Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 618: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the actions he has taken to encourage and assist with reduction, recycling and reuse of waste in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27675/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has supported the green schools programme for schools since 2000.

The green schools programme is the implementation in Ireland of an international environmental education programme known as eco-schools, a programme of the foundation for environmental education, FEE. FEE is an organisation founded to raise awareness of environmental issues through education. In Ireland the programme is administered by An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland.

Green schools was first launched in Ireland in 1997. At present 2,103 schools are participating in the programme with 651 schools having successfully raised the green flag. Green schools is a themed programme with schools initially working through the requisite steps for waste and litter. Subsequent themes include energy, water, transport, biodiversity and healthy living. An Taisce indicates that Irish schools that successfully implement the programme for waste and litter divert on average 60% of their waste from landfill.

My Department has given the following grant assistance to An Taisce specifically for the green schools programme: €10,158 in 2000 for production of a green schools video; €400 in 2002 towards the cost of attendance at an international conference on green schools; €25,000 in 2004 towards the cost of organising an international eco schools meeting; €25,000 in 2004 for computer equipment.

I have recently allocated a further €50,000 in support funding this year and will review the possibility of further funding in 2006 and future years.

In addition to my Department's support for the green schools programme, since 2003 ENFO, my Department's environmental information service, has been improving the availability of ENFO services outside the greater Dublin area by means of the ENFO on tour initiative. Schools and community groups which cannot easily visit the ENFO premises in St. Andrew Street for lectures and workshops, are now able to avail of visits from a group of young graduates who travel throughout the country to give ENFO environmental workshops. To-date, 950 primary and secondary schools covering about 150,000 students outside the Dublin area have participated in the ENFO on tour workshops. Workshop themes have covered ecosystems, waste management and global warming.