Welcome back!

Green-Schools Ireland would like to welcome back all Green-Schools! The An Taisce Green-Schools programme is now entering into its 15th year in Ireland, and the programme continues to grow from strength to strength! There are currently 3,560 schools registered on the Green-Schools programme and 2,310 are flying the Green Flag! Schools are currently working hard on the seven different themes of the programme; Litter and Waster, Energy, Water, Travel, Biodiversity, Global Citizenship, and Climate Change. Over 700,000 students are involved and nearly 50,000 teachers!

Upcoming Events

This year looks set to be an exciting one with lots of events throughout the year. Schools working on the Travel theme are encouraged to partake in European Mobility Week which takes place 16th-22nd September. In September and October we will be holding Green-Schools seminars across the country to offer guidance and advice to schools taking part in the programme, as well as schools who are new to the programme or thinking of registering with the programme. These seminars will cover all themes of the Green-Schools programme. To celebrate the success of the Green-Schools programme and International Year of the Forests, a Green-Schools woodland will be planted on the 17th November at Ballinreeshig Nature Farm, Co. Cork in conjunction with Will and Away. 3,560 trees will be planted to represent each school in the Green-Schools programme! And that is all before Christmas!

Changes to the Application Process

From September 2011, there will be some changes made to the application process for the Green Flag as well as the renewal process. New application forms have been developed which will make it easier for schools to provide us with the details we require regarding your Green-Schools programme. The forms have been developed so they can be filled in easily online and emailed to our office.

If feasible, we encourage schools to fill in forms online so that we can process applications as efficiently as possible and at the same time reduce levels of paper consumption and postage costs! 

Deadlines

From September 2011, there will be changes to the deadlines for applying for the Green Flag.

For schools working on the Litter and Waste theme and applying for their first Green Flag, there will now be only one deadline date throughout the year. The deadline for 2011/12 is December 1st 2011.

For schools working on other themes (Energy, Water, Travel, or Biodiversity) and applying for the renewal of the Green Flag, the deadline for 2011/12 is March 30th 2012.

New Website

Green-Schools Ireland are currently developing a new website that is due to be launched in the near future. The new website is being designed so that it will be a valuable resource where schools can find out information on the 7 steps and the different themes, read case studies from other schools, find out about upcoming events, submit application forms online, keep up-to-date with our news blog, and lots more! The website address will remain www.greenschoolsireland.org so keep an eye on the site over the next few weeks to check out the new design!