An Urban Forest on Campus

Posted on: 14 January 2025

He then enrolled and has recently completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Climate Entrepreneurship.   Conor says the course was filled with people of all ages and went at just the right pace.  He said the course provided a great opportunity to connect with likeminded people on a similar journey. 

One of his classmates was André Baumann, and together decided to take some action right here on campus to promote biodiversity and community climate action.  Together with their classmates, they fundraised and got the Urban Forest project off the ground. 

Trinity already had a Pocket Forest outside the Parsons Building, so Conor decided to extend this by planting a further 30 square metres. Trinity Sustainability provided 50% of the funding and the class raised the other half of through a GoFundMe campaign.  

They used something called the Miyawaki method, which is a technique of plating trees and shrubs close together to create a dense network of roots resulting in a web structure that provides nutrients and water to the trees and shrubs that need it most.  This type of planting can result in faster tree growth, and more biodiverse soil, and up to 30 times as much carbon sequestration.   

They sourced the native trees from the not-for-profit group called Sonairte, a name derived from an Irish word meaning ‘positive strength’.  Sonairte, based in Laytown Co. Meath, runs a national eco-centre, offering opportunities to experience the outdoors, organic produce, eco-awareness and sustainable living.

You can read more about Conor and André’s project and the process here. 

They would like to give a big thanks to all the Climate Action supporters who made this happen:

Trinity staff: Jane Hackett, John Parnell and Anthony Dalton

GoFundMe Doners: 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 doners. Thanks to Catherine Cleary and Pocket Forest for the inspiration.

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