Ciara Clerkin and Emma McMullan Maguire.

Promoting biodiversity at the Comp!

In celebration of Earth Day recently, students from TY2 planted 23 new sapling trees on the grounds of St Aidan’s during the last two weeks of April.

“Plant, plant, plant, as if your life depends on it, because it does,” says Brian Mac Domhnaill of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes, who kindly donated the trees to St Aidan’s. He is keen for students, teachers and parents to appreciate the relationship between planting trees and the protection of water health.

“This is literally the best thing anyone can do for biodiversity,” says Mr Mac Domhnaill. “There is a direct relationship between planting trees and protecting the health of the water we drink. Environmental health and water health go hand in hand.”

Seven students from Ms Corbett’s TY2 Agricultural Science class volunteered to be part of the project. They were Senan Mullen, Dearbhla Mc Cormick, Sophie Murphy, Ryan Curran, Saoirse McGlynn, Emma McMullan Maguire, Oisin Pepper and Ciara Clerkin. Digging the often stony soil was, at times, tortuous work, but every sapling was safely in the ground, staked and watered within the time allotted.

The trees planted were all native to Ireland: mostly Rowan (mountain ash) and hawthorn.

For more information about water heath and biodiversity, please visit the National Federation of Group Water Schemes online at: www.nfgws.ie