Ban the single-use bottle, says Lions basketball club
By Brendan Grehan
A LOCAL basketball club has put the environment on the very top of their team sheet.
Dublin Lions Basketball Club has decided to ban single-use plastic bottles at their games and training sessions.
Dublin Lions U14 Boys all getting involved with supporting the ban
Alison O’Reilly, who coaches the under 12s girls’ teams says the club were throwing out up to 100 plastic bottles a week.
She said: “Every week we could be picking up between 50 to 100 water bottles and throwing them out.
So we decided to do something about it. We have been thinking about this for a few months.”
Local company Xylem Water Solutions came on board and sponsored 500 reusable water bottles for club members.
Last week, the initiative was launched in Coláíste Bríde in Clondalkin.
The Mayor of South Dublin, Councillor Vicky Casserly was in attendance along with Teresa Walsh, President of Basketball Ireland.
Alison who also works for Xylem Water Solutions gave a talk to the 150-strong audience on single-use plastic and explained how reusable water bottles are friendlier to the environment.
Parents Lorraine Kenna, Carolyn Kelly and Paula Rave supporting Dublin Lions members Leah Kelly, Layla-Lee Dunne-Rave and their club to help the environment
Alison gave an example that just 50 club members using reusable water bottles will eliminate up to 7,200 single use plastic bottles over the course of a 12-month period.
The initiative will be led by the club’s coaches.
Alison told The Echo: “It will be enforced through all the coaches in the club down to their teams. We had a match at the weekend and we had to tell the visiting team about the ban. They were fine with it.”
There has been some interest in the initiative from other clubs.
“We have had enquiries about it from clubs in Templeogue and Galway. There seems to be a lot of interest in it. We want to get the message out there”.
With over 400 members, Dublin Lions Basketball Club train in Coláiste Bríde and Moyle Park College in Clondalkin.
The Club run over 20 teams from Under 12s, up to mens and ladies and two academies.
Formed in the summer of 2008, Dublin Lions is an amalgamation of three local clubs, Lucan Basketball Club which was founded in 1989, Leinster Lions who have been playing as Lions or Rathcoole and the Junior section of the old Clondalkin Lakers Club.
