An Taisce’s Green-Schools held an event in Galway recently to launch the programme’s suite of Irish language resources including handbooks, teaching resources and dedicated web page.

Green-Schools, an initiative of An Taisce, is now in its 27th year and boasts more than 3,200 schools actively participating in the programme around the country, with more than 250 of those being Ionaid Ghaelscolaíochta.

The programme’s thematic approach allows school to focus on wide ranging themes including waste management, biodiversity, sustainable travel, water awareness, global citizenship, and issues related to the marine environment.

Each of these themes is supported by a team of Green-Schools officers and a handbook which serves as a guide throughout the two-year cycle of work on any given theme.

The translation into Irish of each of these is a welcome development of the Green-Schools programme, thanks to the support and funding of an Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG).

The launch was held in the Michael D. Higgins auditorium of NUIG and attended by gaelscoileanna and gaelcholáistí from different regions around the country, who presented their work on the Green-Schools programme to attendees.

Speaking at the event, Green-Schools Programme Manager Joanne Scott described the launch as ‘a hugely significant milestone for the programme’.

“It ensures that schools can engage with sustainability through the language of our culture and heritage, strengthening both environmental education and the Irish language,” she said.

Pictured: Students from Gaelscoil de hÍde, Oranmore, helped launch Green-Schools Irish language resources at an event in University of Galway.