GIY's 'Get Ireland Growing Day' - Doing our bit for the planet

Mick Kelly and the wise folk at GIY urged every household in Ireland to 'sow a seed and Get Ireland Growing’ this summer, with a special reminder issued to mark the longest day of the year.

Going since 2021, GIY’s Get Ireland Growing Day calls on everyone to carry out a positive food growing action and this year businesses across Ireland are backing 'Get Ireland Growing' Day, to help GIY spread the message and for their employees to get involved in sustainability activity.

GIY founder Michael Kelly commented, "In recent times we’ve seen a lot more people begin to grow food at home and we want to support and encourage more people to join the effort. We’re in the middle of both a climate and biodiversity crisis, and food growing is hugely powerful to connect us with these challenges in a really proactive way.

Seed sowing is not restricted to any particular time of year, of course, but Michael says, "With people across the country all joining us in 'sowing a seed' on June 21st and celebrating the importance of food growing in Ireland, Get Ireland Growing Day is designed to show that food growing is in our nature – both as a culture and through the planet's resources that make it possible and we can all create a more sustainable future in Ireland within our homes and our local communities."

One of the Get Ireland Growing flagship partners is CIÉ Group, which includes the full fleet of CIÉ organisations employees across Irish Rail, Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and the CIÉ Holding Company. CIÉ employees will be leading as Get Ireland Growing ambassadors. Caoimhe Donnelly, Chief Sustainability Officer for CIE:" The partnership spans multiple aspects of CIÉ's sustainability priorities, such as climate action, climate resilience, biodiversity, community engagement, and health & wellbeing – both for communities and CIE employees.

Through the simple but effective action of food growing in gardens, yards offices, windowsills and balconies in every village, town and city across Ireland, this reflects the power of employees as sustainability advocates, leading communities to take part in climate & biodiversity activity at a local level. The partnership will support and highlight a number of community and biodiversity initiatives across CIÉ such as community gardens, men's sheds, tidy towns, scouting Ireland, and local schools.

Regional Get Ireland Growing ambassadors are also coming on board in organisations across Cork, Meath, Limerick, Galway and Dublin with employees leading the initiative in their communities as they all plan their food growing projects and seed sowing from June 21st 2023.

This is yet another great initiative from GIY, showing us once again how we can all make a difference. For information on how you or your business can get involved in Get Ireland Growing Day see, www.getirelandgrowing.ie