National College of Ireland has partnered with Tree-Nation to combat deforestation and climate change. Together, we aim to contribute to global reforestation efforts while fostering environmental stewardship among our students and wider community.
2024 Spring graduates received a special gift from the College: a tree planted in their name. The tree symbolises not only our graduates' academic accomplishments but also their dedication to making a positive impact on our planet.
Why Did NCI Get Involved?
To support our commitment towards social justice and sustainability, as outlined in NCI's Strategic Plan for 2022-27, we strive to ensure our students make a positive contribution to society. Our goal is to build a legacy of sustainability and environmental responsibility.
This initiative extends our collective efforts towards combating deforestation, mitigating climate change, and supporting local communities worldwide and celebrates the academic achievements of our graduates.
Our Graduates and Their Trees!
In the 2024 Spring graduation ceremony, 261 of our graduates marked their academic achievements by accepting the gift of a tree from Bore, Kenya. The Bore, Kenya project focuses on causes that are aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and close to NCI - Poverty Relief, Gender Equality, Quality Education and Climate Action.
The Bore Project aims to generate employment opportunities for poor local communities by reducing inequality between men and women, and empowering female farmers and workers. The project also strives to ensure that boys and girls receive a well-rounded and quality education in schools that are properly equipped with the necessary materials for them to learn and thrive. Additionally, the trees are planted in arid zones to combat desertification and to help restore degraded land. By capturing CO2, the project combats the effects of global warming, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
Anacardium Occidentale, a local cashew nut tree, gifted to our graduates acts as fodder for animals and a protein source for humans. Due to its extreme tolerance of external conditions, it is used for land reclamation and erosion control. Together with our students and Tree-Nation, we sow the seeds of change and work towards a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come. Every small action counts towards making a big difference.
Important Information About Tree-Nation
To ensure that Tree-Nation was a partner that NCI wanted to be involved with, the college made sure to ask a series of questions regarding projects’ location, ethics, and care. Our primary goal is to plant as many trees as possible, working with projects where the trees are native to the area and where there is a plan for ongoing care.
When selecting a project to gift a tree, we carefully analyzed Tree-Nation verified projects that work with local communities and support reforestation in areas affected by climate change. Our NCI forest is contributing greatly to this fantastic sustainability project, which focuses on climate protection and access to education. We are excited to see all the ways in which Tree-Nation will continue to expand, and we are proud to be a part of it.
NCI does not claim carbon credits against this project, we also work within our buildings and facilities to reduce our carbon footprint.
A full breakdown of NCI's forest impact since first registering in December 2023 can be viewed here - NCI Tree-Nation Stats.
For more information about Tree-Nation, visit www.tree-nation.com