Our Green-Schools Committee consists of the Principal, the Green Schools Co-ordinator and two representatives from each class in the school. . Our Waste and Litter Management team and the Water Squad support this committee and all work diligently to keep Lismackin Glan agus Glas. The committee meets on the last Friday of every month to talk about and discuss any matters arising. We ensure the continuity of our committee and Green-Schools programme by electing a new committee every year. As a result of our Environmental Review this year an action plan has been drawn up to to
1. Create an awarenes of the Green-Schools Water Programme
2. To conserve and use water in the school and at home more efficiently.
Lismackin Infants at work to save the planet
Lismackin
enjoying some water fun on our school tour
Water
Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Water is found in three states-liquid, solid and gas Up to 60 percent of the human body is water- the brain is composed of 70 percent water, and the lungs are nearly 90 percent water. About 83 percent of our blood is water, which helpsus to digest our food, transport waste, and control body temperature. We need 2 litres per day to keep our bodies healthy.
Where does this Water come from?
We watched some PowerPoint presentations to understand the processes involved in the Water Cycle. Do you know what will be the biggest water problem in the next decade? Yes you are right-as the world's population grows, access to fresh water declines. . This relationship is evident in both industrialised and developing countries and in arid and wet climates.Click on this Interactive graph to see the relationship between water and population.
The Circle of Life.
Where there is water there is life, and where water is scarce, life has to struggle or just "throw in the towel.".It is vital for all life on Earth. Plants need water to live. Our very existence depends on these plants. Our plants breathe in Carbon Dioxide(CO2) and give off Oxygen.. CO2+ Water makes glucose and Oxygen. We learnt that this process is called Photosynthesis.
Rang 1 agus Rang 2 “made” water.. Click here to see their hands-on Science.
Local Water Conservation.
It is very important in Ireland to conserve water. Our water supply is
not as pure as it was even five years ago. The Celtic Tiger has brought
its problems environmentally. Some industries have polluted our rivers
. Our local saw mills have a waste management plan in action to protect
the Nore (our local river). Our local farmers have joined REPS (Rural
Environmental Protection Association). This Association was set up to
encourage farmers to protect the environment in every respect including
the quality of our rivers and lakes. Along river banks fences are erected
2 metres out from the edge of the bank. You cannot spread slurry or fertilizer
within 2 metres of a water course and only from the 20th January to 30th.
August..Fertilizer and slurry should be spread in the growing season (February
to July). Slurry should never be spread on frozen or water-logged land.
The reason for this is that when the land is wet, the run-off from the
land runs into the river it will take these pollutants with it. On frozen
land fertilizers and slurry cannot get down through the soil and there
is the risk of run-off.
Teagasc sends out an environmentalist to check each farm and they also
check the quality of the river. Water quality is a term used to describe
the standard of the water. Good quality water is when there is life in
the water, i.e. fish and insects floating about and case and caddice on
the rocks (algae). Poor quality water is when there is little oxygen in
the water caused by pollution from slurry, cattle moving up and down the
stream, factories, and sewage getting into the water. Fish and insects
of all kinds are unable to survive in polluted water, but leeches will
survive and thrive in polluted water with little oxygen. These leeches
feed on other insects and decrease the life in the river also.
Click on our link to see some pictures Fifth and Sixth class took of
their drama- The Story of a River.Through
drama we explored the various sources and types of pollution that can
affect our natural, pure water.A fish bowl of clean water represented
the river at source and as we passed farming land, factories and towns
we added substances that represented the waste and toxic substances that
enter the river. For example we used vinegar to demonstrate the pollution
caused by acid rain. We adapted our drama from material we found at this
site
Our Local Garage.
Oil used from servicing cars is recycled to provide heating for the garage
because if this black oil was dumped and allowed to seep into the ground,
it would eventually find its way into our locals rivers –the Suir
and Nore and kill our fish and plant life.
Batteries are also collected as they contain huge amounts of acids which
damage the earth. Those who give in the batteries get 5 euros per battery.
Energy Awareness Week: Tips to Save Electricity in your Home
Visit www.tea.ie
A nice lady, from The Tipperary Energy Agency in Cahir,visited Lismackin
to remind us about the importance of saving energy. The TEA leads and
supports Co. Tipperary to reduce its CO2 emissions by stimulating and
implementing best practise in the field of sustainable energy. The Schools
Energy Programme in conjunction with Abbot Vascular will visit your school
for free . The presentation is child friendly and the game at the end
is cool!! See out photograps