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May 2025 Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

Climate Action & Biodiversity Fortnight is still in full swing! We hope you have had an opportunity to brouse our Schedule of Events as featured in our recent Special Edition Newsletter, and found an event of interest to you. Just remember if you are out & about to slip on a shirt, slop on some sunblock and slap on a sunhat. Keep safe in the sun! 😎

In this month's newsletter, we bring you information on / details of:

- An HBPA Webinar "Re-Building Responsibly - Tackling Plastics! Demonstrating the Pathways and Business Values"
- Trinity College Dublin World Environment Day (5th June, 2025) events
- Wexford Summer Beach Service 2025
- Enniscorthy Climate Champions Competition Awards Ceremony
- County Wexford Biodiversity Working Group inaugural meeting
- National funding announced for Local Biodiversity Projects 2025

Take care and mind yourselves!

The Climate Action Wexford Team.

HBPA Webinar Series
First webinar takes place: 27th May, 2025

High Performance Building Alliance (HBPA) are delighted to present the first in its webinar series!

Join them for a 45 minute webinar with the Responsible Plastic Management Program who are presenting their exciting work on "Re-Building Responsibly - Tackling Plastics! Demonstrating the Pathways and Business Values".

Date: Wednesday, 27th May, 2025

Time: 12:30pm - 1:15pm

To register, please click here

This interactive session will explore, using examples, how construction organisations can reduce plastic waste, improve recycling, promote circularity and strengthen their environmental reputation through practical, real-world approaches. Open to everyone in the construction sector, it’s a chance to be part of an important conversation on building responsibly.

Dave Garforth, Technical Director at the RPM Program, has been involved in sustainability, ESG and supply chain standards for over 25 years including national and global multi-stakeholder supply chain assurance programmes in environmental, quality, ethical, eco, responsible sourcing.

A science masters graduate, Dave heads up Projects & Technical at the RPM Program, a Global Assurance Programme and Trust Mark for organisations that wish to take positive and meaningful steps towards better management of plastic.

Dave and Aaron will be sharing expert insights during the session, including how RPM are supporting construction companies in working towards Zero Plastic to Landfill Certification.

Be part of the movement towards a more responsible built environment.

Trinity College Dublin
World Environment Day events
5th June, 2025

Poster with details of Trinity College's Sustainability Summit 2025

On World Environment Day, 5th June, 2025, Trinity College Dublin is hosting a webinar entitled "Farmland Pollinators and Pollination – Influence of Policy and Practice" with Professor Jane Stout. Professor Stout will share her valuable insights on the critical role of pollinators and the influence of policy and practice in farmland landscapes.

Date: Thursday, June 5th, 2025

Time: 13:00 to 14:00

Registration is required via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gBwuo72kQyi416vGFXlFtw

In addition to this webinar, Trinity College are also hosting a fireside chat with Roderick O'Gorman TD, Leader of the Green Party, details as follows:

Date: Thursday, June 5th, 2025

Time: 11:00 to 11:45

Details of all of Trinity College's World Environment Day 2025 events, including the fireside chat, are available on its website: https://www.tcd.ie/e3/world-environment-day-2025-/

Wexford Summer Beach Service
2025

Four services to County Wexford beaches will run every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 31st May to 31st August, 2025, as follows:

1. Enniscorthy to Curracloe

2. Wexford Town to Curracloe

3. Gorey to Ballymoney

4. Kilmuckridge to Morriscastle (Free Shuttle Service)

All fares are based on single journeys:

- Adult: €2.00
- Child or Student: €1.00
- Family (2 Adults & 2 Children): €5.00
- Travel Pass holder & Children under 5: travel for FREE

Note: Services will operate daily for a two week period from 4th to 17th August, 2025 with the exception of Wexford to Curracloe which will not operate during the Fleadh Cheoil from 3rd to 10th August, 2025.

To view the timetable, please click here

These beach services are the initiative of, and co-funded by, TFI Local Link Wexford, the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Wexford County Council. The aim is to improve access for emergency services at popular Wexford beaches. Less traffic will also reduce greenhouse gases and the environmental impact to the flora and fauna caused by large volumes of cars in these environmentaly sensitive coastal areas.

