A successful partnership celebration between Bryson Charitable Group and Tidy Northern Ireland in their quest for schools to

Rethink Waste.

Forty two Primary and Post Primary schools across Northern Ireland have been challenged over the past four months to think about methods by which they can reuse and reduce paper and plastic that they are using in their schools by participating in the Tidy Northern Ireland & Bryson Charitable Group “Rethink Waste” initiative. 

The project which has been funded by WRAP and the Department of the Environment’s Rethink Waste Campaign aimed to educate, make behavioural change within the home and wider community and raise young people’s awareness on the impact of paper and plastic waste on the environment by reducing the amount of waste being diverted to landfill sites.  The project has also supported participating schools in meeting Eco-Schools standards to achieve the prestigious Green Flag status as well as continuing to embed lifelong attitudes that promote Education for Sustainable Development.  Environment Minister, Alex Attwood, who attended the final celebration event for schools at W5, Belfast on Thursday 19th April 2012, where schools were rewarded for their participation and commitment to the project, said:

‘The late Robert F. Kennedy said that the answer to the world’s problems was to rely on the youth of the world. Eco-schools gives expression to this view. Our school children are ahead of past generations in being aware of the multi threats to the environment. In the classroom and in the school gardens, our children give leadership to the green agenda’.Through interactive workshops, including craft activities and informative discussion, we asked children and the wider communities to take positive steps to stop unwanted junk mail coming to their homes and provided them with reusable water bottles to be used at school.  

Speaking at the final celebration event of the project at W5, Belfast, TIDY Northern Ireland’s Chief Executive Dr Ian Humphreys said: ‘’Focusing on preventing waste in the first place is far better than trying to work out what to do with it afterwards and young people are once again leading the way in showing us what can be done through everyone playing their part.  If every pupil in Northern Ireland achieved the same level of parental buy-in as this project did they could prevent the production of 10354 tonnes of potential waste or in simpler terms the weight of 2,589 elephants!!! That means less junk mail being posted into homes, fewer plastic bottles being produced and reduced carbon dioxide emissions - all good news for the environment.’’ 

Nigel J. Brady, Director of Bryson Charitable Group said:   “Bryson Charitable Group is delighted to be here today along with our partners and participating schools in this innovative Rethink Waste Education Project.  The project has been a great success and has had a major impact in raising awareness among a younger audience of the issues surrounding waste. The 42 schools have embraced the messages and have shown their commitment to reducing waste going forward.  This type of project is very worthwhile by highlighting and reinforcing the very important message of reducing our waste.  We hope to see more projects like this in the future.

For further information please contact Grainne O'Neill on 028 7127 3072 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Bryson Energy in conjunction with ESB International invited applications to the Curryfree Windfarm Community Fund.

Please click here for details of successful applicants.

From Monday 2^nd April 2012, a new advice number for local energy advice will be available for householders across Northern Ireland.  The new number is free phone 0800 1422 865

Local Councils along with the Department for Social Development, through the Housing Executive are continuing to provide funding to Bryson Energy, the Energy Agency for Northern Ireland, to ensure that householders in Northern Ireland will have access to local, free and impartial energy advice. In 2010-11 Bryson Energy provided advice to 39,003 households across Northern Ireland.

Nigel Brady, Director of Bryson Energy explained the change:

"Bryson Energy has been providing free, local and impartial energy advice for more than 15 years on behalf of a range of stakeholders.  Previously Bryson Energy had provided energy advice as part of the National Energy Advice Service funded by the Department of Climate Change but this funding along with UK wide free phone number ceases on 31^st March 2012.  I would encourage Northern Ireland households to continue to contact Bryson Energy for impartial energy advice on the new free phone 0800 1422 865."

 David Crothers, Chair of Bryson Energy added:

"At a time of rising energy bills and increasing fuel poverty the importance of local advice which matches local needs is paramount.  I am delighted that the local energy knowledge that Bryson has built up will be utilised to ensure householders in Northern Ireland continue to have access to local, free and impartial energy advice."

The Bryson Energy Advice Line will, from 2^nd April 2012 welcome householder calls on impartial energy advice and any grants you may be entitled to.  Just call 0800 1422 865 for your local service.

Schools across Northern Ireland have been challenged to think about ways they can reduce, reuse and recycle all the paper and plastic they are using by participating in a “Rethink Waste” initiative facilitated by Bryson Charitable Group and TIDY Northern Ireland’s Eco-Schools’. 

Pupils from Carnmoney Primary School recently took part in the launch of the project and their school will be one of over forty two schools taking part.  The “Rethink Waste” project encourages pupils to stop unwanted junk mail coming to their homes and providing them with reusable water bottles. The schools will also avail of workshops bursting with ideas and activities for the children to implement both in school and at home.

This WRAP funded project aims to raise young people’s awareness about the impact of paper and plastic waste on the environment, to engage their families in reducing consumption and to help participating Eco-Schools to achieve the prestigious international Green Flag status.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood, whose department has provided funding towards the initiative said: "This project is an excellent example of partnership working and I commend TIDY Northern Ireland’s Eco-Schools’ and Bryson Charitable Group for their work to date. These practical workshops, combined with the project to stop unwanted mail, will really inspire the schools involved to reduce, reuse and recycle more in the normal course of the day. I look forward to finding out how much waste the schools prevent going to landfill at the end of the project. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the recipients of this Rethink Waste Fund revenue programme and wish them every success in their efforts to improve resource efficiency, divert waste from landfill and help meet EU targets."

John McMullan, Chief Executive of Bryson Charitable Group, said: “This project aims to educate the youngest members of the family, who have a great influence at home, on what they and their families can do to reduce waste. It will involve activities in school with homework involving the rest of the family. Delivering the programme in a fun and interactive way will help to reinforce the very important message of reducing our waste and we at Bryson are dedicated to achieving this goal”.

Speaking at the launch of the project at Carnmoney PS, TIDY NI’s Chief Executive Dr Ian Humphreys said: “Eco-Schools is helping pupils, parents and teachers to actively work towards sustainable lifestyles and if last year’s success is anything to go by we can eagerly anticipate some exciting results in terms of reductions in plastic and paper consumption, further reducing dependence on our already overburdened land fill sites.’’

Although there are only 42 Schools directly involved in this project we would encourage all schools to look at our websites www.eco-schoolsni.org and www.brysoneducation.org as we have produced specific Key Stage 1-3 materials that are freely available for all schools to use.