Lámh Dhearg - local GAA Green Club paving the way to sustainability
Lámh Dhearg GAA Club, founded in 1903, is situated in Hannahstown outside Belfast. The club boasts 18 acres and two pitches used by 30 teams. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Lámh Dhearg decided to take action to improve the local environment. The GAA's Green Club programme was the perfect opportunity to become more sustainable and look after the surroundings of Belfast Hills and Black Mountain.
GAA Green Clubs
With rising demand from clubs to become more sustainable, the Green Club Programme was created by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to enable clubs to make greener decisions and become better stewards of the environment. To make this happen, the GAA developed a Green Club Toolkit, the first of its kind on the island of Ireland. It contains resources, advice and guidance, tailored especially for GAA clubs and members, in the areas of Energy, Water, Waste, Biodiversity and Travel & Transport.
The GAA Green Club Toolkit was launched in December 2022. It is the culmination of two years of collaboration between the GAA and the local authority sector, led by the County and City Management Association (CCMA), on a project to support sustainability and climate action in clubs and communities. The GAA-CCMA partnership led to the establishment of the GAA Green Club Programme, which saw over 30 clubs from across 17 Counties participate in Phase 1 of the GAA’s first ever national grassroots sustainability initiative. The Toolkit, which offers clear and practical advice to Gaelic Games clubs on how to engage in green and sustainable actions, contains applied and engaging case studies from the Phase 1 Green Clubs.
The Toolkit benefitted from expert input from organisations and agencies across the island of Ireland, including the SEAI, Action Renewables, LAWPro, Irish Water, NI Water, the Regional Waste Management Offices, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, RSPB NI, the NTA, the RSA, Keep NI Beautiful and Sustainable NI.
Lámh Dhearg was one of 6 clubs involved in Phase 1 in Ulster. Starting with a small committee of 4 to 5 members, the group developed an action plan for the first few years. The plan was centred on ‘Neighbours in Nature’, maintaining a focus on appreciating what is around them and enriching the community.
Check out Lámh Dhearg's Green Club video here:
Areas of Impact:
- Biodiversity
- Water
- Waste
- Awareness and education
- Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality; Life on Land; Sustainable Cities and Communities and Partnerships for the Goals
Highlights
- Integrated green club work into existing Gaelic camps, including Halloween Camp and Cúl Camps.
- Promoted ‘Don’t Mow, Let it Grow’ and planted wildflowers to maintain biodiversity
- Education programmes
- ‘Refill Up the Hill’ to encourage the use of reusable bottles
- Planted trees as part of Belfast City Council’s One Million Trees Campaign
- Donations of used kit and equipment reused for new players
- Audit of electricity and gas consumption
Local partners included:
- Belfast Hills Partnership, who provided advice, helped plant trees, and donated hedgerows
- Belfast City Council, who provided recycling facilities
- Belfast households, whose food waste is converted into compost for use at the club. 