Kildare woman earns Taisce award for climate ambassador work

RUTH Barron from Kildare won an Outstanding Achievement Award at An Taisce’s Climate Ambassador Awards for her work as a Climate Ambassador this year.

Ruth is a dedicated climate communicator as demonstrated in her newsletter ‘Eco Files’, which is delivered monthly to the 2000 service users and staff in Stewart’s Care Centre. She has an instinctive passion for planet protection and a strong affinity to connect with her readers by using authenticity and hope-filled storytelling to inspire and challenge her readers into climate action. Ruth has also prompted workshops on upcycling plastic bottles to make bird feeders and shared communications on a range of topics including Climate Solutions and Rainwater Harvesting.

She said: “The Climate Ambassador Programme was very educational. I had so much fun and gained new skills, like teaching a workshop on upcycling bird feeders. But I couldn't have done it without the Climate Action Team and my friends.” Speaking on her achievement, An Taisce’s Climate Action Manager, Gráinne Ryan said: “An Taisce has no doubt that Ruth will continue to bright light and joy in her climate communications to her friends in Stewart’s Care and her fellow Climate Ambassadors across the country.” 

This year’s awards was filled with inspiring changemakers. Hailing from communities, clubs, businesses, schools, and colleges from all over Ireland; their collective achievement in 2024 is nothing short of outstanding. 148 Climate Ambassadors were trained by An Taisce’s Climate Action Team earlier this year, and together they delivered 658 climate actions, directly engaging over 265,000 people. The group also released 2,375 climate communications, reaching an estimated 4.5 million people in 2024!