Small Green Business GETS BIG Green Award

PRESS RELEASE

Greenbox, Local politicians and business leaders join Orchard Acre Farm in celebrating a prestigious NI Environment Award

Orchard Acre Farm is at the forefront of green business and sustainable development and today celebrates winning the RTPI/RSPB Sustainable Planning Award. The award recognises buildings and planning processes that have high environmental standards. Orchard Acre Barn more than fits the bill.

The Fermanagh-based small farm business recently added an Eco Barn to its portfolio. The Barn has a function room which is bathed in natural light, a kitchen classroom with a wood burning stove that heats the whole building, and a design that boasts high levels of insulation.

Proprietor Teresa O’Hare said, “We are totally thrilled to receive this NI Award. We are a small business with big green standards. When we developed the Barn our aim was to give our guests and visitors beautiful facilities without costing the earth! For instance, we use sunlight in the conference Room, hot water from the solar panels and rain water in the toilets.”

The Barn represents a significant capital investment of over £200,000 for the Irvinestown based farm. The project was a recipient of capital funding from the Greenbox to support the eco tourism aspects of the farm business. The total grant funded 50% of the cost of building the barn. The environmental features were designed to reduce the farm's environmental 'footprint' and help minimise running costs through energy savings.
Teresa continued, “In the world of small businesses like mine, it’s about reducing costs. For Orchard Acre Farm our objectives to reduce environmental costs also helps us to save on running costs through energy efficiency, renewable energy and insulation. The people here present today at this celebration have helped me to put a business idea into reality. For the most part, this was done without compromise to our farm business’ high environmental standards. They should be just as proud as I am."

The awards panel noted the building won because of its sensitive use of vernacular architecture, hyper local building supplies which were recycled, use of renewable energy, as well as having insulation that incorporated solar panels.

Claire Ferry, Planning Officer of the RSPB, said, “This is a wonderful inspiration to us as Ms O’Hare saw the opportunity to convert an unused building and did so in an environmentally-friendly way. It goes to show that individuals do and can make a difference. The RSPB warmly congratulates her.”

Garvan Rafferty from the RTPI was equally effusive. “The Eco Barn demonstrates that environmental planning does not have to be done on a grand scale. Single buildings also make a difference – their cumulative effect is just as powerful as a ‘prestige’ project. We were impressed with the thought that was put into the redevelopment of the building,” he said. “I am really pleased that we have won the award. It means so much to us that we are able to say that the work that we have done has been recognised by organisations such as the RTPI and RSPB. We hope that this will encourage others to do the same – it benefits the local economy and the environment!” said Ms O’Hare

sustainable building and landscaping in the gyreum, south Sligo

SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING AT THE GYREUM, SLIGO
Introduction:
The Greenbox is offering a unique opportunity to any members interested in any aspect of sustainable building and landscaping. The event, with a unique structure, will suit literally all categories of people. Those just interested in the issues in a general way, those who just want some experience in sustainable landscaping and building, those who intend to buy some property sometime in the near future, and those who already have property with buildings or a landscape to manage - all can get something from this experience.

You can literally choose your own level of involvement. If you are a network member, then we pay for all the costs of your training and your daily lunch. Here’s what is on offer:

Timescale and what’s on:Wednesday 6th June 10am-6pm: Introduction to sustainable landscapes and building with Naomhan Early and Marcus McCabe. (lunch 1pm-2pm). Location: the Gyreum, near riverstown in South Sligo.

Introduction to all aspects of sustainable landscaping with particular reference to map zoning of area and best positioning of plants. The morning will cover reedbeds (for grey water), clover lawns (for low maintenance and for natural nitrogenising of poor soils) and dry stone wall construction. The afternoon will be for edible hedging (berry trees), edible rockeries (herbs and some veg) and creating a living roof.

From 6th June to 21st June, all of this information will be put into practice. The gyreum will be transformed into a sustainable gardening and building haven, with a team of volunteers from the VSI (Volunteer Services Ireland) putting these sustainable landscaping ideas into practice. The work will be divided up into three stages: 7-9 June/ 11-15 June / 18-20 June. The aim will be to create a sustainable landscape that blends with surrounding wilderness while creating a largely edible garden. The space around the gyreum will be broken into “permaculture zones”. In this system, the house is Zone 1, and the zones develop out to Zone 5, which is the outer landscape. You are more than welcome to join in at any stage, (again no charge and we, the Greenbox, will pay for both your training and lunch).

Then, on 21st June 10am-1pm there is a review and summation of the two weeks of work. Again, no charge for lunch or training for Greenbox network members. So, overall, you can attend the first and last days of the event, that’s’ the 6th and the 21st June, and any day in between of your choosing.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn the theories and engage in the practices of sustainable landscaping and building. Normally, courses like this cost many hundreds of Euros, so this really is a fantastic opportunity. In fact, a 2 week course like this can cost anything from EUR2-300 right up to up to EUR1,500. Whether you decide to just attend for the opening day, the opening and closing days, opening and closing days and occasional drop ins, or to do the whole 2 weeks, you will learn from the experts in a unique setting. At no charge!

Outcomes:
By attending some or all of this course, greater knowledge of how to construct a sustainable landscape will be developed.

Booking:
We are holding ten places for network members.
Option one:
The minimum you as a network member can book is the opening day, which is the 6th, and the three hour summary on the 21st. Book through Olga in the greenbox office – olga@greenbox.ie and 071 9856898. Booking this option still allows you to attend on various other days over the two weeks.
Option two:
Full 2 week course. Book through Olga in the greenbox office – olga@greenbox.ie and 071 9856898.
Non-members: for non-members the opening day is EUR49, closing day is EUR30. Booking can be done through Greenbox office. Membership for those outisde the region is available under the friend category. See here

Accommodation: Overnight accomodation is optional. Network members: EUR19 per night (EUR17 per night for whole 2 week stay). Includes breakfast. Non-network members: EUR35 per night (includes breakfast and lunch) For booking accommodation: click on the accommodation part of the gyreum website.


Extra information:The overall approach being adopted in the gyreum will be permacultural. Here is some extra information on permaculture. Obviously you don’t need to buy into the entire philosophy to participate in the event, but it may be of interest to you to find out more about it. Full information and links available here:
The word "permaculture," coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is a Portmanteau-style contraction of permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture.
Renowned environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki has stated: "What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet.”
Today, permaculture can be described as a "moral and ethical design system applicable to food production and land use," as well as community design. It seeks the creation of productive and sustainable ways of living by integrating ecology, landscape, organic gardening, architecture, agroforestry, green or ecological economics, and social systems. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way they are placed together; the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts. Permaculture is also about careful and contemplative observation of nature and natural systems, and of recognizing universal patterns and principles, then learning to apply these ‘ecological truisms’ to one’s own circumstances in all realms of human activity.