Travel Flag

Hi everybody, since school closed we submitted our green school application for green flag number 4, travel flag. We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in achieving this flag. This is thanks to all the huge work put in by our whole school community, students, staff and parents. Special word of thanks to our Green schools committee who worked so hard on this for the past 2 years. We will celebrate achieving this flag in the next school year when we are all back together. If you haven't already done so check out our page below to see our fab photos of the past two years. Huge congrats to all!! Many thanks to Ms Bernadette Bergin and Ms Chiara Hanrahan for guiding the children throughout this endeavour.

Here in Scoil Mhichil Naofa we are very proud to be going for our fourth Green Flag, the Travel Flag. Climate change is so important for future generations we are making changes and raising awareness of how we can help stop global warming in our small community. We have had many fun and informative days in school and every Wednesday is WOW day where we park away from school grounds and walk to school, ensuring we all breathe cleaner air on these days and its good practice for our minds and bodies!

Our committee members!

                • Ewan Wixted McPhearson
                • Aoibhin Doherty
                • Logan Jones
                • Mairead Delaney
                • Grace Delaney
                • Gerard Delaney
                • Laura Fogarty
                • Lauren Carroll
                • Mairead Duggan
                • Kate Delaney
                • Lilly Wixted McPherson

The above committee have been guided by Ms Bernadette Bergin and Ms Chiara Hanrahan, green schools coordinator and travel officer respectively.

Through the past two years we have held many events as part of our effort to attain the travel flag. Some of these are listed below. Click here to view a selection of the events' images.

October 2018 Poster Design!

See our Travel Bus on Green schools notice board.

November 15th 2018 Walkability Audit

Our committee checked out the safest routes to walk (park and stride) to our school, check out our video below!

December 18th Santa Stroll!

This was a great morning where we all wore Santa hats and walked to school from the car park. Many thanks to Fr Ollie and Galmoy Gaa for use of their facilities, all the parents who joined us, John Joe our school bus driver who joined in and Parents association who provided such gorgeous healthy breakfast refreshments on the morning! See our photos!

Friday March 15th

Walk a Green Mile for Barnardos.

Thursday June 13th

Bike workshop

What fun we had this day, Chiara thought us all about cycling safely. We had

Our helmets and bicycles checked for road worthiness. We learned how to cycle in single file, make emergency stops, use our hand signals and lots more. The slow bicycle races were lots of fun!


September 25th 2019

We relaunched our WOW days!


Tuesday 26th November

Climate change talk- Greta Thunburg video.


Thursday November 28th

Bike Workshop 2

Today we revised skills already learned and got further tips from Chiara. Lots of prizes were won! We proved cycling is an all year round activity!


Our Top Tips for Green ways to commute.

1. Turn off your engine rather than idling. Talk about putting a dent in your fuel mileage! Idling while you wait in traffic or anywhere else means you’re getting zero (zip, zilch, nada) miles to the gallon AND polluting the air. If you know you’re not moving for a few minutes, turn your car off rather than idling.

2. Make a green route for errands. If you like to add errands to your commute to work—the dry cleaner, the grocery store, etc.—take a little time to plot out the most direct course you can take. Choose routes that avoid major traffic delays and with few lights or stop signs so you can drive at a steady speed. The shorter and easier your drive, the better it is for the environment.

3. Take alternative wheels to work. Here are several green ways to commute to work that involve wheels, which emit far fewer greenhouse gases than your current vehicle:

Biking

Riding a scooter

Informal carpooling with co-workers

Walking (Ok, not technically a type of “wheels” but if you strap on some roller skates, you’re in business!)

4. Become a public transit pro. If you live in an area where public transit is an option, try taking the bus or train to work rather than commuting solo. As a bonus, you can spend your commute time tackling that long list of “must-read” books you’ve been putting off for years.

5. Inflate your tires correctly. Properly inflated tires help fuel efficiency, lengthen the life of your tires, and are a safer way to drive.


Our Top Tips for Cleaner Holiday Travel!


1. Don't bag it

When going on holidays you want memories of your holiday to last for years, but 500 years is far too long. Plastic bags can take up to 500 years to biodegrade so take a re-useable shopping bag with you when you go to local markets.

2. Pack light

Every kilo counts when flying. The more a plane weighs, the more carbon emissions it produces. Pack only what you need - the environment will thank you.

3. Share the load

Taking public transport is one of the best things you can do for the environment when traveling. It means you're not creating any additional carbon emissions from private transport. It will also add to your travel experience, providing you with opportunities to interact with locals.

4. Be at home in a hotel

A great tip is to remember to act in a hotel like you would at home – avoid getting clean towels when not necessary, don't have long showers and remember to turn off TV, lights and aircon when you leave the room.

5. Avoid bottled water

Plastic bottles account for a lot of waste. Fill re-usable bottles with safe water.

6. Stick to the path

When hiking, always stay on marked trails and maintain a safe distance from any animals you encounter. Going off the beaten path could mean you trample on protected or endangered plants.