Blog – Eco Active Social Club

Roz published in Blog, Latest News, Press February 26, 2020

EcoActive host WomensInspire Twitter Chat

Last night we had the pleasure of hosting the #Womensinspire Twitter chat with WomensInspireNetwork.com

It was an hour of interacting with people from all over the world to share the events our members offer. There were 4 main questions that we focused on:

EcoActiveEvents is an online community launched in 2013 for people to find cool ecofriendly things to do like Foraging, Wild Camping, Beekeeping, Hiking…The season is just beginning so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter http://eepurl.com/TW7vL

Nature lovers & Green Tourism Providers! EcoActiveEvents is a community for the public to find eco friendly events & inspiration & for people who run eco events to get them listed – with recipes, news & events being added weekly!

EcoActiveEvents promotes tour guides, foragers, adventure providers, workshops, accommodation providers, food trails, greenways, festivals.. Members join for a small monthly fee to be added and shared across social media on a weekly basis.

We have over 15 years experience working online in the tourism & web design space & a PASSION for nature so If you have a business that wants to promote green events or news then join up for a small monthly fee to have them added and shared weekly!

Free Trial – View Our Membership Options Here >>

EcoActiveEvents Coming Up:

Open Day at Bumblebee Flower Farm Sunday March 29th with @BumblebeeFarm_
Wild Food Foraging Walk with Wild Food Tasters Saturday 20th June with @ViviennesHerbs
Herbal Medicine-Making: from plant to pot Sun 21st June with @ViviennesHerbs
Full Moon Walks Dublin take place most months with my good friend Linda of @CPAdventureIRL
Hike To The Hook is a 20km (also 12.5km & 3.5km routes) road walk taking place on 18th April 2020 fundraising for Hook Rural Tourism, RNLI & Tintern Trails – @HookTourism
Introduction to Beekeeping – various dates but all filling fast – with the fabulous @NesbittF of @CroanCottages
Introduction to Butchery Course Saturday 24th of October, ideal for smallholders or selfsufficient meat eaters with @CroanCottages
Off-grid living course 22 – 24th October 2020 in beautiful Dorset with the unique Fraser Christian of @CoastalSurvival
Woodland Survival Course – Explore the woods, find a place to camp and build your shelter. 24th to 26th April 2020 with the #HumanAnimal team @CoastalSurvival
Full Moon Walks in Wicklow with Terry and the gang at @HilltopTreks next date 7 March meeting in Enniskerry
Exciting new food tours coming up from March Plus Irelands Ancient Feast 2020 is currently set to take place on 6th September 20202 – details coming soon!!

Find Out More Here

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Roz published in Activities, Blog, EAI, Family Friendly Events, Festivals February 21, 2020

Support Cobh Readers and Writers Festival Fundraiser

Cobh Readers and Writers Festival need your help!

Cobh Readers and Writers Festival is held annually in the most beautiful seaside town in Ireland and they are currently fundraising with a target of €1000 to support this years’ festival – details below:

As a small community group we strive to ensure that our festival is the best that it can be each year.

We feel that all the creative arts have a place in our festival and that they are all warmly welcomed by the wonderful community on our Great Island, so we try very hard to ensure that there is something for everyone to enjoy.

It is the generosity of our sponsors Cork County Council and Cobh Credit Union Ltd, local businesses, and often simply generous people which enables us to do so year after year.

If you feel that you could help us by making a donation to this years festival, be it large or small, we would be delighted and extremely grateful to receive your support.

Thank you.

You can donate by visiting their GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cobh-readers-and-writers-festival-2020

Follow them on Twitter @CobhRW

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Roz published in Blog, Community Hubs, Education, Family Friendly Events, February Events, February 12, 2020

CCEN / VISUAL Environmental Film Festival

Press Release – CCEN / VISUAL Environmental Film Festival

Introducing the CCEN / VISUAL Environmental Film Festival

Carlow County Environmental Network present their first Environmental Film festival in association with VISUAL Carlow. Running on the third Wednesday of the month these free film nights will begin with ‘Home’ on the 19^th of February at 7pm.

The County Carlow Environmental Network are delighted to announce their first (and hopefully annual) Environmental Film Festival at the VISUAL Carlow. Over the course of four evenings spread over four months the aim of the festival is to inform and empower the Carlow community to act on environmental issues which affect us all.

Running on the third Wednesday of the month from February to May, each evening will introduce a separate theme dealing with various aspects of current environmental issues. The films have been carefully selected for their uplifting, solution- focused, and informative stories. We begin with ‘Home’ on the 19^th of February which introduces us to our planet from the air and gives an overview of some of the issues affecting it. On the 18^th of March River Blue shows us the impact of fast fashion following river advocate Mark Angelo as he paddles around some of the most beautiful- and polluted- rivers in the world. On the 15^th of April, just in time for Spring Clean Month our film is Closing the Loop which presents solutions to our waste problems. On our final evening, May 20^th we will show two films. A Drop in the Ocean is produced by Irish aid organisation Trocaire, and gives an Irish perspective of Climate Change. The Race is On outlines some solutions to this globally and reminds us that the power is with us to change things.

