An Taisce Green-Schools and Irish Water hosted the annual awards, with Balbriggan Community College in Fingal named the Secondary Water School of the Year, while St Brigid's National School in Meath Hill, Navan, Co. Meath won the Primary category.
Over the past school year, over 123,000 students in 551 schools all over Ireland have participated in the Green-Schools water theme which is sponsored by Irish Water. The water theme looks at developing awareness around water conservation and how to effectively manage this precious resource in our schools and at home.
Balbriggan Community College embraced water conservation, installing a water butt and greywater reuse tanks on the school grounds, amongst other water-saving measures. They took part in RTE's Ecolution podcast as well as doing 'Walks for Water' and beach clean-ups.
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The pupils in St Brigid's NS, Meath Hill reached out to their local community to learn more about where their water comes from and how it is treated, and also to encourage everyone to become more aware of how they use water by sharing 'top tap tips' for water conservation. During the year they hosted a day of action during which the school visited their local group water scheme.
The two schools were chosen from a list of eight regional winners, who were recognised for their exceptional commitment to safeguarding our important water resources.
Speaking at the awards, Geoffrey Bourke of Irish Water said: "We have seen how the younger generation has taken the lead in the battle against climate change. In the same spirit, the students and schools who have taken part in the Green-Schools Water Theme this year have shown exceptional leadership in inspiring their communities to value our precious water resources. We all have a role to play in safeguarding our water and they are leading by example through outstanding water conservation, communication and education initiatives. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who has taken part in this excellent programme."
Green-Schools Manager Cathy Baxter added: "Once again this year we have seen some and inspirational ideas from the participating students. They have shown great leadership, not just in their schools but also in their wider communities. Our Schools of the Year winners have shown a real willingness to reach out beyond the schools themselves to engage with a wider audience, including using social media to spread the word about water conservation.
"Well done to all the schools who took part in the programme this year for their outstanding efforts."
