Hometree’s purpose is land regeneration, how does this align with your company/organisation?
Global Action Plan Ireland’s mission is to support people throughout Ireland to transition to a sustainable way of living that is within our planet’s limits. We do this by empowering people to create practical and innovative climate friendly solutions that inspire action in homes, communities and workplaces.

Our programmes challenge the barriers to, and embrace opportunities for, behaviour change by providing support, mentoring and education on a broad range of environmental, climate and global citizenship themes. We focus on growing the skills, values and confidence that enable action.

Global Action Plan is an environmental organisation that helps people and communities take practical action, and make long-term changes in their everyday lives, to bring about a more sustainable world.

For 2022 Intel has selected Global Action Plan Ireland as their signature charity, as part of their commitment to a more responsible, inclusive and sustainable world, enabled through technology and their collective actions. Through their collaboration Global Action Plan and Intel in 2022 support Hometree.

Global Action Plan hopes that more enterprises and volunteers will join with Intel, Global Action Plan and Hometree, to preserve the beautiful landscapes that nature has bestowed on Ireland.

What is inspiring you to work with a regeneration process like Hometree?
Our work is centred on empowering people to take practical climate action. We work with community groups, schools and businesses to assist them in developing plans and actions that can reduce their carbon footprint. And we work with them to show them the value of caring for our natural environment, our soils and all the creatures and plants in them.

Working with Hometree is an opportunity for us to offer our partners one further avenue of engagement, through the planting of trees, and familiarisation with the work of Hometree.

Some of the trees you are planting you will not see mature, together we are working towards more abundant and biodiverse future, in three or four sentences please describe what you would like to invite into the future?
A sense of understanding of the value of every person, and their ability to inspire others. A sense that each of us matters, and that our choices matter.

List two ways you support this invitation at present?
We work with people of all backgrounds and abilities, to help them understand and critique our current relationship with nature and with our fellow human beings. We inspire people to see themselves as change agents.

List two ways you would like to support this invitation in the future?
In working with people and groups, we are aiming to help create sustainable communities. Communities of people that understand the value and beauty of all living things.

Other than Hometree can you celebrate other ways you or your organisation supports a healthier environment?
Our work revolves about the central vision of creating sustainable communities all over Ireland. We aim to inspire and support people, of all backgrounds abilities, to take practical steps towards this vision. We encourage people to see their potential as change agents, able to break the vicious cycle that has led to our current carbon intensive lifestyles and policies, which do not sufficiently prioritise care for the Earth and the environment on which we all depend.

Have there been any key moments that you can share about how you or your organisation decided to support a more abundant and healthier world?
In 1989 Global Action Plan was established in the United States and the Netherlands on the initiative of David Gershon and Bessie Schadee. The ‘household EcoTeam’ programme was conceived to involve individuals in creating solutions to environmental problems.

At the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, the world community – through Local Agenda 21 – acknowledged the central importance of consumption issues and the need to engage large numbers of people from all sectors of society in demand-led change. The first design of the ‘household EcoTeam programme’ was presented at this conference.

Following Rio, the EcoTeam programme was developed in several countries in parallel and the first versions were modestly successful. However, it quickly became apparent that if the original, ambitious goals were to be met, the programme would need further development. Another period of intensive development and testing took place, primarily in the USA, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden.

By 1995 preliminary results showed that the programme was succeeding. The results were confirmed by research conducted by the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. The household EcoTeam (Green Living) programme, has now become the foundation of GAP’s work worldwide.

After attending a conference in Moscow in 1989, Audrey Dickson founded the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) to focus on generating greater awareness of environmental issues in Ireland. Audrey was subsequently introduced to a member of Global Action Plan Germany and shortly after that Global Action Plan Ireland was established in 1995. It was run on a voluntary basis from a small office in the Carmichael Centre with Community Employment workers. However, due to funding challenges it was decided to close the organisation in 1999.

No sooner had this happened then Marilyn Mehlman, from GAP Sweden, met the Managing Director of Ballymun Regeneration Limited (BRL) at an international conference. The regeneration programme for Ballymun was just being established at the time, and GAP programmes were viewed as a ‘right fit’ for the regeneration project. In August 2000, GAP Ballymun was established, led by Joanne Faulkner, assisted by Eric Forsmark and Audrey Dickson.

Global Action Plan Ltd. was incorporated as a company in 2001 with charitable status. In 2009, an amendment was made to the Memorandum of Association to reflect GAP’s activities throughout Ireland and not just Ballymun.

The main object for which the Company is established is to encourage, promote, co-ordinate, participate and assist in sustainable development throughout Ireland through the development of community led projects that educate the public and increase the public awareness and understanding of social, economic and environmental issues with a view to promoting the cultural welfare of their area and to include the empowerment of specific groups to effectively participate in a programme of personal development.

*In 2022 Global Action Plan Ireland is working closely together with Intel to support Hometree and to create an opportunity to offer Intel employees a further avenue of engagement, through the planting of trees, familiarisation with the work of Hometree, and the importance of land regeneration.