On Thursday 19th May the two first year Home Economics classes visited the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun. The Rediscovery Centre is Ireland’s National Centre for the Circular Economy. The students participated in a sustainable living workshop. Students learned more about the UN Global Goals and how interconnected they all are, they explored ways to be more sustainable with resources in their daily lives.

Best Secondary School in Ireland Award for Ballinamore CS in National Green Schools Ceremony, May 2022

On the 19th May, 2022 Ballinamore CS were once again crowned as Best Secondary School in Ireland for their successful completion of their Green School programme, Global Citizenship and Energy.

Ballinamore CS had previously been crowned Best Secondary School in Ireland in 2019 for their Global Citizenship and Litter and Waste programme.

To get to the National finals Ballinamore CS had to implement their programme for a minimum of 2 years on the Global Citizenship and Energy theme. Ballinamore CS were selected as Regional winners for the North and West Region and were then short listed for the National finals along with Secondary school winners from Dublin, East and Midlands, Leinster and the South of Ireland

The ceremony was held in the Radisson Blu hotel in Athlone, where Mr Mullen and 5 representatives from the Green School team in Ballinamore CS were present.  The Green Schools programme was furst implemented in 2006 in what was then Ballinamore PPS. We received our 1st Green flag in 2007 and now in 2022 we have achieved our 7th. Each flag deals with a new aspect of the Green School’s programme.

Some of the many initiatives carried out in the school included;

Waste battery collection

A Clothes collection fundraiser for Guide Dogs

Fair Trade Week

Climate Justice Week

Climate Action Protest

Junk Couture

Digital Christmas Card

Setting up a Social Justice Club

Global Citizenship Passport

Planted trees and Flowers

Grew vegetables for Home Economics

Planted Cross-Pollinater plants

Purchased Outside Seating from Recycled Materials

April Spring Clean each year

Poster Competitions

Filtered Water Dispenser installed ( To reduce Plastic Bottle usage )

These are also a number of features in our school which helps reduce our Energy Consumption.

We use Grey Water for our washing and toilets. We have sensor lights and touch taps in all our toilets. We have Solar panels on the roof and we get our heating from Natural gas.

We would sincerely like to thank all pupils, parents, teachers, school management and BAM FM staff on a truely remarkable effort and achievement.

Particular thanks needs to go to the Green School Committee across the whole school and our 3 co-ordinators, Mr Mullen, Ms Cooney and Ms Colum.

Also to all the classes who were involved in the programme over the 3 years including Mr Mullen’s 2B CSPE class, Ms Cooney’s Home Ec classes and Ms Colum’s Agricultural Science classes. We would also like to thank Mr Kane and the Students Council and Ms Cooney for coordinating the Social Justice Club.

Our school plans to have a flag raising ceremony in September 2022 when we will comnence on our next Green School theme, Global Citizenship and Water.

We hope that involvement in this programme helps to forge a life long commitment to protecting the environment and to help combat Climate Change.

Well done to all on a great achievement