The concept of bringing nature into communities & schools is not new & is used as an integrated approach in many countries. In our changing world it is becoming more important to learn where our food comes from & how to live in the world in a sustainable way – our ecological footprints are getting bigger as we consume without thought of the future generations to come.  Schools, communities & people’s front gardens are becoming more & more important as places of refuge for wildlife & growing food.

The school curriculum allows for a degree of flexibility & a school with an open mind and an awareness of the environment & natural heritage can make a great difference by integrating the environment into the schools everyday life. The Heritage in Schools Scheme run by the INTO & the Heritage Council has made great strides in integrating heritage into the school curriculum.

As listed heritage specialists, Kerry Earth Education Project (KEEP) has been involved in many schools in the Kerry & Munster region, under the title of environmental heritage & organic gardening. The project is currently involved in three Primary Schools in Tralee under this scheme. The project is involved with Transition Years in one secondary School & a community organic garden in Tralee town.

The main work carried out by the project is to transfer the skills of practical environmental action through the medium of organic gardening with these & other groups as long term sustainable educational projects. The schools are visited nearly every two weeks with practical activities such as planting native hedges & small woodlands, creating permanent vegetable beds, planting heritage vegetables & fruit trees, growing herbs, making compost & wormeries, creating wildlife ponds, making living fences from willow & using the growing willow to make domes, art, etc. The schools use their art or woodwork classes to make signs, as these transform the garden into an educational resource for everyone. The main aim is to create as many diverse & interesting & edible habitats (for all forms of life) in a space, no matter how small or big.

The initial steps taken when the project visits a school or community or any garden project is to carry out a site survey & audit – this is done with the children or those involved as part of the educational process – there is usually far more heritage present in their local environment than they realised, such as old stone walls, native trees, hedges & ditches. This survey is then transferred onto paper in the form of a plan & the wish-list can be put onto paper. This is then a discussion document for the pupils, teachers, parents committee, board of management, etc. Every school or community has different visions & needs and these are all taken into account, such as for wheelchair access, etc.

KEEP has a list of potential ingredients that can be incorporated into the plan, from native trees & hedges (to create boundaries, wildlife corridors & to act as shelter belts), to wildlife ponds, which are always the highlight of any garden as they attract all forms of wildlife.
The main advantage of creating these spaces is that the school has all of the habitats that it can use to study eco-systems & biological diversity on its doorstep – you should not have to travel to a national park to find wildlife (wonderful places as they are!) – these spaces can be created in small gardens all over the country. The greater the biological diversity (in all forms) is an indicator of the health of the community as a whole.

The link between education, environment & health is very important. Many schools & communities are becoming more aware of the importance of these aspects in a balanced life. Schools are involved in the Green Flag programme (run by An Taisce – www.antaisce.org) & some schools are now involved in the Healthy Schools Promotion. A school organic garden is a great tool for these projects as it integrates all aspects of growing & eating fresh locally produced food, healthy outdoor activities & practical skills for life.

Community Organic Gardens are another way to integrate these essential aspects. The Shanakill/Rahoonane Community Organic Garden aims to be a social, recreational & educational resource within the local community. It is based in a RAPID area. The Southern Health Executive (Southern Health Board) in Tralee has shown that it values the contribution these gardens can bring to a community by committing itself to help recruit a Project Development Worker for the garden project in Shanakill – for more information contact the Shanakill Family Resource Centre (Bernie O’Carroll 066/7127831).

Currently KEEP is carrying out organic gardening training under the BTEI scheme (Back to Education Initiative) with the Kerry Education Service (KES) in the community garden. Some of the course participants are aiming towards FETAC accreditation in organic horticulture under this programme. The garden is also running environmental youth programmes with after-schools groups. The local active retired group has also visited the garden on many occasions. This project offers great potential, from community composting schemes, to planting native trees locally, growing local food, etc.

Kerry Earth Education Project is based at Gortbrack Organic Farm, which is 5 miles outside of Tralee. It is a ten acre farm, with some vegetable production, but is mainly an educational centre. Most of the work carried out by the project is on an out-reach basis, but the farm is the centre of all our activities and is our greatest resource.
Here the project runs Saturday morning classes for the local adult education centre (Tralee Community College). The farm has also run an environmental summer-camp for children (with support from the Local Environmental Partnership Fund). The project is going to be running its second year of week-long in-service training for Primary School Teachers in collaboration with the local Teachers Education Centre. It is essential that teachers are equipped with the skills & knowledge to use the gardens as part of their integrated curriculum teaching.

The farm has also hosted Kerry Earth Day & is open to guided visits from schools, groups, communities, youth groups, etc. (by appointment). This year the project has benefited greatly from a grant received from FEASTA (The Foundation for Sustainable Economics – www.feasta.org). This grant will enable the farm and project to carry out work that otherwise would not be able to do – improve pathways for access, create a new map and guided farm, nature trail, etc.

The project has benefited from grants from the Heritage Council (under the Local Heritage Grants) which it has used to carry out projects in two local schools. The project also carries out practical composting workshops for Kerry County Council & Duhallow IRD. The project has also benefited from the local County Enterprise Board, enabling it to invest in teaching aids & computer equipment.
KEEP has affiliated itself with organisations that have helped enormously with educational resources, materials & experiences - groups such as the Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens (www.farmgarden.org.uk),

Learning through Landscapes (www.ltl.org.uk), Conservation Volunteers Ireland (www.cvi.ie), Irish Seed Savers Association ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Paddy Madden (Go wild at school).
There are so many threats to the diversity of our environment, such as the irretrievable release of genetically modified organisms that it is only through local awareness, education & action that everyone can make a difference. The long term aim of Kerry Earth Education Project is to act in an advisory & supportive capacity for school & community environmental projects. People can make a huge difference in small ways & small spaces. The need to protect & conserve our environment & heritage is vital. Education & local action are essential if we are to make a difference.