An Taisce’s Environmental Education Unit announced twelve Climate Ambassador Awards for Outstanding Achievement on Thursday 25th November, 2021. The awards are an annual opportunity for Climate Ambassadors to connect and reflect, to recognise and celebrate their fantastic achievements. Initially due to take place in Dublin, the ceremony shifted online due to current covid precautions.
Two of the awards went to UCC, recent graduate Sarah Bryant, and current student Sophie O’Callaghan.
Selected as Country Coordinator for Ireland with the 16th United Nations Conference of Youth Global Affairs Unit, Sarah Bryant campaigned for climate justice at home and abroad. Involved in many projects with UCC Dance Club, the highlight was a 4-day environmental campaign as part of National Tree Week where fundraising resulted in over 500 native trees being planted. Sarah also co-spearheaded the UCC Fighting World Hunger Student Coalition. Since moving to Edinburgh for her Masters, she has held a vegetarian come dine with me with her new course mates. All of this (and more!) while submitting her final year dissertation answering the question ‘Whether sustainable food security can be achieved and if so, how?’.
Meanwhile, Sophie O’Callaghan was an integral part of a small team of committed Climate Ambassadors, formed from a love of bogs, with the aim to produce a documentary about Irish peatlands. Their project came together very quickly, to an extremely high standard, while managing to capture unique and diverse perspectives from all over Ireland. Their perseverance, motivation and smiles helped keep the wider group going this year. Sophie has a gentle tone that begs to be listened to, with incredible ideas, all about inclusion and fabulous branding. Their completed ‘Bog Standard’ Film Project is a brilliant insight into community activists working today to protect and restore our native peatlands, with incredible storytelling and impeccable production throughout – an absolute must watch!
193 citizens from a wide range of backgrounds including secondary school students and teachers, university students, lecturers, parents, farmers and businesspeople were all selected to be Climate Ambassadors in 2021. The programme, now in its fourth year, has gone from strength-to-strength with Climate Ambassadors gaining key skills and confidence to take local action and inspire others to join them on their sustainable journey.
The Climate Ambassadors collectively completed 731 climate actions, ranging from rewilding areas and planting trees to hosting meat-free and slow fashion events, with a staggering 651,000 people directly engaged. Individuals also completed an incredible 1,727 communications, such as climate conversations and talks, sharing their passion and knowledge through storytelling on social and traditional media, as well as using art through various mediums to communicate and connect. All of this amounted to an astronomical 35 million people reached in 2021.
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan T.D., acknowledged the commitment of all Climate Ambassadors and their valuable work in communities, colleges and schools across Ireland:
Climate Ambassadors are taking practical actions and inspiring others. Through their actions and communications, they demonstrate an extraordinary depth and diversity of knowledge and experience in their chosen areas. Change is happening, to give hope – thank you to the Climate Ambassadors for giving us that.
Starting in January, the programme delivered online training as well as some in-person workshops when possible, amounting to 79 events in 2021. Climate Ambassadors are provided with tools on climate science, solutions, action and communications, but more importantly, they become part of a powerful network of committed individuals. These people are fantastic at sharing their knowledge, learning from each other, and building relationships. Throughout the year they are asked to undertake four key actions – two climate communications and two climate actions, though many individuals go over and above what is required.
The awards truly are a celebration of the hard work that has taken place over the last year and the enormous effort and dedication that the Climate Ambassadors have shown throughout the process. To mark this, each Climate Ambassador that completed the programme received a certificate of recognition and some sustainability essentials. In addition, twelve Outstanding Achievement Awards were presented to Climate Ambassadors based on the work they have carried out this year.
CLIMATE AMBASSADOR AWARDS 2021
| Award | Name | Category |
| Outstanding Achievement | Aoife Anderson, Sophie O’Callaghan & Patricia Dino | Community, College Students |
| Outstanding Achievement | Carmel Wright | Teacher |
| Outstanding Achievement | Ceara Carney | Community |
| Outstanding Achievement | Cerys Hanlon | Secondary Student |
| Outstanding Achievement | John Kiberd | Community |
| Outstanding Achievement | Laragh McCann | Community |
| Outstanding Achievement | Lucy O’Sullivan | Community |
| Outstanding Achievement | Michael Jordan | College Student |
| Outstanding Achievement | Nathalie Pavone | Community |
| Outstanding Achievement | Sadhbh McCarrick | College Student |
| Outstanding Achievement | Sarah Bryant | College Student |
| Outstanding Achievement | Theresa Rose Sebastian | Secondary Student |
NOTES
The Climate Ambassador Programme is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce and is funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. The programme trains and supports individuals to become climate leaders in their community and has trained over 600 Climate Ambassadors since 2018.
The Environmental Education Unit operates all FEE programmes in Ireland – (Green-Schools, Green-Campus, Blue Flag, LEAF, YRE) along with national education and awareness raising programmes such National Spring Clean, Clean Coasts, IBAL, Climate Ambassador, GLOBE and Neat Streets.
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