Entrance on the evenings is free. Films are suitable for all ages and all are welcome.

The VISUAL Carlow is wheelchair and buggy accessible. There will be refreshments available on the night and prizes to be won. Expected runtime is 7-9pm each night. If coming as a group of more that 10 please contact us so that we can make accommodations for you in the theatre.

The CCEN is a voluntary organisation that aims to empower the communities of Carlow town and county to take action in tackling current environmental issues through simple, positive actions. We meet on the first Tuesday of every month at An Gairdín Beo in Carlow Town at 7pm. New members are always welcome.
Contact us::
Facebook: @CarlowEnvironmentalNetwork
Website: ccen.ie/environmental-film-festival
Contact: info@ccen.ie

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Roz published in Blog, Latest News January 29, 2020

Two Alternative Travel Trends 2020

As ecotourism awareness grows and travellers begin to rethink their carbon footprint we spent some time looking at Travel Trends across the globe for 2020.

People are much more aware of the impact that flying has and this has led them to look at alternative travel methods. However most people only have a set number of ‘holiday’ days per year meaning that whilst they want to be more eco conscious they also need travel methods to be reliable, fast and value for money. Not everyone has the time to sail to their starting point…

My mum and I were chatting about where we would like to visit in 2020 (Italy, Cuba, Vienna, New Zealand) and we both agreed that whilst we would love to visit Venice neither of us wanted to contribute to the overtourism of the region and so it was no surprise to see that this has been a topic of concern for the past 4+ years.

According to Euromonitor International, 46 percent of all travelers go to just 100 destinations.

“Overtourism is one of the most pressing issues impacting the travel and tourism industry today. This is especially the case in Europe, where the phenomenon is most acute. Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik are among the most-cited examples of overtouristed places. ” ref EuroMonitor International, Top 100 City Destinations Ranking: WTM London 2017 Edition. – 2019 Wellness Trends, from the Global Wellness Summit

However, the Up Side of this is that more people are willing to visit off track destinations that offer a similar experience but are perhaps less known. The ‘Hidden Gems’ as they call them. (Hard to remain a hidden gem once people know about you of course but it’s all about balance & collaboration and they all need visitors to keep the local business going).

Local authentic experiences are still high on the agenda for many tourists – domestic and international, especially the younger generations.

Star Gazing AstroTourism Ireland — The Milky Way

One trend that fills me with joy is Astrotourism – yep, stargazing. As less areas are left unpolluted with light so the desire for ‘dark skies’ grows. If I had a few acres of dark skies I know what I’d be focusing on! I remember taking my niece Leah when she was about 12 and my dog Skippy of TheWicklowWay to an Astronomy Ireland Star-B-Q in Roundwood years ago, Skippy had become ‘famous’ enough for the main guy to recognise him and come over to say hi – lol.

camping in ireland — There’s nothing much nicer than toasting marshmallows over a camp fire

I know we have some amazing darkskies in Ireland and it would be great fun to head off for a weekend of guided stargazing, bbqs and camping. Camping is (supposed to be) cheap – all you need is a tent, sleeping bag, and a small fee to cover your pitch. Check out Camping Irelands list of camp sites in Ireland here >>

Another trend that interests me is Birdwatching holidays. Yes, I am a twitcher – it should be noted that serious birdwatchers don’t like to be called twitchers – however, I am a casual bird watcher. I grew up with a ‘living countryside’ book and it had lot’s of birds in it that enthralled me. It’s such a lovely thing to look up (people don’t look up enough) and see a bird hovering or flying in formation and know where it might be coming from or going to…

People travel all over the world ‘birding’ and last weekend in the UK alone there were as many bird watchers as there were folk who attended last weekend’s Premier League football matches participating in the Big Garden Birdwatch! Don’t believe me? Check out this article from the telegraph on ten top birding holiday ideas >>

In fact the fourth edition of the Doñana Natural Life Ecotourism Fair, which will take place from April 16 to 19 in El Rocío (Huelva), will focus on birdwatching, as a fundamental element of biodiversity and tourism value differentiated from the sector. I would LOVE to go to that – not quite sure how I would get there..

Do you have any special interests or travel plans for 2020? We’d love to hear about them! Tweet them @EcoActiveEvents or comment on our Facebook Page

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Roz published in Blog, Latest News January 21, 2020

A Manifesto For Nature

Birdwatch Ireland – A Manifesto for Nature

Birdwatch Ireland recently launched ‘A Manifesto For Nature’ which we wanted to share with you – Link to full PDF below:

“Ireland is in an unprecedented biodiversity and climate emergency.
We need a sea change in the national response to it.”

