Eimear Manning (she/her) is an environmental educator that specialises in marine and climate education. She will be joining the COP27 Climate Festival with her portable touchpools, which contain real, live marine species!

These touchpools allow you to reconnect with marine life up-close. You can maybe even feel the shell of a crab or hold a starfish (if you’re brave enough)!

Rachel Loughrey is a multi-disciplinary artist with over a decade studying an array of topics including; sustainability, climate mitigation, photography, design, art, architecture, eco-building, yoga and mindfulness. She is focused on utilsing all these multifaceted skills to create safe, non-judgemental spaces where communities can gather to create, be empowered, connect to nature and themselves and take steps to slow down climate change.

Devin O’ Sullivan is a food provocateur and educator from West Clare. He is the founder of FEAST, a social enterprise improving food education in Ireland through innovative and engaging food workshops in 1st and 2nd level schools across the country.
2023 will see the publication of his first book ‘The Story Matters Most’ which draws on extensive sources and interviews to explore the inner workings of the global food system and the real story behind the food we eat. Shining a light on the more unseen side of the food system, The Story Matters Most will make you look at food in a radically new way. Featuring contributions and interviews from renowned chefs, farmers, entrepreneurs, activists and scientists.

Connect the Dots is a stakeholder and community engagement firm based in Dublin and Philadelphia that brings together community and public sector partners to develop innovative and actionable solutions for our towns and cities.

We work alongside local collaborators & partners to craft insight-driven engagement processes that foster participation, build consensus, and re-imagine the future of our communities.

Global Action Plan supports people to transition to sustainable living by empowering them to create practical and innovative solutions and tools to inspire action.

The Climate Ambassador programme is a great opportunity to become a leader in your school, campus, workplace or community and to promote positive climate solutions in a local context.

Established in 2017, the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce has trained over 800 individuals around Ireland to have climate conversations and implement climate actions. Applications are open now: climateambassador.ie/

ECO-UNESCO is a leading environmental education and youth organisation working to channel the passion, creativity and energy of young people into positive environmental action. Through our range of programmes and services we inspire, educate, empower and support young people to act.

ECO-UNESCO’s Youth Climate Advocate programme is a fantastic opportunity for 12-18 year olds, to become inspirational leaders and advocates in the areas of Climate Justice and Climate Action.

Niall is a transdisciplinary designer, researcher and educator with a focus on social impact.
Working with a range of clients on their most complex problems, he has supported the UK Ministry of Justice to help young offenders break the cycle of crime, Oxfordshire CCG to integrate people with complex needs safely back into their communities, and more from BCG-Digital Ventures to The British Design Council.
Niall is a serial social entrepreneur. In 2014 he founded Project 42 in the UK, a holistic programme of open-ended immersive learning experiences for young people that help them develop their confidence, empathy and problem-solving.
Across all his work Niall pushes an inclusive and future-focused agenda, forging unlikely partnerships and collaborative ideas Niall holds an M.A. in Service Design from the Royal College of Art in London and a B.A. in psychology and English from Trinity College Dublin.

Ceara trained in the arts industry as an actor. Podcasting was not something she considered, until an idea struck her in February 2019 that she couldn’t shake. 2 months later, she released the first episode of Book of Leaves; a climate podcast in which she interviews people in Ireland who are working against climate breakdown in various ways. Listeners can then take a leaf from their book, and learn new ways in which we can shape a just, liveable, kind future. 3 seasons in, Book of Leaves went on to win The Climate Award at the inaugural Irish Podcast awards.

She records interviews, edits, produces, and publicises her podcast entirely independently and at the lowest cost possible. When not editing or interviewing people, you’ll find Ceara working in theatres, or organising protests with Extinction Rebellion & Animal Rebellion!

Joanne Hanrahan is an Ecotherapist, Psychotherapist, Trauma Specialist, Supervisor and Trainer from Co Clare. She is passionate about healing for people and planet. She believes that a deep connection between people, the Earth and other than human is essential for a healthy future.

Joanne has dedicated her studies (MSc in 2015) and clinical practice, to exploring a therapeutic approach very much rooted in the natural world. She also facilitates workshops for health professionals, educators and others to embed Ecotherapy and Green Care principles into their work and life. She believes that “regulating our nervous system helps us relate to ourselves, connect to others, and connect to the planet. We’re not going to save the planet if we can’t connect to it.”

Change Clothes Crumlin is a new, temporary clothing reuse hub for the Crumlin area of Dublin. Creating a social community space for swapping, up-cycling, mending, learning, and meeting like-minded people.

Change Clothes Crumlin are currently receiving funding from Creative Climate Action Ireland through the Crumlin Taking Action Together initiative. This funding will be used to run their first round of events in October 2022, also known as ‘Reuse Month’ Changes Clothes Crumlin will run a series of clothing swap shops and workshops will give local people the tools to both reuse and repair textiles.

Each event will be supported by an exhibition that explains more about the environmental impacts of consuming fashion items on a mass scale, and how we can create change in a simple and effective way.

Oksana Tsybmbalova came to Ireland in April to escape the war in Ukraine. She is from Odessa in the south of the country. She is an artist and an art therapist and is very happy to be working in Dublin at the Dean Arts Studios. She also volunteers with the Red Cross Ukrainian Action centre and works with children and teenagers.

The vinok is a crown made of flowers. It is an important part of Ukrainian culture. Oksana wants to remind people of Ukraine through beauty and tenderness…not just with bad news from the television.

Oksana and her friend, Svitlana, invite everybody to take part in this tradition and to make a vinok together at COP ON!