Our One Good Idea winners from 2018 offer lots of great ideas for researching, promoting and presenting their projects.

Overall Winner

Team: Bottle It
Topic: Plastic Pollution
School: Errigal College, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

About the campaign

Bottle It from Errigal College Donegal have a simple yet effective idea to encourage people to save energy and protect the environment. The team want their peers and the wider school community to use BPA free reusable bottles and to refill their bottle instead of buying disposable plastic bottles. They also seek to educate people about their carbon footprint and the amount of carbon dioxide that gets released in the transportation, manufacturing and disposal of plastic bottles.

Activation

To spread the word, posters and notices have been displayed on TV screens in the school. The team wrote and performed a song and dance called ‘Bottle It.’ A bottle bank was also set up in the school to encourage recycling. They held an information day in a local shopping centre, handed out leaflets, spoke on the radio and were featured in their local press – ‘Stop the Drastic Plastic Pollution’ say Bottle It

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Primary Winner

Team: The Laundry Brigade
Topic: Saving Energy at Home / School
School: Castlegar National School, Co. Galway

About the campaign

The Laundry Brigade’s One Good Idea is to encourage people to use washing machines more efficiently and to think more carefully about how much water they use. Research conducted by the team about the laundry habits of families in Ireland inspired The Laundry Brigade to promote actions such as ‘hand washing clothes’ when possible and ‘not using dryers. They want to combat the problems associated with water wastage.

Activation

Their idea was shared in a puppet show spectacular and by dressing up as a washing machine in a comical yet informative sketch. The team also performed a rap to the school community and ran a poster campaign which was displayed on noticeboards in local businesses in Castlegar, the local parish newspaper and on Facebook. ‘Wash Wisely – Ditch the Dryer’ was the slogan coined by the Laundry Brigade!

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Senior Winner

Team: Rewind, Reware and Remodel
Topic: Greener Fashion
School: Colaiste Mhicil, Sexton Street, Limerick City

About the campaign

Rewind, Rewear and Remodel are trying to change the way we shop for clothes. The team seeks to educate school children and the wider community about how our clothes are made, how far they travel and why we should reuse old clothes. Research carried out by the students about the energy and water used in the production of clothing inspired the team to take action and encourage upcycling and the reuse of old clothing.

Activation

They hosted a fashion show with a wide range of remodelled clothing. The group have inspired others to think about the small and creative steps they can take to help the environment. They hand out leaflets in Limerick City detailing 10 steps about how to shop greener. A guest speaker was invited by the team to talk at their school and present samples of the eco-friendly clothing. The students performed a rap in an environmental drama aimed at raising awareness among young children. Rewind, Rewear and Remodel proved to the school community that you can be fashionable, fabulous and environmentally friendly.

Junior Winner

Team: Food Fanatics
Topic: Food Miles
School: Meanscoil Gharam, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

About the campaign

The Food Fanatics wanted to get people to take action on climate change! The team set up an awareness campaign aimed at educating primary and secondary school students about food miles, our carbon footprint and climate change. The students got very creative with the production of T-shirts showing off their campaign logo in an effort to raise awareness of their One Good Idea.

Activation

A quiz took place which was presented to students along with an informative presentation. Meanscoil Gharman have been very supportive of the team’s goal to educate young people about climate change and have shared their work on Instagram. Posters have been made and circulated around the school and a speaker was invited in order to encourage students to think about purchasing locally made products.

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Primary Runner-up

Team: Legendary Light Savers
Topic: Saving Energy at Home / School
School: St Michael's National School, Sneem, Co. Kerry

About the campaign

‘Mr Bee’ is the central character and mascot for The Legendary Light Savers’, which is to encourage people to save energy by switching off their lights. Mr Bee was inspired by the ‘Elf on the Shelf’ concept. Similar to the ‘Elf on the Shelf,’ Mr Bee can be placed in different areas around a building as a reminder for people to switch off the lights that they are not using.

Activation

The team shared their idea with school children and then quickly spread their message to the wider community. Mr Bee was given out after mass one Sunday in Sneem and was promoted by the Legendary Light Savers on Radio Kerry in an interview with Deirdre Walsh. Their creative idea was also featured in Sneem Community Newsletter and the Kerryman Newspaper. Thier slogan is ‘BEE Bright Save Light’. You can find out how to make your own Mr Bee on the video created by the team.

10 Year Special Merit Award

Team: S.O.S. (Save Our Seas)
Topic: Ocean Acidification
School: Abbey Community College, Boyle Town, Co. Roscommon

About the campaign

S.O.S (Save Our Seas) from Abbey Community College want to raise awareness about the problem of Ocean Acidification and what we can do to help. Their three steps towards implementing the successful campaign were research, educate and spread the word. The team realised that not a lot of people are aware of Ocean Acidification and wanted to address the issue.

Activation

They gave talks to local primary schools which involved executing an experiment with an egg in a jar of vinegar, showing the students how shell life in the sea is affected by Ocean Acidification. This was a particularly creative and targeted way to raise awareness among young schoolchildren. A short film was also put together by the students and their campaign message was spread further through the school website and on social media.

 

Further information