Mayo school leads the way in national sustainability competition

Students of Kinaffe National School, Swinford, have been recognised at a national level for their efforts in promoting sustainability, earning the Best Creativity Award in this year’s Daily Swaps Challenge.

Daily Swaps Challenge is a nationwide initiative from the Green Schools programme, run by An Taisce. 

Throughout the initiative, students designed a series of colourful graphic designs using Canva, with a different design created for each day of the week, highlighting a new sustainability swap. These eye-catching posters were displayed around the school and shared on social media, helping to spread the message both within the school community and beyond. 

The campaign was a dynamic school noticeboard in the shape of a tree. Throughout the week, students recorded the swaps they made by adding leaves to the tree. As the days passed and more leaves appeared, the display grew bigger and fuller, creating a powerful visual reminder of everyone’s efforts. Seeing the swaps “grow” each day helped to motivate and excite students across the school, turning the challenge into a fun and engaging shared experience. 

The Daily Swaps Challenge invited students across Ireland to take simple everyday actions, such as taking shorter showers, boiling only the water needed, or donating unused clothes, to reduce water and energy use. 

Taking place from 9–13 March, the challenge saw participation from schools in 18 counties, with students recording an impressive total of 22,923 daily swaps.  

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Geoffrey Bourke, Head of Customer Operations at Uisce Éireann, a sponsor of the Green-Schools Water Programme, says daily swaps show how small, practical actions can make a real difference. 

“By empowering students to lead sustainability campaigns in their schools and communities, we’re helping young people understand the connections between water, energy and the everyday choices we make.” 

Tori Rickman, Green-Schools Officer for the Water Theme, added that Kinaffe National School’s Daily Swaps campaign is a fantastic example of how students can lead meaningful environmental action.

“By running their own challenges, Green-Schools Committees build real skills in communication, teamwork and motivating others. It highlights that environmental action doesn’t have to be about giving things up; it can be about challenging ourselves and our peers to make small changes together in a way that’s fun and impactful,” she added.