Establish a sound pathway to halt and reverse biodiversity loss
Deliver robust climate action
Develop a new food and agriculture policy
Protect our seas for nature and people
Read the full manifesto here or download the PDF >>

Contact info@birdwatchireland.ie , Find BirdWatch Ireland on Facebook and on Twitter or visit their website at www.birdwatchireland.ie for more information on the breadth of work they do, and to become a member

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Roz published in Blog January 20, 2020

The Bigger Picture

What Happens When You Support EcoActiveEvents.com by advertising with or booking on our website?

I was working away online today and came across a few ‘green tech start up’ events that are coming up that interested me.

It got me to thinking about my own business – this website – and what it is I am trying to do with it. I sometimes think that maybe people don’t always see the bigger picture so I thought I’d try to explain what my vision is for EcoActiveEvents.com and see if it helped…

First I made an Infographic highlighting the main points both for people who advertise on my website and for customers who come here to find information and book events.. 🙂

infographic on what happens when you support Eco Active Events

So for me EcoActiveEvents is two things. (Apart from being a B2B & a B2C)

Firstly: Its My Passion…

Each time I sit down at my computer to work on EcoActive I get excited and a happiness and peace settles upon me – I can lose the day researching, connecting and discovering new people and places to visit.

Secondly: It’s my Legacy…

It’s how I want to live – growing my own food where possible, learning about bees, knowing what medicinal herbs are growing around me. Connecting, promoting and sharing these wonderful nature friendly events that are so unlike anything else. I want to inspire others to live a life less ordinary, to follow their passion, to discover new things, to nurture nature and to have the most wonderful life without harming the world we depend so much upon.

Beekeeping Courses for Beginners 2020 — Roz Kelly

My Vision

My vision for EcoActiveEvents.com is for it to become the GLOBAL GO TO PLACE to discover eco friendly events happening near you, so that you can go and visit the incredible people sharing their crafts, skills, knowledge and passions and learn something that ignites your soul. All whilst having fun of course. Fun is very important. Especially these days. Discovering how incredible our world is and how incredible our bodies are is fun.

To do this I need the support of other small businesses – the people who are holding these events and I thank very much those who have been so supportive of me to date.

I have specifically created really affordable Membership packages so that start ups and small rural businesses can easily afford them and gain a real positive return on investment along with becoming part of a wider community.

Check out our membership packages here >>

I have plans for EcoActive to become a provider of support in other ways too – whether that be through investment / mentoring / sponsorship, small (barefoot) steps for now. (A new pair of shoes wouldn’t fit in my #TinyHouse anyway)… 😉

If you would like to join EcoActive you can check out our very affordable options here or if you would like to get in touch about sponsoring an ecotour or anything else just give me a shout on +353 83 805 4866 or email Play@EcoActiveEvents.com

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Roz published in Blog, EAI, Latest News January 13, 2020

Interview with Womens Inspire Network

Following on from this video interview with Samantha Kelly of the Womens’ Inspire Network I’ve decided to face my fears in 2020, one of which is being on video – I am VERY much a ‘behind the camera’ person! However as vlogs grow in popularity and voice search with it, I have decided to fully embrace this medium in the year ahead.

The Womens’ Inspire Network is a wonderful supportive group with lot’s of cool learning webinars and private group discussions for women in business – no matter how small or large. Check it out at www.womensinspirenetwork.com.

For those who missed it here’s the interview:

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Roz published in Blog, EAI, Education, Fundraising Events, Latest News, December 29, 2019

The Venus Project

Recently I was studying biodiversity under the guidance of the wonderful Mike Van Den Berg who introduced us to many wonderful interesting documentaries and projects all focused on a creating a sustainable future for the planet. One of these was the Venus Project and I wanted to share it with you all… Here’s to a new decasde 🙂

What is The Venus Project?

“The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life.

We propose a fresh, holistic approach – one that is dedicated to human and environmental concerns. It is an attainable vision of a bright and better future, one that is appropriate to the times in which we live, and both practical and feasible for a positive future for all the world’s people”.

A World Worth Imagining; Jacque Fresco – The Man with the Plan – About

“Produced by S.O.U.L. Documentary, this is a film on the life’s work of late, legendary visionary Jacque Fresco, founder of The Venus Project. The movie features never before seen archival footage and the inspirational last interview of his life.”

