Pupils cut carbon footprint

A GROUP of children have shown how they are learning to reduce their carbon footprint and their school’s energy bills, but have also taken the message outside the classroom.

The initiatives by pupils at St Mary’s National School in Tallaght included an incentive for users of their local gym to walk or cycle there instead of driving. Their efforts earned them top prize in a national competition to bring schools and local business together to demonstrate the practical application of energy efficiency.

As part of their entry, the students at St Mary’s joined forces with the Westpark Fitness Centre and came up with the idea of introducing a walker pass. This encouraged members to leave the car at home, with a free guest pass for a month given to members who did so and helped the business reduce its carbon footprint.

In the school itself, a monthly Low Energy Day has been started and pupils have created a number of visual reminders to switch off electrical appliances and save their energy bills.

The An Taisce Green-Schools Energy Project, sponsored by ESB Independent Energy (ESBIE), is a schools initiative that educates young people about the benefits of energy efficiency, targeting primary schools already in the An Taisce’s Green Flag project.