Local Club’s Green Efforts Celebrated in Croke Park Ceremony

Kildare club, Milltown GAA, were honoured at a ceremony in Croke Park on Saturday 9 November as one of 90 Green Clubs across Ireland taking sustainability action for the club and community. GAA President Jarlath Burns, who presented the club with their award at the event, applauded the clubs leading the sustainability charge for the GAA. “Green Clubs are reinforcing our social leadership, improving their facilities, and helping ensure a better future for their communities. The breadth of initiatives being celebrated here today, spanning energy, waste, water, biodiversity, and travel, speaks volumes about the innovative and community-focused spirit of our clubs. The diversity of these projects demonstrates how clubs are finding creative ways to address local challenges while contributing to a national movement.” The GAA Green Club Programme, a partnership between the GAA and local authorities, was established in 2020 to support GAA, LGFA and Camogie clubs to take action across the five areas of Energy, Waste, Water, Biodiversity, Travel; Transport and is funded with support from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

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Attendees at the event in Croke Park heard from Green Clubs from across the island who have achieved big

cuts to club running costs and carbon emissions by introducing sustainable energy measures from clubhouse

improvements to solar PV installation and LED upgrades. Over two thirds of Green Clubs have installed outdoor

taps and drinking water stations, introduced reusable water bottles or run gear swaps to cut down on waste

produced by the club and reduce spending for club members while nearly half the clubs have taken action,

often with support from community partnerships and local or national grant funding, to encourage sustainable

travel with the introduction of bike racks and car-pooling initiatives and
the improvement of safe walking and cycling routes to clubs.

The event was backdropped by images of Green Clubs who have transformed the appearance of their club grounds

with pollinator friendly flower beds in club colours, biodiversity walkways for the health & well-being of club and

community members and native tree planting to support local biodiversity, provide shade and shelter and reduce

flood risk. Guest speaker at the event Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin spoke of her admiration for the leadership being

shown by the Green Clubs in their communities and within the GAA and of the positive legacy Green Clubs are

creating for future generations. Padraig Fallon, Chair of the GAA Green Club Steering Group, referenced the GAA’s values as a driving force behind the GAA’s Green Club Programme. “Place, belonging and respect are at the heart of what the GAA is and does. The Green Clubs being celebrated here today have demonstrated how respect for and a commitment to protecting our environment helps make our clubs and communities stronger, more resilient and a better place for all.”

All Gaelic Games clubs can take sustainability action by using the GAA Green Club Toolkit available at https://learning.gaa.ie/GreenClub and developed in collaboration with the GAA’s Green Club Expert Partners the Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs), the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the Waste Management Regional Offices, the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPro), Uisce Éireann, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the National Transport Authority and the RSA.