In classrooms in Sacred Heart Catholic School, a simple weekly ritual is helping children discover that caring for the environment doesn’t have to start with big gestures — it starts with small, shared actions.
Through its sponsorship of the Picker Pals programme, OEC is supporting an initiative that brings environmental learning to life for children aged 6–9 through storytelling, outdoor exploration, and family participation.
Picker Pals is an award-winning educational programme designed to make environmental responsibility engaging, practical, and community-focused. Each week, children take home a specially designed Picker Pack and head out on a litter-picking adventure with their families. They then return to school to share what they’ve found, turning everyday experiences into meaningful classroom conversations.
Rather than treating sustainability as a standalone topic, the programme weaves it into children’s daily lives — helping them see their local environment through a more active and responsible lens.
For OEC, the decision to support Picker Pals in Blackrock schools reflects a broader commitment to investing in the communities where the company operates and lives. By enabling schools to take part in the programme, OEC is helping ensure that more children have access to hands-on environmental education that extends beyond the classroom.
The impact of Picker Pals has already been widely recognised. Across participating schools, teachers report that children become more engaged with their surroundings, more confident in group settings, and more aware of their role in looking after shared spaces. The programme also encourages increased time outdoors and stronger family involvement in learning activities.
At its core, Picker Pals is about connection — between children and their environment, between schools and families, and between communities working towards a shared goal of cleaner, healthier surroundings.
In Blackrock schools, that connection is now being strengthened through OEC’s sponsorship, helping to embed positive environmental habits early and encourage a sense of pride in local spaces.
As the programme continues to grow, initiatives like this highlight the role businesses can play in supporting practical, community-based education. For OEC, it represents an investment not just in sustainability, but in the confidence and curiosity of the next generation.
