This Samhain, we honour our Biodiversity Ambassadors, remember dear friends, and celebrate the simple magic of shared nourishment. As the light wanes and the air turns crisp, this Celtic Festival marks the end of harvest and the start of the darker half of the year. A time for reflection, remembrance, and renewal.
Just as Harvest teaches us gratitude, Samhain reminds us to share what we have — wisdom, warmth, creativity, and care for our environment. With this in mind, our second newsletter celebrates ambassadors, recent climate action workshops, and the magic of coming together to nurture life and learning.
Mindset Shift: Soil Wisdom 🍁
In the Celtic tradition, the health of the land was seen as inseparable from the health of the people. Samhain reminds us to care for the soil - that ancient living web beneath us. When we feed the earth with respect and gratitude, it feeds us in return. What we nourish will also nourish us.
How will you give back to the land this season?
Spotlight: In-person Gathering
Our Biodiversity Ambassador Programme continues to unfurl, with plans underway for an in-person gathering in early 2026. Thank you to everyone who has reached out since our last newsletter — your enthusiasm to reconnect is deeply appreciated.
With support from Community Foundation Ireland, and in collaboration with Green Sod Ireland, we are preparing this special event to rekindle the network, strengthen community, and deepen our shared commitment to biodiversity action.
Meet the Ambassadors 🌱
I’d like to shine a light on all the incredible individuals who make up our Biodiversity Ambassador community — a network of people whose passion, creativity, and dedication continue to inspire. Here are just a few to start, with more stories to come in future newsletters.
Sofia Fonseca Biodiversity in Action
An archaeologist with a global perspective, Sofia Fonseca works where cultural memory meets sustainability. As Founder and CEO of TeiDuma – Heritage, Culture and Sustainability, she leads international projects that honour local heritage while building regenerative futures. From community-led heritage projects to food-waste reduction initiatives in the tourism sector, her work reminds us that how we live, eat, and remember is deeply connected to the health of the land.
Sofia's approach is rooted in listening — to landscapes, to communities, and to the layers of history beneath our feet. Though now based in Abu Dhabi, Sofia remains closely connected to Ireland’s landscapes and heritage traditions. She reminds us that biodiversity is not only ecological; it is cultural too. When we protect land and local knowledge, we protect the living story of a place. Through her work, Sofia invites us to care for the Earth not as a resource, but as a relationship.
Noreen Lucey Education for a Changing Climate
Based in Ireland and working across Europe, US and Asia, Noreen Lucey is a driving force for climate education and collective action. As a global board member of CANIE – Climate Action Network for International Educators, she empowers universities and learning institutions worldwide to take meaningful climate action. Through initiatives like the CANIE Accord — a global commitment framework for reducing emissions and promoting ethical sustainability — she helps organisations move from awareness to accountability.
Noreen’s approach is rooted in collaboration and empowerment. Working with students, educators, and international partners, she drives systems change that connects environmental responsibility with social justice. Her work recognises that climate and biodiversity are inseparable — healthy ecosystems are essential for resilient communities. Noreen reminds us that real change happens when we act together across borders.
Mary Moynihan Art, Activism, & the Power of Storytelling
Creative Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality, Mary Moynihan is a powerhouse of purpose-driven creativity. Through her work, Mary harnesses the transformative power of storytelling and the arts to foster empathy, ecological awareness, and social change. Her recent initiatives include The Trees Project’s performance The Art of Trees and her multidisciplinary exhibition Landscapes of the Soul, which explore our deep connection with nature and the urgent need to protect biodiversity. Mary’s work encourages us to reimagine our relationship with the land — and our responsibility to protect it.
This year, Smashing Times opened a new Arts and Human Rights Centre and Visual Art Gallery in Dublin — a vibrant home for creative community, dialogue, and activism. Amazing!
Celebrating Women & Shared Action
Though unplanned, this edition seems to be weaving itself into a celebration of women cultivating change — creators, educators, activists, and guardians of place. It feels especially fitting as Ireland has just elected a new woman President. A timely reminder that leadership can be rooted in care, empathy, community, and a living relationship with the land.
In Loving Memory
Trish Haugh, at Pathless Land, Signal Art Centre, 2023. Photograph by David O'Sullivan
I would like to take a moment to remember our fellow Biodiversity Ambassador Patricia (Trish) Haugh, who sadly passed in September 2024. I remember Trish with a bright smile - a gentle, caring soul. An artist, teacher, and therapist, Trish’s kindness, compassion, and love for the natural world live on in the beauty she created and the lives she inspired.
