Going green was all about starting at the class-roots level for this transition year student, writes Poppy O'Sullivan

SO MUCH HAS happened during my TY that it's hard to know where to start. We've had countless trips, projects and laughs over the course of the year. So much can be achieved in TY if you are willing to enjoy it and participate in as many projects and activities as possible.I think that of all the things I have taken part in this year, my favourite has to be our Eco Unesco project.

As there is so much concern about the environment recently, everyone in the class was excited about the opportunity to start taking action.

The project was under the heading of "Consumerism" which we felt was an issue that needed to be highlighted in our community. There were two parts to our project - Tree Wise and Waist Knot.

Tree Wise took place before Christmas. We bought 250 holly saplings and 250 Christmas tree saplings. The whole class then proceeded to pot them in the school courtyard.

We received some funny looks as we traipsed in and out of the school covered in muddy compost, but we had great fun!

We then sold the trees in the Ennis Farmers' Market, the objective being that people would plant a tree at Christmas rather than cutting one down.

For Waist Knot our aim was to put on an eco-friendly fashion show in the school using donated clothes, LED lights and models from our school, Coláiste Muire.

We would then sell the clothes inside the school. We thought that the idea of a fashion show was something that would definitely get the students interested.

The show was a huge success. Another TY student and I were the MCs which was brilliant fun. A year ago I wouldn't have dreamed of standing up in front of the school and chatting away in front of a microphone! We had music, lights and balloons and our models were fantastic. We also had a raffle at the end of the show.

Everyone was involved, whether it be hair and make-up, modelling, donating clothes or simply being in the audience. The whole school attended and the atmosphere was electric. There was such a great buzz around the school.

Many students in Coláiste Muire said that the fashion show should be an annual event which seems like a really good idea. Many also joined the Green Schools Committee as a result of the show.

We also raised huge profits from both Tree Wise and the selling of the clothes and raffle tickets to put towards our Green Schools Fund as well as other charities. I feel that we really did make an impact in the community by running our two projects.

Everyone in the class got involved and we were all delighted to be selected to attend the Eco Unesco awards in Dublin. The whole project has definitely been the highlight of my TY.