Dee Sewell of Greenside Up, a County Carlow-based owner/managed business, has been short listed for the Green Leader category of the 2013 Irish Green Awards. Dee Sewell has been teaching people how to grow their own vegetables and live more sustainably for the past four years, working with several community gardens in Carlow and Kilkenny.
For the past year she has been acting as co-ordinator of the Community Garden Network group that she was instrumental in founding, aimed at supporting community gardening in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Dee Sewell comments: “Community gardening brings so many benefits to individuals and communities. From improved mental health, fitness, learning about the origins and seasonality of food, nutrition, a sense of pride and it’s fun too! Community gardeners share the workload and share the harvest, learning from each other and building friendships that can last lifetimes.”
She adds: “Horticulture brings people back to the basics where they learn about nature, the environment and world around us, knowledge that can be passed on to future generations, giving them a sense of pride in their in their surroundings, vital in todays climate.”
Greenside Up has been working with people with special needs, teenagers and children through support or funding from the HSE/local enterprise groups rural enterprise since 2009. In 2011 Greenside Up was shortlisted for an SME Green Award.
In 2012 Dee Sewell was shortlisted in two categories of the Blog Awards Ireland in the Eco/Green and Lifestyle Categories and was finalist in the South East Enterprise Awards for Professional Services.
The Green Awards are now in their fifth year and aim to celebrate excellence in sustainability and to encourage green best practice amongstIreland’s organisations and individuals. The 2013 results will be announced on 19th April.