305 schools across NI will be awarded prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flags this year, 20 of which are based in the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area. This brings the total number of schools flying Green Flags up to 563, or just over 50% of all schools in Northern Ireland.
Eco-Schools is an international programme, managed locally by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. Eco-Schools is run in 79 countries through the Foundation for Environmental Education. Of these 79 countries, Northern Ireland is only the second country to achieve this impressive milestone.
Schools collected their Green Flags at an Awards ceremony at Lagan Valley Island recently - the culmination of 2 years of hard work for winning schools.
Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Ald Amanda Grehan, said:
“It’s a tremendous honour for Lisburn and Castlereagh to be the setting for this year’s Eco-Schools Green Flag Awards. Reaching the milestone of over 50% of schools in Northern Ireland earning a Green Flag is an outstanding achievement, and it’s a clear reflection of the passion, innovation and commitment of our young people, educators and communities. These schools are leading the way in creating a more sustainable future, and I’m incredibly proud to help celebrate their success.”
Charlene McKeown, Environmental Education Manager at Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, said:
“Reaching 50% of schools flying a Green Flag is a huge milestone for environmental education and is a testament to the hard work of pupils, teachers and wider school communities across Northern Ireland.
“We all know that our education system is under pressure with tight budgets and limited resources. That is why it is so heartening to see so many schools investing time and effort into this programme- it's is a clear indicator that schools see the value of environmental education. I hope over the coming years we can go further in developing this part of our curriculum."
Achieving a Green Flag requires schools to participate in a challenging seven stage programme, beginning with the establishment of a pupil-led Eco-Committee, and leading to the development of a school Eco-Code. Along the way the Eco-Committee must carry out a full environmental review of their school, develop a detailed action plan and monitor its implementation. Schools fly their flags for two years before they must reapply.
The following Lisburn and Castlereagh schools were successful in achieving their Green Flag by demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental action:
- Barbour Nursery School
- Ballinderry Primary School
- Brownlee Primary School
- Carryduff Pre School Play Group
- Carryduff Primary School
- Fort Hill Integrated Primary School
- Killowen Primary School
- Knockmore Primary School
- Lagan College
- McKinney Primary School
- Seymour Hill Primary School
- St Colman's Primary School
- Longstone Special School
- Millennium Integrated Primary School
- St Patrick's Academy
- St Joseph's Primary School
- Ballymacrickett Primary School
- Brooklands Primary School
- Lisburn Central Primary School
- St Joseph's Primary School
Special Awards were:
- Eco-Teacher of the Year: Lena Law from St Joseph’s Primary School
- Eco-Pupil of the Year: Kyle from Carryduff Primary School
- Eco-School of the year: Knockmore Primary School
- Young Reporters for the Environment winner: Zoe from Wallace High School
- Wheelie Big Challenge Winners:
- 1st place Harmony Hill Primary School
- 2nd place Ballymacrickett Primary School
- 3rd place Riverdale Primary School
Local schools can find out more about Eco-Schools and the Green Flag Awards by visiting www.eco-schoolsni.org.