Energia has partnered with not-for-profit social enterprise GIY, to launch the first-ever national Energia Get Ireland Growing Day on June 19th. To help encourage people across the nation to get involved, Energia is giving away 1,000 large GROWBoxes to people across Ireland worth €45,000. With the pandemic forcing us to stay at home, there has been a surge in interest in growing your own food. Over the past 12 months, online searches for organic food has increased by 80%. Food growing is a lever to a healthier and happier, more sustainable world.
Energia Get Ireland Growing in partnership with GIY for the fifth consecutive year aims to make it easy for you to grow your own vegetables at home, to help power a more sustainable future in your community. The free GROWBox includes everything you need to start growing your own herbs and vegetables at home, as well as a bag of Irish Wildflower Beebombs which help re-create bee habitats and are vital to help the threatened species survive.
Energia GIG Ambassador and Presenter of ‘What Planet are You on’, Maia Dunphy says, “It’s so important that we all learn how to become more sustainable, and our future depends on it. I’ve recently enrolled in a Masters in Climate Change policy to help expand my knowledge on helping to protect our planet. Initiatives like the Energia Get Ireland Growing campaign are so important and help us to see how we can all do our part in creating a more sustainable future for Ireland. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can still start growing on your windowsill or balcony, like I do. You might not grow quite enough to feed everyone, but it’s so rewarding when you can eat what you’ve grown from a simple seed, I challenge everyone to give it a go this summer and grow at least a little of your own!”
The GROWBoxes are designed for all living situations whether you are in an apartment or have a garden, everyone can still grow herbs and vegetables. All people need to do is fill out a simple registration form at getirelandgrowing.ie to enter the draw for one of the 1,000 free GROWBoxes. Energia and GIY will help support you on your seed growing journey this summer with an array of tips and tricks and the newly launched GIY app.
Mick Kelly, Founder of GIY, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Energia again this year to help Get Ireland Growing. Lockdown has been a powerful reminder that food growing is in our nature as people. Critically, it also connects us in a profound way to nature as we see first-hand our dependency on our climate and biodiversity. Early summer is the perfect time to start your food growing journey and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone planting seeds on the first-ever Energia Get Ireland Growing Day on June 19th.”
Commenting on the Get Ireland Growing initiative, Marketing Acquisition & Sponsorship Manager at Energia, Amy O’Shaughnessy said: “We’re passionate about helping create a more sustainable future in Ireland and are encouraging everyone to take the challenge this year and to get started on your growing journey. The Energia GROWBox gives you everything you need to start growing your own vegetables at home. We hope to spread the joy of growing across all local communities and bring the fun and wellness benefits to as many people as possible this summer.”
The Energia Get Ireland Growing GROWBox contains all you need to get growing straight away. It’s got an array of seeds, pots, compost block and tips to help your seeds grow ready for your plate.
The GROWBox includes:
- 5 x seed packs: beetroot, carrot, peas, mixed oriental greens and basil
- 1 x hessian bag of Irish wildflower beebombs (15/bag)
- Compost
- Fibre seed trays
- Rice husk pots
- Get Ireland Growing tips and recipe cards
To register and enter the draw for your FREE GROWBox.click www.getirelandgrowing.ie
For further information visit the Get Ireland Growing website at www.getirelandgrowing.ie and share your seed growing pictures across social using #GetIrelandGrowing, and follow the campaign through @EnergiaGIG on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
