King’s Hospital waves the school Green Flag proudly
By Leopold Herter
THE KING’s Hospital School is the winner of this year’s Green Flag award, and has also been named as a Global Citizenship School.
On Friday, the Palmerstown school attended a flag-raising ceremony, celebrating their sixth award in this category, along with special guests Frances Fitzgerald, MEP, and Mayor of South Dublin County Council Vicki Casserly.
Thomas Eve (left) and Ruth Casey (right), members of the Environmental Committee at The Kings Hospital School, Palmerstown, with Mayor Vicki Casserly and Frances Fitzgerald MEP (Image: Darren Kinsella)
The Green Schools programme itself is student-led, and involves not just the school but the wider community.
In order to be awarded a Green Flag, the school had to present their efforts to raise perception about the environment, advance and promote ‘active citizenship’, as well as to create a more successful litter and waste management at school.
MEP Frances Fitzgerald complimented the students and teachers of the King’s Hospital School “for having a global perspective and being so motivated to influence the changes needed for a sustainable future, through their many initiatives”, during a discussion with the European studies class.
To fulfill the Green Flag target standards, the school replaced plastic bottles with recyclable cans and added water fountains to motivate the students to bring their own long-lasting bottles.
Besides that, the school started to compost all kitchen waste and introduced a new recyclable bin area. Therefore all requirements off the initiative were accomplished.
Because of this and the promotional awareness material Mayor Casserly praised the students, telling them “they may seem like small changes that you are making in your lives, but collectively they are making a huge difference to all our futures”.
With all of this feedback and the Green Flag award itself the work of all participating students, including the Environmental Committee and Student Council, and science teacher Ciaran O’Connor as well as modern language and European studies teacher Viki Malcolm got rewarded.
“Achieving our sixth Green Flag is a culmination of two years of hard work by a dedicated group of young people who give their time voluntarily to raise awareness of environmental issues and to promote behaviour changes amongst their peers.
I am grateful that these students are able to get the recognition that they deserve.
“It is only by many small, individual actions that we as a society, will be able to tackle the many challenges that are currently facing our environment,” says O’Connor, who also functions as the coordinator of the Environmental Committee.
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