NATURAL WORLD PRODUCTS PROVIDES TREE-MENDOUS ENVIRONMENTAL WORKSHOPS AT LOCAL SCHOOLS

Ireland’s leading organics recycling firm Natural World Products (NWP) joined Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) to mark National Tree Week with educational tree planting workshops in local primary schools.

Primary seven pupils from Friends' Prep Primary School and Moira Primary School joined NWP’s Community Outreach Manager, Sharon McMaster, to plant native saplings in their school grounds using peat-free compost produced by the leading organics firm from recycled household and gardening waste.

The initiative provided an opportunity to educate the younger generation on environmental impact and responsibility and highlighted the benefits gardening and horticulture can have on physical and mental wellbeing.

NWP’s Sharon McMaster said:

"It's a real pleasure for Natural World Products to team up with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to deliver sustainability workshops like this to educate the younger generation, in a fun and interactive way, on their essential role in protecting our environment.

“Planting trees and adding compost to soil are two of the most significant actions we can take when tackling climate change; importantly both these actions help with sequestering carbon.

“This fantastic initiative allowed us to not only use the product we produce but also share the horticultural knowledge of our team, so it was a no-brainer to support, and we very much look forward to delivering more workshops like this in the future."

The tree planting workshop is part of a wider sustainability project launched by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council in 2023, funded by The Woodland Trust, and proudly supported by Natural World Products - The Big Tree Project.

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area has the lowest tree canopy cover in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland also has the lowest tree canopy cover in Europe. Therefore, the main objective of The Big Tree Project is to grow more native woodland areas for generations to come and secure a more sustainable future for the region.

Speaking on the council’s sustainability efforts, LCCC’s Councillor Thomas Beckett, Communities and Wellbeing Chairman, commented:

“We are striving towards a ‘green and sustainable future’ by working with partner organisations and businesses. In this instance, our partner Natural World Products visited local schools to educate our young people.

“By delivering projects like The Big Tree Project, we are showing our future generations the importance of planting native and planting for the future."

Reflecting on the success of the tree planting workshops delivered by Natural World Products, in partnership with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Clare Monteith from Friends’ Prep Primary School stated:

"Pupils of Friends’ Prep were delighted to receive trees from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to plant in the school grounds and Sharon from Natural World Products provided a superb workshop to educate them on the significance of sustainability during National Tree Week.

“2024 is the 250th anniversary of Friends’ School Lisburn so it is wonderful and very fitting that the P7 class have been able to launch the many celebration events planned and plant a legacy tree within school grounds.”

Mr Colin Ford, Principal of Moira Primary, echoed that sentiment by concluding:

"Our P7 children thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to plant more trees within the school grounds as part of this initiative.

“In addition to appreciating the positive impact trees have upon the environment, the children are also fully aware of the personal legacy they are leaving behind for future generations of children who will progress through Moira Primary School."

Natural World Products is Ireland’s leading organic recycler and a critical part of a circular system. Working to effect change, Natural World Products provides sustainable solutions that address climate change and increase biodiversity.