ERP Ireland and Barretstown Shortlisted for Green NGO 2019

ERP Ireland DAC and Barretstown, have recently been shortlisted for Green NGO of the Year for the Green Awards 2019. The Green Awards is a leading platform for sustainability intelligence, leadership and innovation in best green practice in Ireland. The Awards intend to help business gain recognition for their achievements throughout the year in protecting and enhancing our environment.

In 2017, Barretstown joined forces with the European Recycling Platform (ERP) to create a new battery recycling programme, ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ to educate Ireland on the importance of battery recycling, increase the number of batteries recycled and raise vital funds for the children’s’ charity. ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ is a three-year programme which is helping to ‘Power Positivity’ by funding the energy costs at Barretstown.

Batteries for Barretstown Minehan Family from Clare, Martin Tobin, CEO ERP Ireland and Dee Ahern, CEO Barretstown

Barretstown’s environmental policy sets out its core goals to ensure it manages their camps in a manner that promotes positive environmental practices in areas such as energy conservation, waste and water. Sustainability is at the heart of everything at Barretstown. Partnering with ERP to promote an information campaign which called on school children and the public to recycle their batteries responsibly clearly aligned with the charity’s core values.

Specially designed ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ recycling boxes and posters were distributed across ERP’s 4,500 collection points including 1,000 primary and secondary schools, libraries, retailers, civic amenities and at Barretstown Castle.

As a result of the partnership, ERPs collection agents have seen a 45% increase in battery collections. The campaign has reached over 2.5 million people to date through social media interactions, attendance at the National Ploughing Championship and Bloom in the Park and through print and radio interviews. Most recently, our three Green Christmas videos shot onsite at Barretstown achieved strong reach and had over 228,000 video views.

Martin Tobin, CEO, ERP Ireland, said, “We are delighted that our partnership with Barretstown on the ‘Batteries for Barretstown’, Powering Positivity initiative has been recognised by the Green Awards. The message in this campaign is a hugely positive one, which we hope will drive people to dispose of their waste batteries in an environmentally conscious way, whilst raising funds for a worthy children’s charity.”

Dee Ahern, CEO Barretstown said, “We are honoured to be nominated Green NGO of the year by the Green Awards. The ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ recycling campaign is a very exciting project for us and we are thrilled to be involved in helping to motivate people to become more environmentally aware and to change their battery recycling habits.”

The winners will be revealed at the 2019 gala awards and dinner on Tuesday, February 26th, at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin.