Call for Laois to enter ‘Ireland’s Greenest Places’ competition

PEOPLE in Laois are urged to nominate the places they believe deserve recognition and enter it into this year’s Ireland’s Greenest Places competition.

To date Abbeyleix is the only entry from Laois into the competition which has a closing date of Saturday 19 July.

To enter all you have to do is write a short submission outlining the contribution the special place or project you’re nominating makes to a genuinely greener environment.

The initiative which has been launched by The Irish Times, in association with Electric Ireland, will see each nominated place judged on specific criteria including its beneficial environmental impact, level of ongoing collective engagement by the community and evidence of behavioural change by people.

The Chair of the Judging Panel, Irish Times Features Editor Mary Minihan said they are looking for places which offer a vision of a more sustainable future.

She said: “We chose place because it’s a deliberately broad term. People can nominate a suburb, village, town or community such as a peninsula, island or other distinct area anywhere on the island. The key will be how it measures up against the criteria outlined above as well of course as care for nature and the local environment.” 

“Over the next couple of months our judges will draw up longlists and shortlists based on the submissions, visit the front-runners, choose winners in each category and eventually choose an overall winner. While we just have one entry from Laois to date, we are hoping to get some more as we step up the search for Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025. Please do submit your short nomination – up to 300 words - as soon as possible, as the closing date is 19 July.” 

Former Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan, who is one of the judges, said one of the key objectives of the competition is to showcase the contributions people and communities are making to a greener Ireland.

He said: “We know that Irish people care about climate change and that they are concerned about its effects on their lives. We also know that place-based solutions deliver climate actions that really work because they are developed and underpinned by community ownership.

“With this initiative we want to celebrate what’s happening in so many locations around the country, share those learnings as widely as possible and encourage more people to get involved in making their community a better place to live now and into the future.” 

Joining Mary Minihan and Eamon Ryan on the judging panel will be Lisa Browne from Electric Ireland, Irish Times Environment Editor Kevin O’Sullivan and Senior Features Writer Rosita Boland.

If you know a place in Ireland that deserves recognition for its contribution to a greener future, visit https://tinyurl.com/GreenestPlaces to submit your nomination.