From St. Brigid's Day to St. Patrick's Day we're celebrating being Irish by going green. There is a six-week span between St. Brigid's Day and St. Patrick's Day, where the days are getting brighter and we welcome Spring. This is a time to adopt new habits and to consider our relationship with nature and the environment. Spring offers us a chance to reflect on what it means to be Irish and what it means to be green. At The Green Roots Project, we're using this period to highlight the actions we can take to reduce our impact as individuals and communities so that we can Go Green. Each week we will explore a different theme, from how we eat and get around, to what we wear, and how we shop, we will share insights, hints, tips, and lifestyle ideas. An Invitation to Collaborate As part of this project, we are inviting leaders, innovators, professionals, and influencers from multiple sectors to share their insights and their experiences in the developing field of sustainability. We're inviting them to share some green actions they have already taken and tell us how they are going green. If you have experiences and insights you would like to share the 'Invitation to Collaborate' document is available through our website. The culmination of this six-week period is St. Patrick’s Day. Our National Festival, and the greenest day of the year. We believe that by reframing how we celebrate our national holidays, we can forge and renew meaningful connections between how we relate to our local environment and how we express our national pride. WEEK 1- EDUCATION Primary Schools This week our theme is Education. On February first we launched our 'Grow your Green Cloak' campaign, a lesson plan and activity list for Junior School children that encourages green awareness and actions. This program is currently piloting in classrooms in Co. Limerick, Co. Galway, and Co. Wicklow. Students can take part in up to 7 actions that will encourage a deeper connection to nature. Teachers can download the lesson plan from our website
Mrs. Healy's Junior Infants, Co. Limerick Secondary Schools In addition to this, we are developing a companion program called Green Boots for teenagers. A class of Transition Year Students in Co. Tipperary is currently participating in a research exercise. They will share their findings around Food, Fashion, Waste, Energy, and Activism in their own 'Practical Learning Guide to living more sustainably' brochure. We will share their progress and the brochure through our website and social media platforms. Third Level
On Wednesday we visited the Innovation Academy at UCD, where we presented our campaign to this year's Design Thinking For Sustainability students. All of our team at The Green Roots Project are IA DTFS graduates and were delighted to have an opportunity to pitch different areas of our campaign to develop in team Ideation sessions.
We discussed Carbon Neutral Parades, The Future of St. Patrick's Day, as well as Eco-Tourism, Collaboration, Partnerships, and Marketing. This session generated a phenomenal amount of ideas, we received specific and valuable feedback and excellent suggestions for developing and sharing the project. We left the group with a specific task and will return to them in early March, to follow up.
Word Cloud of Carbon Neutral Parade ideas
EPIC Museum
On Friday we had a quick visit to the Epic Museum Head Quarters to discuss their Family Activities for St. Patrick's Day. We are delighted to share that our 'How will you go green?' and 'Hello Spring!' Post Card Activity will be included in their lineup over St. Patrick's weekend.
How will you go green?
If you would like to participate in this year's campaign please get in touch. Share a photo of your actions with the hashtag #thegreenrootsproject and we will share it on our platforms.
