Mungret CC Green Schools Ireland & Irish Water All Ireland Water School of the year 2025
Awarded to schools who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to Water conservation, education and community engagement well done to our water ambassadors and their teachers.
Mungret Community College has proudly been nominated for the prestigious Munster School of the Year Award as part of the Green-Schools Water Awards. With over 40 students actively involved in the Green-Schools programme, the school has shown a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental awareness. Four students from the Green-Schools Committee were selected to represent the school in Dublin at the national awards ceremony. There, they delivered an engaging presentation to the Green-Schools panel and representatives from Uisce Éireann, highlighting key moments in the school’s water journey. These included initiatives such as the Water Ambassadors Programme, the school-wide "Blue Day" awareness campaign, and the meaningful link between the school’s ethos of "a community learning together" and its Green-Schools efforts. They also demonstrated how STEM has been integrated into the programme through the creation of a coded automated watering system that activates when soil becomes dry. Mungret Community College was up against three other outstanding schools from across the country for the National Award, and through the students’ hard work and dedication, the school not only claimed the Munster regional award but was also honoured with the National Award for Best Water School of the Year.
Water Ambassadors 2025
Written by Aga Hourigan (TY)
We first heard about the program from green schools, wanted to get involved especially since we don't really get a chance to do something like this out side of TY and wanted to make the most of it. We had some ideas in mind but the water ambassadors meeting helped finalize those. We got the first step of the plan done realitivly fast however as the year got bussier we had almost ran out of time to finish it, and had to modify our goals along the way.
Water ambassadors is a project to encourage schools to participate in positive actions to protect the most precious resource we have: water. It is part of green schools and a competition against other teams. We competed 2 actions. Our first action was to gather organic waste that would clog storm drains and cause small scale flooding and use it as compost for plants which would take water from the soil and prevent soil degradation contributing to stopping flooding.
Our second action was a Swap Shop where we talked to the younger years about the environmental impacts that come with creating new clothes, and students were able to choose second hand clothes to take home and use.
This was definitely a beneficial experience for us in many ways, including understand our impacts on the world and giving us the power to make a change, along with teaching us about deadlines and how goals may need to be changed but they aren't discarded.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world, beginning with the earth beneath your feet."
At Mungret Community College, we are committed to fostering a culture of environmental responsibility, and this year, we took a significant step toward this goal by working on our next flag – the Water Flag. We see achieving this milestone as an essential part of our ongoing journey to create a more sustainable world for future generations.
Through a school-wide approach, we have dedicated ourselves to reducing water waste, raising awareness of sustainable practices, and providing leadership opportunities for students to take action in environmental education and activities. All while upholding our Litter and Waste Flag accreditation through ongoing litter blitzes, informative presentations, clear signage, segregated waste bins, and engaging roadshows. Our efforts have included completing all seven steps of the Water Flag process, such as creating an action plan, setting targets, creating resources, visiting other schools to demonstrate how to conserve water, producing handy tips at home for water conservation and conducting surveys both within our school and with neighboring schools. We have worked together to design and present lesson plans, organise Blue Day, and create a mural of first-year students' handprints to symbolise our collective commitment to water conservation.
In addition, we participated in a Walk for Water, engaged with the Water Ambassadors program, and embraced many other initiatives, all contributing to our shared vision of a greener, more sustainable future. This school-wide endeavor has empowered every member of our community to play a role in making a positive impact on the environment and helping us continue to make meaningful strides toward a sustainable world.