Healthy Green Spaces is about improving the quality of our city’s green spaces to be welcoming and inviting for people, to deliver on our needs to reverse biodiversity loss, support our pollinators, make positive impacts against or to cope with climate change, reduce waste & our reliance on carbon based fuels.
The Department is now engaging with groups that are committed to developing a long-term approach to their green areas to encompass environmental issues, climate change and biodiversity and who would like to:-
- Work in tandem with the Recreation & Amenity Section to agree with Design & Management Proposals to enable your Green Spaces to be people friendly https://www.thejournal.ie/trinity-college-nature-city-project-3483260-Jul2017/;
- Eliminate the use of Pesticides and other Harmful Chemicals on the Green Spacehttps://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/waste/wpp/Greener%20Gardening%20(web).pdf
- Utilise Organic Soil Nutrition Methods and Skills;
- Adopt a zero waste strategy http://zerowasteireland.com/ for the Green Space to incorporate composting and grasscutting management.
- Adopt a Plastic Free Zone Strategy http://cleancoasts.org/marine-litter/ for your Green Space;
- Your Green Space to be a minimum of a Carbon Neutral zone https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/06/03/finland-carbon-neutral-2035-one-fastest-targets-ever-set/ and aim to be a long-term carbon sequester;
- Implement the Strategies as established in the National Pollinator Plan https://pollinators.ie/; Galway City Council will provide appropriate pollinator plants as part of this;
- Adopt the principles of Permaculture Design & Management http://permaculture.cultivate.ie/.
The Recreation & Amenity Department are providing support, enthusiasm, technical know-how, resources and pollinator-friendly planting. We are looking forward to the commitment of local groups to work with us to implement the principles of the plans above and to consult with all interested parties to establish the needs of the community.
The process is now underway with meeting the individual groups. We have had to move this process on-line due to the current Covid restrictions but we will be on site again as the restrictions allow.
Galway City Council works closely with and supports local community groups to enhance and promote our natural environment.
http://www.conservationvolunteers.ie and on Conservation Volunteers Galway Facebook Page
Download ourHow to Plant a Tree Guide