Tuesday 18 May 2021: 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 for growing your own food. Over the past 12 months, online searches for organic food has increased by 80% [i]. 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 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 crucial that we are all learning how to become more sustainable as the future of our nation depends on it. I’ve recently enrolled in a Masters in Climate Change to help further expand my knowledge on helping to protect our planet. It’s initiatives like the Energia Get Ireland Growing campaign that are so important and help show 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. 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 try grow 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:
Let’s Get Ireland Growing with Energia, click here to register and enter the draw for your FREE GROWBox.
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.
ENDS
About Energia
Energia is one of Ireland’s leading and most competitive suppliers of electricity and gas with over300,000 home and business customers. The company has invested over €1 Bn in Ireland’s energy infrastructure to meet the needs of its customers. Supplying approximately 25% of Ireland’s total electricity and 21% of the country’s total wind power, Energia has also for the past 5 years supplied 100% renewable energy to communities across Ireland. In 2020, Energia Group achieved the Business Working Responsibly Mark in recognition of its responsible and sustainable business practices across Ireland.
Energia Get Ireland Growing was first launched in 2016 to promote community food growing projects nationwide. Through this initiative, Energia has supported 257 community groups with grants totalling €220,000.
About GIY
GIY is a not-for-profit social enterprise helping people to grow some of their own food and learn about food sustainability. Based at GROW HQ, an urban garden and café in Waterford City, GIY delivers programmes, products and educational content to over 1,000,000 people every year.
For further information please contact:
Energia Team @Legacy Communications
Rachel McFadden / rachelmc@legacycommunications.ie / 086 3535244
Amy Hacon / amyh@legacycommunications.ie / 083 4602021
