This is an annual global initiative which is taking place in Ireland this week. We are delighted to be taking part, and we are encouraging everyone to think about Climate Change, and make one small change to live more sustainably. If we all make small changes we can do our part to make a big difference. 

Students of F1. F2 and F3 CSPE are going the extra mile and making pledges for what they will do, and also talk about it at home. Well done all! 

Leaders of Green Schools

There is a core committee with one representative from each class to lead the Green Schools Programme. They will discuss how to improve practices for recycling, waste disposal, energy conservation and water conservation in our school community. This is an ‘action based’ committee and students will compile an action plan of small changes we can all make, in school or at home. They will be working this year towards attaining our third green flag, the Water Flag.

Tasks may include:

• Monitoring and checking bins

• Rota for emptying compost bin

• Rubbish pick-ups on school grounds or in Cavan (Tidy Towns)

• Checking energy usage

• Informing and educating students, school staff and families

• Actions to save water

• Organise ‘challenges’ at school and at home

• Have a bird feeding station in your garden. 

• Make a bird feeder. One easy idea - Make an easy Birdfeeder

• Plant some pollinator plants and flowers.

• Buy or create a bug hotel. 

• Plant some native trees or bushes. 

• Discover Biodiversity in your garden with apps such as Merlin (birds) and PlantNet (plants, flowers, trees).

• Consider food miles, shop local - check out ‘Created in Cavan’.

• Make soup, quiche or stew to use up vegetables and cut down on food waste.

• Buy organic food if practicable. 

• Have a meat-free day more frequently. 

• Check out the app ‘Too Good to Go’, where you can buy food at a reduced price later in the evening, that would have been thrown out, and ‘ready, steady, cook’ it! A couple of local supermarkets do this.

World Water Day - Wednesday 22 March

• Only fill the kettle with what you need.

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, and washing dishes.

• Use the eco-friendly setting on the washing machine and dishwasher.

• Only use the dishwasher and washing machine for a full load.

• Use, or make cleaning products which are less harmful to water. 

• For surface cleaner and hand soap: Eco friendly cleaning products

• Harvest water to water plants.

• No need to overwash clothes (to avoid microplastics in the water system).

• Check what can be recycled at Corranure.

• Visit the ‘Ecoshack’ in Cavan town, Zero Waste and refill shop for cleaning products, sweets, herbs and many other eco friendly products.

• Putting food into a compost bin rather than general waste makes a big difference.

• Check what plastics can be recycled.

• Use reusable produce bags and aim to buy less packaging with fruit and veg. 

• Fast Fashion is the second biggest polluter after fossil fuels so some ideas…

• ‘Shop your wardrobe’.

• Upcycle clothes.

• Visit second hand shops.

• Think before you buy, returns are often sent straight to landfill. 

• Do a swap with friends.

• Repair, or give to a friend who can!

• Sell or swap clothes on Depop, Vinted, Mercari or Ebay.

• Choose natural fabrics.

• Choose fairtrade or ethically sourced clothes if practicable. 

• Donate to charity shops rather than clothes banks.

• Check the source of clothing for different stores - www.goodonyou.org.

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability means that humans live with nature and use things in a way that ensures there will be enough resources left for the future generations.  

What is Education for Sustainable Development?

Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviour and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. (UNESCO)

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. While Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities, putting the Earth’s magnificent biodiversity at risk. (WWF)

What is Climate Change?

Climate change describes a change in the average conditions — such as temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period of time. The earth’s surface is warming, and many of the warmest years on record have happened in the past 20 years. (NASA) 

The earth’s climate is changing. While the planet’s climate has changed before, this time is different. People are causing these changes, which are bigger, and happening faster than any climate changes that modern society has ever seen. (US EPA)

In 2020, UNESCO launched its new ESD programme “Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030)”. In line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the programme will run until 2030. 

The National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Ireland provides a framework to support the contribution that the education sector is making and will continue to make towards a more sustainable future at a number of levels: individual, community, local, national and international. ESD to 2030 is co-sponsored by the Department of Education, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. (Department of Education)

For further information click on the links. 

ESD to 2030 - Implementation Plan

ESD to 2030 - National Strategy

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. (UN) 

For more information click on this link:

https://sdgs.un.org/goals