The Green-Schools Programme is greatly encouraged and inspired by Friday’s planned Climate Strikes across Ireland and around the world.

Green-Schools supports the students, teachers, schools and their wider communities in taking action. The time of actively ignoring the issues of our degrading environment, our climate emergency and our global biodiversity crisis are now truly over. We all need to act now if we are to have a future.

For over twenty years, Green-Schools has always supported student-led change through analysis, critical thinking and collaboration. It is heartening to see such strong, insightful young leaders in our communities focused on climate, biodiversity and a better future for all. Students are informed and they are now leading.

The impact of young people like Greta Thunberg and others cannot be underestimated in drawing  attention to the climate and biodiversity crises. They are to be admired for their resilience and honesty in spite of unwarranted and unfounded resistance. We are truly grateful to these students for shining their light on our environment and for encouraging their peers to stand up, be counted and demand the change that is necessary.

The Green-Schools programme would not function without school communities and the years of support we have been shown by everyone involved in education throughout Ireland. The strikers of today are our policy makers and political leaders of tomorrow and they have clearly illustrated why we need to change. With this momentum we all now need to work out how we change. We very much look forward to the future they will help create.