a regular feature in the future.

On arrival at school, regular lessons were eschewed, (to the delight of many) in favour of a day of environmental awareness, or “organised chaos,” as one teacher put it. The school and grounds got a good old fashioned spring clean and a series of workshops for all ages was held, with topics ranging from recycling, gardening and composting to a road safety talk from An Garda Síochána, smoothie making and bird feeders. Showing an artistic deftness and a spirit of invention, musical instruments and masks were also constructed entirely from recyclable materials.

The day was launched by Louth-born RTÉ personality and wildlife expert Éanna Ní Lamhna who spoke fluently in the mother tongue on the importance of reducing the amount of non-recyclable materials we all use in our everyday lives. She was then entertained by a pot-pourri of vignettes from infants through to sixth class on green issues. These ranged from a green fashion parade to a rather fearsome Maori-style hakka with broomsticks.

“Green issues form an integral part of the ethos of Scoil Oilibhéir,” explained coordinator and sixth class teacher Antóin Ó Cléirigh, in a brief break from the excitement. “Over the years, we have cut down our volume of waste generated by two-thirds and all through a few simple steps and rules.

“We endeavour to photocopy letters back to back, for example. If you need to give every child in the school a two page letter, our way works out at 250 sheets of paper, rather than the usual 500.

“Children are requested to use lunch boxes, which of course cuts down on the use of cling film and tin foil and they re-use their plastic bottles for drinks throughout the week.”

Certainly the corridors of the school are adorned with charts showing clearly the high level of participation in green awareness schemes. There appeared to be great enthusiasm for environmental issues prevalent in the school.

“I’m certain that kids buy into it far more than adults,” said Antóin. “There are many of our generation who would not think twice about throwing a piece of litter on the ground. The children here will walk around for hours with a piece of rubbish in their hands until they pass a bin.”

With an attitude like that, it is expected that the prestigious Green Flag will be flying proudly over Scoil Oilibhéir when the awards are announced next October.

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