Teaching kids about gardening and the environment

Full schedule of ecology courses & workshops in a bid to harness the love Irish people have for their gardens

Aimed at 6 to 14 years olds, the Eco Warrior Back Garden Skills workshop has practical steps to help make a change for the better

Takes place Saturday  3^rd July 12 noon for one hour

Bookings on www.ecogardenshop.ie

With Summer holidays in full swing what better time to teach your little ones the value of growing their own vegetables, attracting bees and planting wildflowers, in a bid to foster a love for the environment.

The people at SOLAS, Ireland’s first Eco Garden Centre and Food Market in Portarlington  Co. Laois  have laid on a full schedule of ecology courses and workshops in a bid to harness the love Irish people have for their gardens and crucially, teach smallies about gardening and the environment .

Aimed at 6 to 14 years olds, the Eco Warrior Back Garden Skills workshop is designed with practical steps to help make a change for the better and takes place Saturday  3^rd July 12 noon for one hour .  

“I love working with kids as they love learning and I love teaching them about gardening and a respect for the environment . Like everything this starts with young people and so we are getting kids involved in our lively, fun and interactive ‘Eco Warrior Back Garden’ workshops. These one hour skills courses are specially designed for kids ,they are fun ,hands on and highly educational. We aim to give young people the confidence they need to start planting and growing themselves. Enlightening them about the fact that 80% of all waste in the world is caused by food waste for example is key towards helping to develop a life long respect for the environment. These courses sow the seeds for a lifetime appreciation for the planet”.

“Kids will learn how to compost food waste and why it is so important to do this as food waste creates  4 times as much carbon emissions as the airline industry. They will be shown how to compost successfully as well as learning how to convert food waste into  fresh eggs with a back garden chicken coop”. 

“We’ll show them how to grow their own organic  vegetables and herbs as well as growing Irish wild flower from seeds, and encourage bees , butterflies, insects and birds to share in a  safe sanctuary”.

“Teaching kids through interactive hands on workshops is one of the absolute best ways of sparking an interest in the environment in them”.

“I am a passionate advocate of getting people engaged and enthused about the environment by involving them. When people are considered and  made to feel part of something,  they are far more likely to take ownership and responsibility for it and their part in helping the environment and reducing their carbon footprint. 

“People have developed a huge interest in gardening during Covid and learning how to do it will ensure that people will continue this passion. We are running’ Rustic  Hanging Baskets’ courses which are delivered by the expert Horticulturists on site here , all the materials are  supplied and participants take home their completed work. We also have classes on how to grow your own vegetables, composting, wild flowers and sustainable green energy. It’s all about knowledge and fun through education and engagement. The response is huge. I think Covid has given us a new appreciation for the outdoors, the soil and self sufficiency and our courses do teach all that. So many people come to us and say their gardens were literally a little haven for them during Covid and they continue to be a sanctuary for many so interest in learning more about gardening is huge”.

“We have lots more plans and it will be a constantly evolving centre”.

‘SOLAS Eco Garden Centre’ is a unique concept, much of the 5 acre development is built from old steel shipping containers, heralding an innovative and creative space, mixing garden, retail and food elements.  

It is a stunning mix of vibrant, groundbreaking creativity which feeds into the common message of reduce, reuse and recycle.

All steel, plastic, cardboard and stone at the centre is 100% recycled.  A clever and imaginative 40 foot tower, built from reconstructed steel is a novel and clever touch, serving both as ‘a tower of light’ and focal point.     

Forty old steel shipping  containers house a funky street food café and market village known as ‘Container Street’. An eclectic mix of stalls make up a vibrant eco food community. The street food café and market village currently house 15 food and artisan stalls with plans to extend this to up to 40, offering a showcase for local  food and crafts producers, both new and established.  

The retail shop and warehouse extends to over 40,000 sq feet and its full of  local crafts.

There is a permeable car park, making the  car park  at SOLAS Eco Garden Centre the first 100% ‘green’ car park in the country.