National Tree Week

Just Forests team up with GMIT Letterfrack to mark National Tree Week 2012.

Letterfrack, Co. Galway. 4th March to 20th March 2012

A week-long series of workshops and talks based around the Wood of Life exhibition will take place at GMIT Letterfrack. The workshops will not only be available to students attending GMIT Letterfrack but will be available to all schools in the wider Letterfrack area.
 

About GMIT Letterfrack:

GMIT Letterfrack is a Centre of Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology. For the past 25 years, the campus has delivered third level programmes related to all aspects of the furniture industry. Currently the college has approximately 250 full time students. Graduates contribute to, and influence, the fields of design processes and manufacture of furniture in ways that are innovative, creative and responsive to the needs and development of a quality Irish furniture industry and are highly valued by employers. The campus is managed in partnership with Connemara West Ltd. (a community and rural development organisation based in North-West Connemara).

GMIT Letterfrack also runs a 4 year ab inito programme entitled Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Design & Technology Education. This programme trains students to become teachers of technological subjects up to Leaving Certificate in post-primary schools.

For more on GMIT Letterfrack please visit their website...

Events will include:

• Wood of Life exhibition-ALL local schools welcome - SEE Photos here...
• Workshops for local schools - activity sheets will be provided for schools to engage with the Wood of Life exhibition on the importance of wood and forests to society.
• Talks and powerpoint presentations to students followed by Questions and Answers sessions
• Screening of the film 'Taking Root' on the life of the Late Professor Wangari  Matthai, founder of The Green Belt Movement in Kenya. Taking Root tells the story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement.
• Her Excellency, Catherine Muigai Mwangi, Kenya Ambassador to Ireland will introduce the film on Wangari Matthai on Tuesday 6th March, 2012, at 6.15pm. ALL WELCOME - See Photos here...
• Tree planting ceremony
   

All welcome:

This hands-on, exhibition on the importance of forests and wood to society and the 'Taking Root' film will be open to local schools and all people in the Letterfrack area.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Just Forests wish to thank the Dublin Multicultural Resource Centre (DMRC) and the African Students Association of Ireland (ASAI) for their assistance with the screening. We also acknowledge the producers of the film, Alan Dater and Lisa Merton of Marlboro Productions, USA.

President of Ireland launches National Tree Week in Ardee: The official launch of Ireland's National Tree Week by the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, took place in Ardee, Co Louth, on Sunday 4th March 2012. View pictures here...

GMIT Letterfrack and Just Forests joined forces to mark National Tree Week 2012
Some highlights of the week included:

1. Her Excellency, Catherine Muigai Mwangi, Kenya Ambassador to Ireland introduced 'Taking Root' the film on the life of the late Prof. Wangari Matthai on Tuesday 6th March, 2012, at 6.15pm. See Photos here...

2. Local schools visit the Wood of Life exhibition- SEE Photos here...

3. Robert Ingham, Internationally renowned fine furniture maker, designer and former lecturer at Parnham House, UK, visits the Wood of Life exhibition and states, "The Wood of Life exhibition is a very practical learning experience and every school-goer should have an opportunity to interact with it."

4. Prof. A.L. (Tom) Hammett, College of Natural Resources and Management, Virginia Tech, USA, commented on the work of Just Forests during his visit to the Wood of Life exhibition in GMIT Letterfrack,

" I was glad to see the presentation and your display at GMIT Letterfrack. I have worked for over 35 years in forestry and agriculture. I manage education, outreach, and research programs that focus on giving the forest more value so that it can be conserved for future generations. I teach our world forestry and green business classes. Each year I work in several countries. Right now I have projects in Senegal, Nepal, and Appalachia (USA). Over the past two years we have had other projects in several countries including Belize, Liberia, and Portugal. I found the Just Forests presentation that you conducted to be enlightening and fully supportive of our programs. It is so valuable to get this message out to school age and university aged students. They have to deal with these issues and continue to manage our resources on a sustainable basis."

See all events

Just Forests and development education (DE) at GMIT Letterfrack - The Furniture College
	gmit-jf.pdf (470.73 KB)