Cork school star of the show at An Taisce green awards

Students from Star of the Sea Primary School in Passage West took home one of the top prizes at the An Taisce Green Schools’ Energy awards.

The school won the prestigious National Primary Energy School of the Year, with Coláiste Éamann Rís, Turners Cross, named National Secondary School of the Year.

The Cork students were among 10 schools nationwide who scooped awards at the ceremony.

As part of their entry, students from Star of the Sea Primary School showed a marked decrease in their energy use through events such as ‘switch off’ campaigns, swap shops and energy awareness workshops.

Meanwhile, Coláiste Éamann Rí had a wind turbine installed on their grounds, which they then used to establish a power point for charging e-bikes and e-scooters.

Students from across Ireland taking part in the Green Schools’ Energy Theme gathered with their teachers at the award ceremony, where they were presented with the Green Flag, recognising their outstanding work on the theme.

The Energy Theme, sponsored by EirGrid, operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, enables students to expand their awareness around energy conservation.

Incredible amount of teamwork

Speaking at the award ceremony Cathy Baxter, director of education and community action with An Taisce said: “An incredible amount of teamwork and creativity has gone into achieving this award, and I would like to congratulate the students at Star of the Sea and Coláiste Éamann Rís on their success.

“These students have shown real commitment to sustainability and learning more about how they can take meaningful steps to conserve electricity and leave a positive impact on their communities.”

Green School’s Programme Manager, Joanne Scott, said: “It’s a privilege to recognise the outstanding commitment of our Energy Schools of the Year, whose work is making a measurable difference in how energy is understood and used across their school communities.”

Suzanne Collins, head of PR with EirGrid, said: “The Energy Theme is a driving force in enabling young people to lead the way in energy awareness and climate action, and EirGrid is proud to be a part of this journey.

“As we continue to work to deliver the Government target of ensuring 80% of Ireland’s electricity comes from renewable sources, we recognise the importance of inspiring the next generation to take meaningful action in reducing energy consumption.

“Their work has real impact, not just for their school, but in their wider communities.

“We would like to congratulate them on their success.”