A Laois woman has won a Climate Ambassador Award at An Taisce’s annual awards bringing together citizens who are passionate about protecting the planet and reducing the impact of climate change in Ireland.
Sarah Bennett from Kilminchy, Portlaoise, was recognised for “using her crafting talents to encourage others to adopt a more circular and sustainable mindset.”
A knitter and sewer, Sarah set up a regular repair café, where she taught people how to repair their clothes, enabling them to become more resourceful.
A strong generator of community engagement and youth-led climate action, Sarah also set up ‘An Tionscadal Cniotála’ (The Knitting Project) offering beginner knitting classes and running a community Knitting Group.
This was in response to fast fashion, and participants were invited to develop an appreciation for slow, mindful and handmade items of clothing.
Sarah put her passion for preventing waste to further use by organising a month-long event in her student accommodation to enable students, particularly international students, to sell or give away items such as lamps and bookshelves, at the end of their residency.
“The Climate Ambassador Programme has shown me the power of collective changes,” Sarah said.
“Small things that we do every day have a huge impact on the environment.
“I feel immensely inspired and grateful to be introduced to a network of incredible people who share my hope for a sustainable future.”
As a student of law, Sarah put her strong sense of justice to task by writing a piece with the Youth Advisory Panel on ‘Waste Colonialism’ which was shared with the Irish Climate Youth Delegate for the UN’s COP29.
She also wrote an article exploring fundamental rights and freedoms, and how they empower young people to advocate for meaningful change in response to the climate crisis.
148 Climate Ambassadors were trained by An Taisce’s Climate Action Team earlier this year, and together they delivered 658 climate actions, directly engaging over 265,000 people.
The group also released 2,375 climate communications, reaching an estimated 4.5 million people in 2024.
Throughout the year, they engaged their networks with biodiversity, circular fashion, education, nature restoration, youth communications, sustainable travel, sustainable energy, tree planting, rewilding, flood prevention, degrowth, food waste, and environmental advocacy.
The Climate Ambassador Programme is operated by An Taisce and is funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications under the National Dialogue on Climate Action.