I would also like to pay tribute to three visionary changemakers and guardians of the natural world - Jane Goodall, Joanna Macy, and Manchán Magan - each reminds us that reverence for life and imagination are vital acts of hope.
Seeds of Inspiration
Stone Soup : A Story of Sharing
Once, a hungry traveler came to a village, carrying nothing but a simple stone. Boiling it in a pot, they promised a soup more delicious than the villagers had ever tasted - if only it had a little something more!
One by one, the villagers added carrots, potatoes, onions, and a sprinkle of herbs. Slowly, the pot filled with warmth and aroma, and when the stone was lifted - a nourishing meal they all helped create, shared in the spirit of generosity and community.
The earliest written version of this tale (Soupe au Caillou, “Soup with a Stone”), appeared in 1720 France, authored by Madame de Noyer. Its timeless lesson of cooperation and sharing resonates as we enter Samhain, a season for reflection, storytelling, and communal nourishment.
As we gather ingredients to make our Stone Soup, we also remember the unseen world beneath our feet. Healthy soil, home to countless worms, microbes, and fungi - nourishes plants, feeds pollinators, and supports the wider ecosystem. Just as every villager’s contribution makes the soup richer, every act of care for the soil and local biodiversity strengthens the web of life around us.
Extra root vegetables (pumpkin, squash, parsnip, turnip) A handful of greens (kale, spinach, cabbage) 1 tin of beans or lentils Handful of herbs
Cooking Method
Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add carrots, potatoes, other root veg, greens and herbs. Pour in stock, bring to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in beans/lentils and greens (optional). Season to taste.
Ladle into bowls and share with loved ones - the heart of Samhain!
One pot, a small stone and a lot of kindness turns humble roots into a hearty nourishing harvest meal, worth sharing.
Community Highlights
Climate Action Workshops : For Wicklow County Council’s Climate Action Week, Greenhouse Culture hosted two engaging workshops: Collage for Climate, designed to spark reflection and conversation through creativity, and Draw & Grow, a mindful drawing and succulent planting session encouraging participants to slow down, connect with plants, and nurture both themselves and the natural world.
Carbon Offsetting : Green Sod Ireland offers a certified carbon offsetting schemefor organisations looking to reduce and offset their emissions. Help support biodiversity by offsetting some of your 2024 emissions through a trusted Irish charity.
🌿 Hedgelaying Workshop : Green Sod Ireland is hosting a hedgelaying workshop, Arderry, Co. Cavan, on 15thNovember. Learn traditional skills and help create wildlife-friendly habitats. Find out more
A Greenhouse Culture initiative, in association with Green Sod Ireland
With gratitude, Ashleigh & the Greenhouse Culture Team 🌿
We are grateful to share stories, events, and green initiatives with you as part of the Greenhouse Culture community. 🌱 Thank you! Update your Preferences or Unsubscribe anytime. 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
🌿Together, we cultivate wisdom, community, and meaningful action. 🌱
July 2026 Togethernessbrings transformation Transformation rarely happens alone. Across the living world, change emerges through relationship - through connection, cooperation, and the many unseen networks that sustain life. This month we celebrate the power of coming together as our Biodiversity Ambassadors gathered in person for the first time. After years of connecting online and taking action in our own places, this moment offered an opportunity to share stories, exchange ideas, and...
May 2026 BIODIVERSITYas Interdependence World Biodiversity Day invites us to remember that biodiversity is more than a measure of species or ecosystems - it is the living fabric of relationships itself. Biodiversity is not something "out there" separate from us. It is the dynamic web that sustains all life - including our own. The richness of life on Earth exists through connection: between soil and seed, pollinator and flower, ocean and atmosphere, and among the many cultures, communities,...
April 2026 EARTHas relationship Today is Earth Day - a moment to pause and remember something simple, yet often overlooked: we belong to the Earth 🌍 Not as visitors or observers, but as participants in a living, breathing system that holds us. To tend for the Earth is not only an environmental act - it is a relational one. It asks us to notice where we stand, what we depend on, and how we might live with greater awareness, respect, and reciprocity. 🌿 Mindset Shift: Earth Day Every Day Today -...