Enniscorthy Climate Champions Competition Awards Ceremony
12th May, 2025

On 12th May, 2025, the Enniscorthy Climate Champions Competition Awards Ceremony, hosted by Wexford County Council (WCC) and supported by Global Action Plan in partnership with Ducky, saw awards presented to category winners at the Astro Active Centre, Bellefield, Enniscorthy, as follows:

- Overall Winners and Winners of the Community/Voluntary Category:
Enniscorthy Community Allotments

Photo of Enniscorthy Community Allotments receiving an award

- Winners of the Workplaces Category: Enniscorthy Municipal District

Photo of Enniscorthy Municipal District staff receiving an award

- Winners of the Schools Category: Meánscoil Gharman, Enniscorthy

Photo of Meánscoil Gharman, Enniscorthy pupils receiving an award

Enniscorthy Community Allotments were subsequently announced, to resounding applause, as the Overall Winners.

The competition, held over a two-week period in April, encouraged teams from three categories to undertake everyday actions with the aim of reducing their carbon footprint.

In total, 10.669 tonnes of CO2eq were saved over the course of the competition across the three categories. A total of 14,324 activities were logged with an average saving per participant of 127kg CO2eq.

Frank Burke and Clare Kelly from WCC’s Climate Action Team, and Keith Magee from Global Action Plan, congratulated the winners and presented them with awards designed and produced by the Rediscovery Centre, Ballymun, a social enterprise that promotes circular living. The awards, made from solid oak floorboards rescued from a building restoration in County Wexford, were laser engraved to negate the need for metal or plastic name plates. Water-based pigments were used to add colour, and the awards were finished with water-based lacquer and natural beeswax. The winners also received goodie bags of sustainably sourced thermal mugs/flasks and cool bags.

The Council’s Climate Action Team thanked the winning teams for their participation in the competition, and encouraged them going forward to continue in their endeavours to reduce their carbon footprint through every day, big or small but always mindful, climate actions.

County Wexford Biodiversity Working Group
holds its inaugural meeting

Photo of members of the Co. Wexford Biodiversity Working Group

On May 2nd, a group of experts representing many public bodies, voluntary groups, NGO’s and special interest groups came together to form the Biodiversity Working Group to guide the development of the Local Biodiversity Action Plan for the county. Wexford County Council is very grateful for the support of so many biodiversity experts for sharing their time and knowledge to guide the development of the plan.

The Biodiversity Working Group is a non statutory advisory group which sits under the Heritage Forum. It consists of representatives from Coillte, the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI), the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Coastwatch, SWC Promotions, Office of Public Works (OPW), Wexford Naturalists Field Club, Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), Teagasc, and Wexford County Council staff from its Planning, Housing and Environment Departments. Chair for the group, Councillor Leonard Kelly chaired the group's inaugural meeting which was captured in the graphic below by Eimear McNally, Graphic Recorder.

Graphic containing details of Co. Wexford Biodiversity Working Group's first meeting

€2.9 million in national funding announced for
Local Biodiversity Projects 2025

Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government James Browne TD and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, recently announced €2.9 million in national funding to local authorities for biodiversity projects under the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF) in 2025.

The fund was established in 2018 to assist local authorities in the implementation of actions in support of biodiversity. Almost €11 million has been granted to local authorities through the LBAF since the scheme was established. The Scheme is operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and represents a commitment to support implementation of Ireland's fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan at community, county and regional level.

All 31 local authorities applied for and will receive funding this year, with a total of 262 projects approved, covering a range of biodiversity related activities, including invasive alien species control, bird and bat conservation, wetland surveys and community biodiversity awareness and training.

The funding is available, in line with a grant application and award process, to Biodiversity Officers and Heritage Officers.

The following projects have been awarded funding in County Wexford:

- Wetlands Survey: €29,901
- Wexford Biodiversity Staff Training: €15,000
- Wexford Nightjar Survey (Phase 2): €14,174
- Wexford Return to Nature: €11,500
- Wexford Cherry Laurel Control Tintern Abbey: €10,612
- Wexford Biodiversity Education and Awareness events: €6,375
- Wexford Recording Irish Mayfly (establishing conservation status): €1,228.28

For further details, please click here