IKEA awards Drimnagh Castle Secondary School for sustainability project

IKEA is has announced that Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, for their project ‘DDG Drimnagh’s Dream Garden,’ is the recipient of the ‘Special Award’, supported by IKEA, at this year’s ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards.

The ceremony was held in the Convention Centre in Dublin last Friday (26^th), this year is the first time that this prize has been awarded.

ECO-UNESCO is a leading environmental education and youth organisation, channelling the passion, creativity, and energy of young people toward positive environmental action.

The Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-Ireland environmental programme that recognises, and rewards individuals aged 10 to 18 who raise awareness and make significant environmental improvements.

Drimnagh Castle Secondary School’s project, titled ‘DDG Drimnagh’s Dream Garden’, aims to revive and rejuvenate their school garden for all the students and teachers to enjoy, while promoting biodiversity and sustainability.

The award-winning proposal, submitted by 5th and 6th year students stood out among the entries from passionate young people across the country who participated in this year’s awards.

IKEA takes immense pride in supporting this award which is part of the Young Environmentalist Awards.

IKEA wants to make living healthy, sustainable lives as easy as possible, not just at home, but in the wider community too – and that includes schools.

The goal is to empower individuals of all ages to make sustainable choices part of their daily lives.

Greg Lucas, Sustainability Manager at IKEA IE & UK, said, “We were blown away by the amazing initiatives submitted by schools across Ireland, and it was a real challenge to pick one winner.

“It’s been inspiring to see how passionate young people are about making a positive difference to our planet and their communities.

“At IKEA, we believe in introducing sustainable initiatives to create a better future, and hope this experience encourages children, their parents, and their teachers to make small changes that collectively have a big impact.

“We’re looking forward to working with Drimnagh Castle Secondary School to bring their dream garden to life using our products and expertise.”

The ‘Special Award’ supported by IKEA not only acknowledges outstanding achievement but also provides an opportunity for the winners to bring their project to life in the coming months. IKEA will provide the advice, tools, resources, and workshops to help the school realise their vision of enhancing their school garden.

This includes implementing sustainable irrigation methods, creating new seating areas, and incorporating composters, rain barrels, birdhouses, and bug hotels to support biodiversity and create an oasis of nature in the heart of a busy school.

Fergal Kelleher, Transition Year Coordinator at Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, expressed his appreciation stating: “We were delighted for the boys to be involved in the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards and to win the ‘Special Award’ supported by IKEA.

“Peer education is very important to us at Drimnagh Castle. The best way to learn is to teach others and getting the students involved to teach each other about the likes of environmental awareness and permaculture was key to taking part in this project.”

To learn more about ECO-UNESCO and the Young Environmentalist Awards visit www.ecounesco.ie