News

eFlow, operators of barrier-free tolling on Dublin’s M50 motorway, celebrated the successful completion of the latest phase of the Coill na nÓg initiative in partnership with social enterprise Biodiversity in Schools, with three schools receiving outdoor classrooms valued at €12,000 between May-June 2026. 

Coill na nÓg (meaning the children’s forest in Irish) is one of Ireland’s largest biodiversity and native tree-planting programmes for schools. Supported by eFlow since 2024, the initiative encourages students to actively engage in biodiversity, climate action, and outdoor learning while creating a lasting environmental legacy within their school communities. 

Since the partnership began, nearly 10,000 native Irish trees and hedgerows have been planted in schools across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In 2025, the programme built on the strong momentum of its inaugural year, further expanding participation and supporting schools in developing greener, more biodiverse outdoor spaces. 

As part of the initiative, schools were encouraged to explore local woodlands and hedgerows, plant native trees, and engage students in hands-on environmental learning. To celebrate and showcase their biodiversity journeys, schools across the country took part in a nationwide competition, sharing photos and videos of students exploring nature, planting trees, and learning about biodiversity through social media and email submissions. 

The competition closed in December 2025 and received an impressive 133 entries from 96 schools nationwide, demonstrating the enthusiasm and commitment of students and teachers to environmental action and outdoor education. 

Following the judging process, the following schools were announced as winners in January 2026 and received specially designed outdoor classrooms to support ongoing nature-based education and wellbeing activities: 

• Midleton CBS, Cork
• Croí na Foraoise, Cavan
• Scoil Mhuire Borrisokane, Tipperary  

The outdoor classroom prizes, valued at a combined €12,000, are designed to provide students and teachers with dedicated spaces for outdoor learning, biodiversity projects, wellbeing initiatives, and community engagement. 

Speaking about the initiative, Mark Nolan, Director of Biodiversity in Schools said: “Yet again Coill na nÓg has proven to be hugely popular with schools across Ireland. This reflects the appetite amongst educators to reconnect young people with nature and nurture more biodiversity-rich school grounds. We're delighted Coill na nÓg is part of this movement and support the great work of schools making this change.” 

Roisin Barton Murray, Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s eFlow Public Information Manager commented: “This programme has a real and positive impact in schools across the country, helping children connect with nature through tree planting, pollinator spaces and outdoor learning. TII is proud to support a programme that has seen such strong engagement from schools nationwide supporting wellbeing, creativity and learning across the curriculum.” 

The programme has already had a significant impact in schools across the country, helping students connect directly with nature through native tree planting, pollinator-friendly spaces, and outdoor learning experiences. Previous winning schools have described their outdoor classrooms as valuable hubs for wellbeing, creativity, biodiversity activities, and cross-curricular learning. 

eFlow’s continued support of Coill na nÓg reflects its commitment to sustainability, biodiversity enhancement, and supporting communities through meaningful environmental initiatives.