Schull Community College

The college has been working towards the Greens Schools Programme for the last number of years but it took an enthusiastic and hard working committee to really get it off the ground in 2006. Their efforts in recycling, and reducing and informing students worked well and we were awarded the Green Flag at the end of the school year 2005-2006 and our second flag in 2009. The flag was officially launched by Mr. Alan Crosbie at our prize giving in November and now the flag flies high in our school yard. The second flag was raised by Jeremy Irons.
In 2011, our students are looking at ways to save water and stop the waste, that we are now paying for.

TOP TIPS TO SAVE ENERGY!!!!!!!!
1.Did you know that leaving on office equipment overnight could give you enough electricity for 1,000 cups of tea?
2.Don't fill up the kettle for just one cup.
3.Close doors and windows when heating is on!
4.Check your insulation!
5.Turn your thermostat down by 1oC and you will save on your heating bill!!!
6.Try to use less electricity between 5pm and 7pm at night.
7.Use energy efficient light bulbs (CFL's)
8.DO NOT LEAVE APPLIANCES ON STAND BY, it uses 20% of the energy it would if it were on.
9.Buy "A" rated appliances for your kitchen
10.Try to walk or cycle instead of always using the car.

3rd Theme for Green Schools is WATER

Here are some interesting facts & figures about water:

1. 99% of the world’s water cannot be used because it is either saline (i.e. salt water) or is locked up in glaciers and ice sheets.
2. Most of the remaining water is present in rocks as groundwater (approx. 0.6%), while just over 0.3% is present in rivers and lakes.
3. Rapid expansion in urban populations has resulted in increased pressure on Local Authority waste water treatment facilities and, in many instances, the inability to cope with the increasing volumes of waste generated
4. A tap dripping once a second wastes about 10,000 litres of water a year.
5. A hosepipe or sprinkler can use 1,000 litres (or 1 tonne) of water per hour. This is as much as a family of four would normally use in two days!
6. Our own bodies are two thirds water and our brains are at least 85% water!
7. A person can survive a month without food, but can only survive 5 or 6 days without water.
8. A powershower uses almost 125 litres of water in 5 minutes. That's a massive 250 litres in 10 minutes!
9.Shortage of water could lead to major political conflicts around the world.Over 20 countries depend on the flow of water from other countries for their water supply e.g. Ethiopia.
10. The World Bank estimates that by 2025 1.4billion people in 48 countries may experience water stress or scarcity.