The new year quietly unfolds - a season of fresh pages and gentle intention. The days are slowly lengthen, and beneath the stillness there’s a subtle sense of return. This in-between time asks only that we notice, breathe, and carry forward what feels true.

Rather than a reset, January invites reflection and thoughtful movement, rooted in care for ourselves, each other, and the living world. It’s a chance to nurture the seeds already planted and tend to the connections that matter.

Mindset Shift: Winter Roots

Spotlight: Biodiversity Ambassadors

Our Biodiversity Ambassador Community is at the heart of Greenhouse Culture - a vibrant network of passionate, creative, and dedicated individuals taking action for biodiversity in their local areas.

In November's newsletter, we highlighted a few ambassadors who inspire us. This issue, we’re delighted to introduce more members of this incredible network.

Bridgette Brew
​Sustainability in Action

Bridgette Brew is a strategist and sustainability advocate who works at the intersection of business, community, and biodiversity. With extensive experience in business development, project management, and stakeholder engagement across public, private, and community sectors, she helps organisations embed sustainability into their operations while fostering collaboration and long-term impact.

She specialises in strategy, mentoring, and designing human-centred solutions that inspire action and empower others to take responsibility for the natural world. Bridgette focuses on amplifying the benefits of rewilding, listening to diverse perspectives, and including communities in biodiversity initiatives. She reminds us that protecting nature is not just about policies or strategies, but about creating informed, connected communities where people feel capable of making a meaningful difference.

Anna Browne
​Cultivating Nature & Connection

Anna Browne is a flower farmer and sustainability educator based in Mullingar, Ireland, running Big Sky Flowers, a micro flower farm that works in harmony with nature. Drawing on decades of experience growing food, flowers, and even a forest using regenerative principles, she combines hands-on farming with workshops that inspire people to live more sustainably, reduce waste, and enhance biodiversity.

Anna has delivered in-person and online courses emphasising pollinator-friendly practices, soil health, and mindful engagement with the natural world. She continues to develop projects that combine sustainable flower growing with education, biodiversity, and mindful engagement, and is an active member of the Talamh Beo Organising Group (OG). Anna reminds us that nurturing nature is about more than growing plants - it’s about sharing knowledge, connecting communities, and creating spaces where people and wildlife can flourish together.

Brian Gray
​Urban Nature, Climate Action

Passionate about connecting people, cities, and wildlife, Brian Gray works where climate action meets biodiversity protection. As Sustainability Lead for Climate Action at ESB, he brings two decades of experience in carbon reporting, strategic programme management, and organisational change, always considering how decisions affect both people and the planet.

Brian volunteers with Clean Coasts, focusing on clean-ups along the Tolka River catchment, and advocates for the protection and restoration of urban habitats for wildlife. A trained Climate Reality Leader and An Taisce Climate Ambassador, he shows that meaningful change happens when professional expertise meets community action. Brian reminds us that protecting nature is not only about grand strategies, but about nurturing the urban spaces where communities and wildlife coexist.

Codie Preston
​Empowering Youth for Nature

An educator at heart and an advocate for action, Codie Preston works at the intersection of education, biodiversity, and youth leadership. Through his work with schools and national sustainability networks, Codie empowers young people to move from learning about biodiversity to actively protecting it - shaping the next generation of environmental stewards.

Codie leads youth-driven initiatives that transform school grounds and local communities into living ecosystems, from wildlife walks and pollinator plans to habitats for birds, bees, and amphibians. He is the programme manager of the Irish Schools Sustainability Network (ISSN) where he oversees the ISSN Student Ambassador programme. He has represented the ISSN in policy discussions on biodiversity loss. Codie’s work reminds us that when young people are trusted, supported, and connected to nature, they become powerful agents of change for the future.

Emma Rath
​Water, Nature, & Community Care

Rooted in a deep respect for natural systems, Emma Rath is an environmental scientist based in the south east of Ireland, with many years’ experience working in water and wastewater treatment. Her professional work reflects a strong commitment to protecting the ecosystems that sustain both communities and biodiversity.

Alongside her career, Emma nurtures a hands-on connection with nature - growing food and flowers using nature-friendly practices to preserving wild spaces and supporting pollinators at home and in her community. A trained volunteer with Seal Rescue Ireland, she is active in local beach cleans, air-quality initiatives, and biodiversity projects linked to water schemes. Emma reminds us that caring for nature is not separate from daily life, but something we nurture through the choices we make, the places we protect, and the time we spend outdoors together.

Community Highlights

Sourdough Workshop | 8 & 22 February​
Join Anna Browne for a sourdough bread-making workshop. This practical, nourishing gathering celebrates slow food, shared skills, and simple steps toward more sustainable living. More info @bigskyflowers​

The Public Voice | Looking Back | January 2021
​Five years ago this month, our TAKEOVER: The Public Voice gathered reflections and hopes around sustainability and collective responsibility.

The project grew from a simple yet powerful question: What Is Your Sustainable Vision for 2030?. People from across the globe shared their visions, and a small group of sustainable design thinkers compiled these responses into a collective snapshot of values, concerns, and aspirations for a more just and regenerative world.
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Revisiting these voices offers a meaningful pause for reflection:

• How have our perspectives shifted since 2021?
• Which values still guide us—and where is there more work to do?
• How might we act more collectively and courageously as we move forward together?

Seeds of Inspiration

This month we offer a simple invitation : notice the returning light.

Whether it’s a longer evening, a bird's call, or a subtle shift in energy, these small signals remind us that change is underway.
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Celebrate them with a short walk, a quiet moment observing the world awaken - the sway of trees, a flight of birds, patterns of clouds - a handwritten intention, or a shared conversation. Small rituals like these ground us, open our senses, and spark a sense of possibility for the months ahead.

With gratitude,
​Ashleigh & the Greenhouse Culture Team 🌿

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