After a 30-year career at Intel, Conor Davis was ready for a change—he wanted to make a more meaningful impact. His journey began with a YouTube video featuring Professor Quentin Crowley discussing Climate Entrepreneurship and Systems Thinking. Inspired, Conor enrolled in the Postgraduate Certificate in Climate Entrepreneurship, a course he describes as perfectly paced and rich with opportunities to connect with people on similar paths.
Among his classmates was André Baumann, and the two quickly bonded over their shared passion for environmental action. Together, they spearheaded an initiative to enhance biodiversity and foster community climate engagement on campus: the Urban Forest project.
Trinity College already hosted a Pocket Forest near the Parsons Building. Conor and André, with the support of their classmates, decided to expand this green space by planting an additional 30 square meters of forest. The project was funded through a collaborative effort—Trinity Sustainability contributed 50% of the funding, with the remaining half raised via a GoFundMe campaign.
The team employed the Miyawaki method, a revolutionary tree-planting technique that involves planting trees and shrubs closely together. This approach promotes a dense root network that distributes nutrients and water efficiently, accelerating tree growth, enriching soil biodiversity, and increasing carbon sequestration—up to 30 times more than conventional methods.
Native trees for the project were sourced from Sonairte, a not-for-profit organization whose name means "positive strength" in Irish. Located in Laytown, Co. Meath, Sonairte operates a national eco-centre that offers experiences in sustainable living, organic produce, and environmental awareness.
The success of this project would not have been possible without the collective efforts of the Trinity community and generous supporters. Special thanks go to Trinity staff members Jane Hackett, John Parnell, and Anthony Dalton for their support, as well as the numerous GoFundMe donors:
Hazel Blennerhassett, Joyce Moloney, Niamh Fitzgibbon, Patrick Lambe, Shirley Clerkin, Peter Norton, Antonia Despard, Padraig O Scannlain, Niels OFlannagan, Niall Murphy, Karen Johnston, Enda Murphy, Deirdre Carroll, Deirdre McCafferty, Ken O'Neill, André Baumann, Jim Young, Conor Davis, and the anonymous contributors.
A heartfelt thank-you also goes to Catherine Cleary and Pocket Forest for their inspiration, as well as everyone who played a role in making this project a reality.
For more details on Conor and André’s project, as well as the process behind it, click here.