Why Get Involved?

 WHAT AM I GETTING INVOLVED IN?

In recent years, Gluaiseacht has been involved in a wide range of activities, from hands-on biodiversity and conservation projects, environmental educational talks and workshops, co-organising and supporting national gatherings and events like Climate Camp Ireland and Skillshares, researching and writing submissions on government policy and papers, to working with communities defending their localities against extractivist projects. 

Biodiversity and Conservation

Gluaiseacht has been involved in different grassroots conservation projects for many years. Gluaiseacht co-organises and supports hands-on, community-led environmental projects in partnership with local communities, helping to restore biodiversity, build practical skills, and deepen people’s connection with nature. These initiatives include school-based projects where students and staff collaborate on planting wild hedgerows, edible gardens, and living willow structures while enhancing habitats like riverbanks; community woodland efforts in places like in Kinsale, Cork, where local participants gather to plant native trees while engaging in education, networking, and skill-sharing; and ongoing conservation work with the Gaelic Woodland League through regular Meitheals, where volunteers remove invasive species and repurpose them sustainably, supported with the tools, training, and resources needed to sustain and grow these efforts.

Gluaiseacht members have also participated in and financially supported the Tree Walk since 2015.  It takes place in the Spring each year. The group visits schools and community groups. Through information, story telling and song, we celebrate the connection between people and trees. We plant trees with the children, and also in recent years each child plants an acorn in a small pot. The Tree walk group walks from school to school, and camps each night. Over the years the Tree walk has covered most of the counties in Ireland. 

Climate Camp

Gluaiseacht has been supporting climate camps in Ireland for many years since the first camp in 2009 in Shannonbridge to the 2024 Climate Camp in Tyrone. We have supported and worked with organisers in different capacities over the years, from co-organising the camp and running workshops on practical sustainability sessions on basic carpentry skills, solar energy systems, and building compost toilets, to topical workshops on community activism skills and data centres . We have also had advisory roles on how to organise large camps through consensus and have provided key infrastructure such as marquees, compost toilets, and kitchen equipment,as well as financial support for event insurance, site rental, transport subsidies, workshop expenses etc.

Supporting Communities

On previous occasions, we supported the Keep Tulla Untouched Awareness Day in Co. Clare. The action was to inform and educate people about the prospecting licences which have been granted for gold, silver, baryte and base metal mining in the area and hosted speakers and musicians. It was organized with the Save our Sperrins campaign against the Canadian mining company, Dalradian. It’s a good example of how we work by educating, supporting community struggles for environmental justice and working towards networking between various local struggles and national groups.

If you would like to participate in or co-organise similar activities, get involved! Contact us at gluaiseacht@gmail.com