A group of students started the year with the question, ‘How can we make a difference’. Eight months later, they have been acknowledged by being awarded with the Eco-Schools Green Flag award.
We are immensely proud to announce that, thanks to our Environmental Society, led by Mrs Bird and Mrs Menegazzi, St David’s is now the first college in Wales to be awarded the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.
Eco-Schools is the world’s largest environmental education programme, engaging more than 20 million young people in over 100 countries.
Delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy, the programme encourages students to take the lead in addressing environmental issues within their schools, colleges and local communities.
The Green Flag Award is the programme’s most prestigious accreditation. The award is only given to institutions that demonstrate meaningful environmental action through student leadership, community engagement, and long-term sustainability planning.
The Environmental Society began working towards the award in October 2025, earning the Bronze award by Christmas.
A few months later, the students had already earned the Silver award, and on June 1st, following an inspection and presentation, they achieved Green Flag status.
While 11 members of staff and the Chaplaincy have played their part in this success, the driving force has been our students.
Particular recognition goes to Julia Graczyk and Mia Willecome, who participated in every Environmental Society activity throughout the year alongside key contributors Eve Rees, Emily Sibichien, Owen Sirrell, Robert Katchi, Imogen Wells, Stephen Echue, Millie Flynn and Leila Rock.
Being part of the environmental society this year has been so much fun and a great way for me to learn more about the environmental issues in our local community.
Achieving the Green Flag award is really special, as all the hard work we have done as a collective to improve our area has had the impact we intended.
Mia Willecome
Overall, 85 students took part in the initiative, whether through planting seeds, creating items for the Christmas Fayre, participating in biodiversity projects or contributing articles to the college intranet.
The first thing the Environmental Society did back in October was to create an Environmental Review.
This provided them with three key targets: improve biodiversity, reduce the college’s energy use, and address litter on and around the grounds.
In the eight months since, our learners have delivered on these goals through several impressive projects. For example, the planting of a new Orchard at the back of the college has increased our Simpsons diversity index from 0.64 to 0.72 in just a few short months.
Likewise, the combination of new bird feeders, bug houses and the No Mow May campaign is already having an impact on the biodiversity on the grounds.
To make St David’s more energy efficient, the students tried their best to keep doors around the grounds closed to retain heat. This also led us to conclude that we should attach soft-close mechanisms whenever possible to help achieve this goal.
View this post on Instagram
Last but certainly not least, the Environmental Society has had a massive impact on the amount of litter on and around the college grounds.
Since October 2025, seven litter-picking activities have collected 27 bags of litter.
Moreover, our students also took part in the Big Cardiff Tidy, showing that their ambition to clean up the environment goes beyond the college.
As a Catholic college, we root our commitment to sustainability not only in a love for the environment, but also in our faith.
The principle of Care for Creation reminds us that the Earth is a gift from God and that we all share a responsibility for looking after our common home. Through the Environmental Society, students have been putting this principle into practice by taking meaningful action to protect and improve the world around them.
Pope Leo XIV has often reinforced this message by speaking about the importance of environmental justice and responsible stewardship, calling it a “duty born of faith.”
At a conference before the COP30 last year, the Pope asked “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that He created, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters. What will be our answer?”
While Green Flag status marks a significant milestone, it is only the beginning.
The Environmental Society is already exploring new projects to improve biodiversity further, reduce waste, and strengthen environmental awareness across the college. The feedback received from Keep Wales Tidy has provided fresh ideas and new goals for the years ahead.
As the first college in Wales to achieve Green Flag Eco-Campus status, St David’s Catholic College is proud to be leading the way.
