Scoil na mBuachaillí Green Schools Committee Update

At Scoil na mBuachaillí, we are extremely proud of the ongoing work of our Green Schools Committee and the entire school community. This year, we are working towards earning our 8th Green Flag — focusing on Global Citizenship and the Marine Environment.

While this is our new area of focus, we continue to uphold the values and good practices from all our previous seven flags, ensuring that our commitment to sustainability remains strong across every part of school life.

🌊 Our Current Focus: Global Citizenship and the Marine

This year’s theme encourages us to explore how our actions, both local and global, impact the health of our oceans and marine life. It also deepens our understanding of how we can be responsible global citizens — making choices that support people and the planet.

To highlight the issue of marine litter, each class created a sea animal decorated with litter, showing how most marine waste actually begins on land. Our pupils learned that every piece of rubbish we pick up helps protect sea creatures and our beautiful coastlines.

Our 6th Classes  also took part in the Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean this September, collecting three full bags of rubbish near the Model Railway at Clonakilty Bay. Their efforts helped to protect local marine life and raise awareness of the importance of keeping our beaches and waterways clean.

🧹 Caring for Our Community and School Grounds

The younger classes are also making a big difference! Our 2nd Class pupils take part in the Picker Pals Programme, collecting litter in their local community and helping to keep Clonakilty looking beautiful.

Every day, our Litter Wardens, led by two hardworking 6th Class pupils, who manage the teams that do a litter pick up everyday in the school yard to keep our grounds spotless. This daily routine teaches responsibility and teamwork while reminding everyone that a tidy school is a happy school!

🪱 New Sustainability Projects

We are very excited to be working with Donal O’Leary from Waste Down and Composting Ireland on two fantastic new projects — the creation of a wormery and a leaf mould composter. Rang 3 and students from the gardening committee are hard at work collecting leaves and readying for the build stage! These projects will help us turn waste into rich compost, showing how nature recycles and reuses its resources in the most amazing ways.

🌐 Global Learning and Connections

Our senior classes continue to take part in the Concern Primary Interschools Debating Competition, gaining a deeper understanding of global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and inequality. Through debate, they explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals and develop their voices as informed global citizens.

For several years, we have also been part of the Green Schools Global Classrooms Project, where pupils design prototypes to solve real-world climate issues. Through this project, we have connected with schools from the UAE, Kenya, and South Africa, sharing ideas and learning from each other’s experiences.

We are especially proud of our ongoing connection with the Samburu Tribe in Kenya, supported through our annual donations to the Thorn Tree Foundation. These funds help to provide classrooms and teachers, ensuring that children in the Samburu community have access to education.

🌱 Keeping All Our Flags Flying

From litter and waste to biodiversity and energy conservation, the boys of Scoil na mBuachaillí continue to keep all seven of our previous Green Flags flying proudly. Be it the ReCyle bin for our plastic bottles and can or the water refiller with filtered water where we fill our reusable water bottles, we are proud that each project, big or small, is a reminder that caring for our environment is everyone’s responsibility. 

Thanks to the dedication, creativity, and teamwork of our pupils and staff, our future is truly in safe hands. The Green Schools Committee continues to lead by example — proving that together, we can make a difference for our school, our community, and our planet.

“The ocean connects us all — and at Scoil na mBuachaillí, we are proud to protect it.” 🌎💙