merrion street

Environment Minister Phil Hogan today welcomed the delegates from the Foundation for Environmental Education, the international umbrella organisation that promotes environmental education for sustainable development. It is currently holding its general assembly in Dublin and celebrating 25 years of the international Blue Flag programme.

The Minister was delighted with the highest ever number of Blue Flags being awarded this year, since the programme was introduced in Ireland in 1988.

He said:

‘The Blue Flag is a clear signal of quality and is something to be cherished. I am delighted to announce that today we will be awarding a record breaking total of 87 Blue Flags, to beaches that have achieved excellent water quality and a very high standard across a wide range of other criteria, including environmental education, management of the environment, safety and other services’,

Minister Hogan was pleased that Dollymount regained its flag.

 A capital city holding a blue flag is a truly significant achievement, and the stakeholders are to be commended for their sterling efforts’. 

55 Green Coast awards were presented for 2012.  Introduced in 2008, the Green Coast awards are given to beaches which have excellent water quality but which may be less developed than Blue Flag beaches. The Green Coastp rogramme covers the whole coastline ofIrelandand is facilitated through a partnership between An Taisce, Tidy Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.