We are now beginning work on our seventh Green Schools Flag – ‘Global Citizenship: Energy’. As we are still operating with covid restrictions we are not in a position to have a committee like we normally would with representatives from classes second to sixth. Last year all children in the school were part of the committee but this year Sixth Class are going to form the committee. We have already kick started our work by creating a fabulous display in school to mark Climate Action Week which happened October 11th – 17th. Our committee did such a wonderful job reminding the school community of how we can all take positive climate actions which will now share with you.
“Imagine that you have discovered a new island where no one has lived before. You and the other members of your group will be the first settlers and you have an opportunity to design a sustainable island so that you and future generations can live there and thrive for hundreds of years.”
This activity helped us to understand systems thinking. Sustainable development encompasses the environment, society, and the economy. These elements must be balanced so that the aim of sustainable development can be achieved.
This activity helped us to understand that no element is our societies is isolated. For example, we can’t have an economy without the existence of people, and we can’t have people without the existence of the environment. To produce goods, we need resources, resources come from nature. A factory can’t run without people and without the products that have been taken from nature, and equally people need to work in the factory and buy the products.
People’s lives, health and well-being depend on air, water, food, and other things from the natural world around us. The environmental issues that we are concerned with today result from human activity. How can we design a future that balances the environment, economy and society?
Please look at the fabulous sustainability islands created by Rang a Cúig, Rang a Trí agus Rang a Dó. Each class did superb work showcasing their understanding of sustainability and their hopes for a more sustainable future.
