GIY calls on Mayo to ‘sow a seed’ for Get Ireland Growing Day

The summer solstice has a new calling from Get Ireland Growing (GIY). The social enterprise is encouraging each household in Mayo and throughout Ireland to take some time on the longest day of the year and ‘sow a seed’ to get Ireland growing.

Get Ireland Growing Day was launched in 2021 and annually the organisation calls on the action to carry out a positive food growing action each year.

In addition to households and communities getting behind the cause this year, businesses across Ireland are backing Get Ireland Growing Day to help GIY spread the message and for their employees to get in on the sustainability actions.

Commenting on the launch of Get Ireland Growing Day 2023, GIY founder Michael Kelly said: “In recent times we have 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 are in the middle of both a climate and biodiversity crisis, and food growing is a hugely powerful way to connect with these challenges in a really proactive way.

“We are very much looking forward to getting as many people across the country all joining us in 'sowing a seed' on June 21 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.”

Not only are households being called upon to join in the initiative, but businesses across the country are also being encouraged to do so too. One of the Get Ireland Growing's 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 the way as Get Ireland Growing ambassadors. Caoimhe Donnelly, chief sustainability officer for CIE, explained: “The partnership spans multiple aspects of CIÉ’s sustainability priorities, such as climate action, climate resilience, biodiversity, community engagement, and health and wellbeing – both in communities and across CIE employees.

“It reflects the power of employees as sustainability advocates, leading communities to take part in climate and biodiversity activity at a local level through the simple but effective action of food growing in gardens, windowsills, balconies and yards/offices in every village, town and city across Ireland. 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.”

In addition, organisations across Cork, Meath, Limerick, Galway and Dublin are also coming on board as regional Get Ireland Growing ambassadors with the ambition of their employees leading the initiative in their communities as they all plan their food growing projects and seed sowing from June 21. For more details on how you or your business can get involved in Get Ireland Growing Day, see www.getirelandgrowing.ie.