Environmental Education and Awareness Initiative – Winner: Castletroy College
Pictured at the Pakman Awards 2019 are (l to r): Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, TD, Lisa Kiely and Padraig Flanagan from Castletroy College, winner of the Environmental Education and Awareness Initiative Award, and Philip Nugent from the category sponsor, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment.
Castletroy College win two national environmental awards at 2019 Pakman Awards
Co. Limerick secondary school Castletroy College has been named as the winner of two 2019 Pakman Awards. The college was awarded both the Environmental Education and Awareness Initiative award, sponsored by the European Recycling Platform as well as the Battery Champion Award, sponsored by the Department of Communications, Climate Action, and Environment, for demonstrating waste management excellence through its innovative e-mining project.
The Pakman Awards is a national environmental awards programme that recognises outstanding work in recycling, sustainability, and waste management by businesses, organisations, individuals and community groups in Ireland. This year’s ceremony saw 400 representatives from leading community groups and businesses come together to recognise excellence in waste management, sustainability, and recycling.
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Castletroy College’s teacher-led E-mining@school initiative developed high-quality educational materials to raise awareness and engage secondary school students on the importance of recycling e-waste. The innovative project led by eight teachers incorporated sustainability into the curriculum to teach teenagers about urban mining their smartphones for critical raw materials.
A Pakman Award is one of the highest environmental accolades that a company, community group or individual can win for their waste management and recycling efforts in Ireland. All 14 category winners were automatically put forward for the overall Pakman Award on the night, which was won this year by Aran Island Recycling Project (Athchursail Árann).
Battery Champion – Winner: Castletroy College
Pictured at the Pakman Awards 2019 are (l to r): Yvonne Holmes from the category sponsor, the European Recycling Platform, and Lisa Kiely and Padraig Flanagan from Castletroy College, winner of the Battery Champion Award.
Séamus Clancy, CEO of Repak said, “When it comes to protecting the environment for the future, we could all learn a thing or two from Ireland’s younger generations. Schools nationwide have been leading lights in recycling and waste management and Castletroy College’s e-mining project is just one example of that. Through a combination of specialised theory and practical learning, the students at Castletroy College learnt about best practice electronic recycling behaviour and by participating in local radio interviews and spreading the word to friends and family, they inspired their community to do the same too.”
He continued, “Electronic items are heavily consumed in our society and to protect our environment they need to be disposed of correctly. The students at Castletroy College have realised this and collectively supported the increase of electronic item recycling in the Limerick area by disposing of 324kg of batteries correctly. That is a significant figure and shows that by making a conscious effort, we can together change the environment for the better. I commend Castletroy College in setting an example that we can all follow’’.
The Pakman Awards is divided into 14 categories. The winners from each category are then nominated for the overall Pakman Award, one of the highest environmental accolades any organisation, business, community group or individual in Ireland can achieve. A panel of judges will pick a winner based on their outstanding contribution and they will be crowned the overall winner of The National Award for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management.
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