Sustainable lifestyle tips from experts at Bloom
Jo Linehan, Editor of the Climate supplement with the Sunday Times Ireland, joins the line-up at the Sustainable Living Stage, sponsored by Certa (official supplier of HVO to Bord Bia Bloom) this year, MCing the stage on Sunday and Monday. She tells us what’s planned for the stage this year and reveals what she’s most excited about seeing at the festival.
What can visitors expect from the Sustainable Living Stage, sponsored by Certa this year?
As well as the ‘big picture’ talks on conservation and tackling climate change at a national and global level, we want to bring in some new topics this year and share some ideas about changes that visitors can easily implement at home. We’ll look at personal care and fashion and discuss everything from choosing sustainable, Irish-made deodorants and non-toxic cleaning products, to how to declutter consciously.
Author and blogger Holly White will join us on stage along with professional organisers, Kim Fitzgerald and Lyn Luxford of A Sorted Affair, who will share plenty of practical and fun tips to help visitors make informed choices at home. There will also be talks from experts in sustainability on a wide range of topics including shopping better; reducing food waste; increasing biodiversity; choosing natural skincare, and so much more.
What attracted you to Bloom?
This is my first time MCing at Bord Bia Bloom and I am so excited to be a part of the festival. For me, Bloom ticks all the boxes that I like to tick – it gives me a chance to engage with visitors who are genuinely interested in learning how to be more sustainable as well as an opportunity to meet experts who are doing incredible work in this area. It also very exciting to work on an event that is so committed to protecting the environment and improving the sustainability of its operations. The work that the Bloom team is doing in this area is phenomenal.
What are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?
I’m very interested in seeing how things are done on-site to reduce the environmental impact and engage visitors. I’m a real nerd when it comes to things like this, so you’ll find me looking around the bins and the water refill stations (sponsored by HelloFresh), checking out the free shuttle bus and the bike parks, visiting the FoodCloud Kitchen, and the sustainable demos. There are so many great things happening which is so encouraging. When a festival the size of Bloom can do this, it signals a big shift in behaviour and shows that impactful change can be made at scale.
How can visitors play their part in lowering their carbon footprint at Bloom?
There are lots of simple steps that you can take to reduce the impact of your visit, from travelling to Bloom on public transport, foot or bike where possible, to bringing your own refillable water bottles and reusable coffee cups to the festival. (If you forget, don’t worry, a borrow cup scheme will operate on-site.)
Making sure your waste is segregated appropriately during your visit also has a big impact and helps to ensure that no Bloom waste goes to landfill. All waste is recycled or regenerated on-site and the treated waste is used to generate heat and power that is donated community projects in County Laois. This means that when you bin your rubbish correctly, you’re not just protecting the environment – you’re helping communities too!
Jo Linehan is a sustainability expert, journalist, and podcaster. You can follow her work @jo_the_futurist. You can read more about the sustainable features at Bloom here and see the Sustainable Living Stage schedule here.
