Cllr. William Priestley visits our Green Schools Committee
The last 12 months have been a landmark year for climate activism with millions of children all over the world going on strike to protest the lack of action from governments on climate change. The Transition Year Environmental Social Studies class along with the Green Schools Committee feel strongly about the issue and wanted to invite local Green Party Councillor for Rathfarnham-Templeogue William Priestley in to talk to us about environmental issues at local, national and global levels.
He was eager to come in and the presentation was quickly arranged. Transition Year students greeted Councillor Priestley upon his arrival to the school before he was led to a classroom to present an excellent PowerPoint. He began with a climate change quiz with some truly shocking answers that engaged the students straight away. He then went on to tell the class about the day to day work of a Green Party Councillor and the effort he goes to in order to promote environmentally friendly policies. He also provided the young environmentalists with some simple yet effective lifestyle changes they could implement into their everyday lives, such as walking to school or using public transport. The floor was then open to questions from the students regarding environmental issues ranging from litter in our local area to sea levels rising across the globe. It was brilliant to see how environmentally conscious young people are and how interested they are in protecting our planet. It was clear that Councillor Priestley’s visit was a resounding success and will no doubt leave a lasting impression on both the Green Schools Committee members and Transition Year students.
