This year’s ‘Green Cities Europe’ seminar, hosted in Ireland by Bord Bia on behalf of the Irish Hardy Nursery Stock Association, drew a significant crowd to Portlaoise on Thursday. The jam-packed seminar schedule gathered the horticulture sector and key officials from across County and City Councils, as well as landscape designers, landscape contractors and academics for networking and the sharing of expertise and best practices.
The keynote address at the seminar was delivered by Dermot Foley, principal of DFLA landscape architects, and an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at UCD. He was joined by Peter O’Toole of O’Brien Landscaping, who have led a number of high-profile recent pieces of work including the installation of Thomond Park (Munster Rugby’s Pitch) and the Titanic Project in Belfast and is a key commentator on Ireland’s landscape contracting sector.
A panel discussion saw a cross-section of industry voices discussing sustainability practices in horticulture and the sharing of expertise in the greening of the built environment, both with new and in revisited projects. Panellists included Val Farrell, President of the IHNSA, Paul Giles, Commercial Director, SAP Landscapes, Carmel Lynch, Senior Executive Engineer, Limerick City and County Council, and Trevor Landers, Director and Sales Manager, Annaveigh plants.
Supported by funding from the European Union, the Green Cities Europe initiative aims to highlight the importance of embedding green areas in the development of new building projects and improving living conditions in existing projects. The campaign seeks to support work combating the consequences of climate change, while raising awareness of the wider benefits green space can offer for wellbeing, recreational space and in supporting biodiversity. In Ireland, the initiative aims to increase the proportion of green landscaping in building projects, while encouraging the use of locally grown planting stock.
Supporting the initiative, Chairman of the Irish Hardy Nursery Stock Association, Val Farrell said that urban greening using Irish stock is vital to the local economy as well as a sustainable future.
He added: “Supporting local growers in rural areas brings significant advantages for planners and developers around the country, but the impact and benefits are circular. Our local growers have expertise on the type of stock that is better suited to our climate, and it genuinely makes sense to deliver what will thrive here to each project for long-term benefit. Sourcing stock locally also reduces our carbon footprint. The case for greening our towns and cities is clear, as is the case for buying Irish.”
Sector Manager for Horticulture at Bord Bia, Michal Slawski said: “Green Cities Europe is a timely and urgent initiative.”
The Green Cities Europe Awards
Under the banner of the Green Cities for Europe, the Green Cities Europe Award highlights the importance of green spaces in urban environments. Each participating country can nominate a national project, which is evaluated by a diverse jury, composed of members from all participating countries.
Bridgefoot Street Park, an initiative of Dublin City Council was announced as the Irish national winner at the recent Green Cities autumn seminar. The Green Cities Europe Awards celebrates greening projects that champion the ideals behind the Green Cities campaign, highlighting the importance of green areas in minimising the consequences of climate change, while raising awareness for the wider benefits green space can offer for human wellbeing, biodiversity, social cohesion and the economy.
The winning project, a new public park in The Liberties, Dublin 8, was developed by Dublin City Council utilising what would normally be considered waste materials, such as calp and concrete, reclaimed stone and brick and as aggregate to create pavements, seating and play spaces. Shortlisted projects include Limerick City and County Council’s ‘Greening Streets’ pop-up forest initiative, and St Audeon’s Park in Christchurch, Dublin.