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Students from across Cork City and County recently gathered for a day dedicated to water conservation and environmental education at Nano Nagle Place in Cork City. The event, hosted by An Taisce’s Green-Schools team in collaboration with Uisce Éireann, marked the beginning of a new journey for over 30 students from nine different schools as they embarked on their roles as Water Ambassadors.
Throughout the day, students participated in a series of interactive workshops focused on water conservation, learning eye-opening facts about water usage in Ireland. The session revealed that, on average, one person uses a surprising 133 litres of water daily, while 1.7 billion litres flow through Ireland’s water network every day. A notable highlight was Clean Coasts’ demonstration of the environmental impact of improper flushing, featuring a unique “fatberg” sculpture to emphasise their Think Before You Flush campaign.
Brian O’Leary, Regional Water Operations Manager, expressed his enthusiasm:
“We were delighted to have so many enthusiastic students wanting to increase their awareness in water conservation. The Green Schools Water Ambassador Programme is a great opportunity for the students to learn more about our water supply, how water is treated and how valuable it is. Safeguarding Ireland’s water supply is a top priority for Uisce Éireann but it is not something we can do alone. Everyone can play their part through practising simple and effective ways to conserve water.”
Jennifer Cooney, Green Schools Water Officer,
noted the students’ commitment to becoming advocates for water conservation:
“We had interest from secondary school students across Ireland in becoming advocates for our most precious resource: water. At our recent training event in Cork, the Water Ambassadors delved into topics like river health, water conservation and environmental impacts of fast fashion. We at Green-Schools are excited to follow their journey as Water Ambassadors and see their ideas in motion.”
The training day also featured a presentation from Elaine Doyle, Clean Coasts Campaigns and Development Officer,who spoke about the Think Before You Flush initiative:
“The Think Before You Flush campaign was set up in response to the prevalence of sewage-related litter, such as wipes and cotton buds, on Irish beaches. It is essential that the campaign engages people of all ages, so we were delighted to have the opportunity to interact with the students at the Green Schools Water Ambassador training day in Cork City. Sewage-related litter affects us all and must be addressed to help protect our environment and wastewater network. Remember, only flush the 3 P’s (pee, poo, and paper). Everything else goes in the bin.”
The Green-Schools water theme aims to foster greater awareness and understanding of water’s role in daily life through various engaging activities suited for students at both primary and secondary levels. With training complete, these young Water Ambassadors are ready to bring their new knowledge and passion for conservation back to their schools and communities, making meaningful contributions to Ireland’s water conservation efforts.