Today marks Energia’s first ever national Get Ireland Growing Day. The initiative will see Energia partnering with various independent coffee shops across Ireland, to distribute free seeds and compostable coffee cups so people can start growing their own food at home.
The idea came about as a result of us all staying at home over the past year, and many people took to growing their own food. This spike in interest saw online searches for organic food increasing by 80% over the past year!
As well as it being a hobby that is fulfilling and great for you mental health, growing your own food is a lever to a healthier and happier, more sustainable world.
This is the fifth consecutive year Energia has partnered with not-for-profit GIY, however this year, they have also partnered with fifteen coffee trucks across Ireland to launch the campaign today which will see them give away thousands of free seeds on the first ever national ‘Get Ireland Growing Day!’
Presenter, and GIG ambassador, Maia Dunphy shared her delight at being involved in the project; “It’s so important that we all learn how to become more sustainable, and our future depends on it. I’ve recently enrolled in a Masters in Climate Change policy to help expand my knowledge on helping to protect our planet.”
Continuing she said; “Initiatives like the Energia Get Ireland Growing campaign are so important, and help us to see how we can all do our part in creating a more sustainable future for Ireland. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can still start growing on your windowsill or balcony, like I do.”
“You might not grow quite enough to feed everyone, but it’s so rewarding when you can eat what you’ve grown from a simple seed, I challenge everyone to give it a go this summer and grow at least a little of your own!” she added.
If you want to take part in Energia Get Ireland Growing Day today, see the map above of where can you collect your free seeds from partner coffee vendors and you can also take part in national growing challenges on the GIY app.
There are 12 simple challenges to help people connect with nature through food growing with spot prizes and a grand prize of €1,000 to be won. These challenges range from simply sowing a seed to filling a takeaway coffee cup with soil to turn into a pot to making bug hotels that support biodiversity- what an excellent way of reusing something that would usually go straight in the bin!
Instructions are provided on the app to make it easy for people of all ages and experience levels to get their hands dirty and spend quality time outdoors over the summer solstice weekend.
The Energia Get Ireland Growing Day takes place this weekend, on Saturday the 19th of June.
For further information visit the Get Ireland Growing website at www.getirelandgrowing.ie and share your seed growing pictures across social using #GetIrelandGrowing, and follow the campaign through @EnergiaGIG on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.