We want to help your business during Covid-19 with free addition to our website with social sharing so that when things get back to ‘normal’ your business is at the forefront of our nature loving communitys’ mind!
Just get in touch by email, phone or text and we can have a chat about your business and how we might best promote you during this crisis and in the future.
Email Play@ecoactiveevents.com or call/text Roz on +353 (0) 83 8054866
We are all in this together and one thing I am certain of is that people will care even more about spending time together and nurturing nature in the times ahead. Stay Safe!
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!
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
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
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!!
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 19th 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 19th of February which introduces us to our planet from the air and gives an overview of some of the issues affecting it. On the 18th 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 15th 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 20th 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
Some people have been asking if their business is suitable to join Eco Active so we thought we’d explain what kind of business can benefit from joining Eco Active…
Hotels Many hotels are consciously improving their sustainable practices and they can share that news on our blogs plus those that hold nature friendly events that can be featured on our listings.
Accommodation Providers Whether it’s a family run BandB or a Country Guesthouse, many accommodation provider are eco friendly or facilitate / run events such as foraging walks, woodland walks, cookups and more.
Green Energy Providers Let our community know what eco friendly alternatives are available and how to go about getting them.
Farmers Markets Pretty much all of our community are interested in healthy food and are always looking to find out where their closest farmers market is being held so adding these dates to the events is a no brainer for your market.
Crafts Our community has many people looking to discover crafts as a hobby or even to simply stroll around a local crafts shop or perhaps a studio having a chat and walking away with a unique gift. Let them know how to find you.
Galleries Again sharing specific exhibitions and events that our community are interested in is easily done through our event listings and social sharing.
Foragers One of the biggest searches and requests we get is of course for foraging workshops and guided forage walks ( this is after all why we began in 2013!) so foragers who join EcoActive benefit greatly either by advertising their events or by being contacted for bespoke / group events.
Unique Workshops There is such a variety of unique and interesting workshops taking place all over the country they are too numerous to name, however, if they include something natural and are a bit of fun they usually go down very well with our community. It could be for sheepskin tanning, beekeeping, organic flower growing, lampshade making… you name it. Get it listed!
Food and Drink Tastings There has been an enormous surge in outdoor tastings and food /table events over the past few years and our community want to know about it in advance so they can plan their mini break – so yes, join Eco Active and let us share it out in advance to gain maximum exposure.
Food Festivals Always popular, food festivals are eagerly attended by our communities, however our eco conscious audience who are eager to travel domestically, do not always know about them until it’s too late – so get involved, get it up on the site so we can share share share!
Seaweed Safaris Being an island gives us such unique access to seaweed and seaweed workshops and events are always popular, from making skincare or cosmetics using seaweed or baking/cooking with seaweed so any events or workshops that encapsulates these do well. Get it up there!
Camping Wild camping or secure camping – both are growing again in popularity so if you run a campsite or are planning a camping event that you think our community might like then get in touch so we can share it.
Outdoor Skills Many of our community have an interest in learning outdoor skills either for their own personal use or for their use in business
Mountaineering / Hiking / Guided Walks Highly popular due to the variety of destinations and slow, medium, fast options all outdoor walks and hikes get a great response from our community so get it on the list!!
Kayaking / Canoeing /Watersports For the water babies among us the thrills of water based activities are impossible to resist – get your classes, courses and events up on our listings!
Adventure Activity Providers Micro adventures are hugely popular and our community are always looking for a new adrenalin rush. Add your events and we’ll make sure they know about them!
Greenways We’re loving the new Greenways that have popped up over the past few years but many of us are unsure how to plan a Greenway Getaway – share your ideas, rest stops and sample itineraries to our audience so they can plan their visit easily.
Electric BikeTrails Electric bike trails offer a relaxing way to see an area and get out in the fresh air, if you rent them or provided guided tours let us know – get it listed!
Alternative Art Classes Art is a wonderful way to appreciate nature and mindful living and as these are both of interest to our community so too are unique or alternative art classes – get in touch – get it listed.
Glamping / Pods / Shepherd Huts Glamping (Glam Camping) is still popular with many of our community as a luxe form of camping with eco pods and shepherd huts equally enticing – let us know about your facilities and share your offers and events on our listings.
Alternative Tourism Providers Got a unique tourist offering? From Seanchaí’s to Periwinkle picking to Kite festivals, the more unique the better – let our community know about your business – get it listed…
Yoga / Wellness / Retreats Whether its a regular class, one off workshop or retreat our community are interested. Let them know about it by getting it listed – we will do the rest 🙂
Educational Workshops / OECs Children are the future – getting them educated about sustainability, self sufficiency and how to have as little impact on nature as possible is always encouraged. Sometimes however, us adults need to learn too so all Green educational workshops and events are welcome.
Rural Communities We know how difficult it can be to run a business in rural areas as well as socialising so sharing related events such as local markets, shows, courses etc on our listings is a great way to reach more people.
Farmers Yes farmers! Our community want to buy directly from you but how do they do that if they don’t know you? Let us know – Add it to our listings!
Bird watching One of natures’ finest attractions – birds. Bird watching clubs that hold events or educational workshops should post them here as our community are great bird lovers.
Sailing / Fishing Getting off land is a welcome escape and low impact sailing trips or fishing adventures are of great interest to our community. Share it on our events and we’ll pass it on.
Family Friendly Fun Let’s face it – we all want to know about nature friendly family fun things to do so if you have family fun events coming up that are nice to nature then get them up there!
Astronomy As featured in our recent blog astro-tourism is growing in popularity as the search for dark skies grows in a world of powered up communities. If you’re holding a star gazing event or Star BQ be sure to get it on our listings in plenty of time!
Natural Cosmetics / Herbalists Making cosmetics from natural ingredients is always hugely popular as is the interest in medicinal herbs so those offering workshops, classes or events on either are recommended to add them to our listings.
Gardening, Smallholdings and Self Sufficiency Biodiversity is so important in these challenging times and our community like to know what the best pollinator friendly plants /peat free compost options, home made compost tricks and ways to grow more of their own food and be more self sustainable to not only reduce bills but to save the planet, so if you hold events, classes or workshops in these areas then get it listed!
Traditional Crafts: Willow Workshops, Basket Weaving, Knitting, Wood Crafts… whatever your tradition
al skills workshops and events might be get them listed today so we can share them out to our community.
Music Music makes the world go round 🙂 Whether you hold music appreciation classes, instrument making workshops or teach music lessons why not add it to our events for our community to discover.
Alternative Living People interested in sharing their alternative living communities’ events or advice can do so through the blogs or the listings – get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
Green Festivals Got a green festival in the works? Get it up there and we’ll share it out for you. Attending a festival with a green product or service? Share it on our blog.
Green Retail Do you source or sell green products? We’d love to hear about them – get them listed through our blog.
Social Clubs Communities – that’s what it’s all about, be they a community of bird watchers, social walkers, art enthusiasts, or herbalists – share your community group through our listings and grow your membership.
Well, those are just some of the businesses and groups that can benefit from joining EcoActive – pass it on and if in doubt give me a shout 🙂 Roz
We have over 15 years online marketing and web development experience and over 10 years travel and hospitality experience. This along with a passion for nature and sustainability makes us the perfect match for promoting the eco side of your business – Find Out More About Joining Our Community Here >>
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.
“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.
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.
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 >>
Male Egret
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…
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
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
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.
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”.