In an intimate face-to-face, Jacque Fresco shares with S.O.U.L. founder Evan Gary Hirsch how he devoted his entire life to comprehensively designing a robust, workable tomorrow for our human family and planet. In this half-hour documentary, Jacque, who had just turned 101 years old(!), gives us a glimmer of hope as he describes the conditions needed for people to peacefully co-exist in a world without exploitation and abuse of one another. He lays out a bold new social design where war and territorial disputes are things of the past, where the true meaning of love and spirituality are manifested by translating them into a working reality.

After watching this film, you may just feel you had sat with an extremely wise old man who even with fighting the ravishes of old age was determined to share what he feels is necessary for humanity to grow up in order for us to survive and thrive as a species.

It is our hope that you will come away with this understanding and look into and work with The Venus Project as well”.

Inspired? Visit www.thevenusproject.com for information on how you can help!

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Roz published in Blog, Christmas, Christmas Vouchers, Latest News, Shopping, December 15, 2019

Eco Friendly Christmas Gift Ideas For Nature Lovers

With the global focus on Sustainabilty many of us are conscious about making our Christmas Gifts more eco friendly in some way. So what do you give the eco conscious person in your life as a Christmas gift that will please them and support sustainable enterprise? I’ve put together a few ideas….

Giving a gift that encourages in interest in nature, the planet and buying local are all great gift ideas for nature lovers. This list is intended to inspire and encourage exactly that.

Give the gift of an Eco Friendly Experience with a Gift Voucher…

There are lot’s of exciting experiences that are nature friendly and encourage awareness yet still manage to be fun! Here are my personal favourites each of which I have either experienced myself or know someone who has and can 100% recommend!

Beekeeping Courses Croan Cottages — Beekeeping Courses at Croan Cottages

You could buy a Gift Voucher for a Beekeeping or Smallholding Course at Croan Cottages or go wild on a Water based adventure with Boyne Valley Activities. I had an amazing trip with James where he took me out on a Canadian canoe for a heritage tour – read about it here >>

Day On Water — Heritage Tour on a Canadian Canoe with James – Boyne Valley Activities

How about gifting a Seaweed Cookery Kit or a Beach Walk and Cook Up with the Sea Gardener or join a group for a Wild Food Foraging Experience with Crann Og Eco Farm… Both are run by fabulous people and you will learn how to identify wild food and even get to sample some with other like minded people.

Irelands Ancient Feast Sea Gardener Forage and Feast EcoActiveEvents — Irelands’ Ancient Feast with The Sea Gardener

Many of our members offer workshops and events throughout the year and you can buy gift cards or book in advance for most of them – for example Bumblebee Farm offer a variety of workshops and events throughout the year from Wreath making to Flora, Fauna and Food Events.

edible-flower suppliers-ireland — Edible Flowers from Bumblebee Farm

Another nice gift idea is to give the Gift of relaxation and mindfulness with a Yoga Voucher at AnantaYogaStudio or a holistic massage at Soul to Sole Therapies – we Irish don’t do enough of this sort of thing and it is SO GOOD for you! Seriously, if you do one new thing in 2020 get a massage regularly and go to a Yoga workshop or class, even just once!

All of the above are wonderful nature friendly things to do and make great eco friendly gift ideas but of course there is also the option of visiting an eco friendly destination and staying in some authentic yet cosy accommodation and here are a few of my favourites that I visited on my ecotour:

Give an Eco Break as a Gift this Christmas!

Give the gift of an eco staycation at Rock Farm Slane – They offer very cosy and pretty glamping yurts and shepherds huts. You can even enjoy a tour on their electric bikes like we did or just chill in the outdoor hot tub! Or treat someone to a wholesome farm based BB break at Lough Bishop House with Christopher and Helen ( Helen makes the most amazing granola!)

Helen and Christopher Kelly of Lough Bishop House

If you REALLY want to get away from it all I can heartily recommend a stay at Tawnylust lodge in lovely Leitrim! Nuala is a charm and her ecofriendly cabin is a world away from our busy lives. She can even help you plan a local experience such as canoeing, foraging, walking or an electric bike ride. We love Nuala and her Guna!

Family breaks with an eco ethos that will delight kids of all ages is an eco break to The Three Towers at Slieve Aughty Centre! Beautiful rooms, organic food, horse riding, fairy trails, arts and crafts, pizza nights – it has everything for a really special family staycation!

Fancy gifting a trip to West Cork with a nice cuppa over the outdoor fire? Top Of The Rock Pod Pairc is the place to go for walkers, nature lovers and those just looking for a bit of peace and quiet.

So you see, there are lot’s of great eco friendly businesses offering sustainable services and gifts that won’t cost the Earth… Tell them Roz sent you! 😉

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Roz published in Blog, Latest News October 29, 2019

Lonely Planet Features Beach Cleaning Holidays

Interesting to see Lonely Planet offering an insight into the ‘Voluntourism’ of Beach Cleans where you’ll be welcomed as a tourist from ‘Bali to Barcelona’! A

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