RDS to host two-day festival on Biodiversity and Sustainability ‘Finding Common Ground’
Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd May 2024, RDS, Ballsbridge
On Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd May 2024, the RDS will host ‘Finding Common Ground’, a festival on biodiversity and sustainability which aims to bring together scientists, researchers, policymakers, industry professionals, practitioners, advocates and RDS Members to explore the latest advancements, challenges, and solutions in the fields of biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices.
The inaugural two-day event is being delivered as one of the RDS Foundation social impact programmes. It will incorporate presentations and panel discussions exploring how Ireland can harness the benefits of our natural resources and the circular economy with a view to creating increased awareness, education and identification of solutions to act on. Alongside this, a number of awards ceremonies will take place to celebrate best practice in these areas.
Commenting on the upcoming event, Niamh De Loughry, Deputy Chief Executive, Foundation at RDS said, “With social sustainability at its core, the RDS long-term vision for Ireland sees five key areas underpinning the island's culture and economy - Arts, Agriculture, Enterprise and Equestrian, Science and Technology. Our objective is to harness the energy and ideas of people to identify needs, work to foster momentum and create scale to propel our culture and economy to new heights. There are many barriers to sustainable development in Ireland and the RDS is poised to play a role in addressing them alongside key partners through events and initiatives such as this upcoming festival.”
Finding Common Ground Programme Highlights
The two-day event will feature three distinct thought leadership sessions including:
Summit Forest Futures – Delivering Eco-system Services from Irish Forests will feature opening remarks from Jackie Cahill, Chairperson of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine; presentation papers from Dr Patrick McGetrick, University of Galway, Timber for Sustainable Construction, SAOLWood and Prof Aine Ni Dhubhain, Professor of Forestry, UCD, School of Agriculture and Food Science followed by two panel discussions featuring forestry professionals and academics. Closing remarks will be delivered by Dr Eugene Hendrick, COFORD Chair, SmartEarth Ireland. (Thurs 2nd May 10am-12.30pm)
Vision 300 Finding Common Ground - based on the RDS Enterprise Committee's Vision 300 series, this interactive panel discussion will feature Anne Marie Henihan, Centre Director at the Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC); Tom Arnold, Irish agricultural economist and public policy advisor; Garrett Quinn, Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Smurfit Kappa; and PJ Ryan, Head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), CIF.(Thurs 2nd May 3-5pm)
Summit Delivering Biodiversity on Agricultural Land - will feature presentations by Dr Jane Stout, Vice President for Biodiversity and Climate Action, Brendan Dunford, Co-founder and Director of the Burren Beo Trust and Dr James Moran, Senior Lecturer in Ecology at Atlantic Technological University; and will be followed by panel discussions featuring Geraldine O’Sullivan, Irish Farmers Association, Senior Policy Executive; Eddie Punch, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association and Oonagh Duggan, Head of Advocacy Bird Watch Ireland. (Friday 3rd May 10am – 12.30pm)
RDS Awards
The award ceremonies taking place across the two days include the following:
RDS Forestry & Livestock Awards - The Irish Forest and Woodland Awards recognise and reward farmers and woodland owners that have adopted Climate-Smart Agricultural practices on their properties. The RDS Livestock Awards are the only awards of their kind in Ireland that recognise the genetic merit of animals based on scientific indexes. (Thurs 2nd May 12.45-2.30pm)
RDS Circular Economy Awards - highlight the benefits the circular economy can bring to both producers and consumers and showcase the practical examples of the circular economy in action. (Thurs 2nd May 6-7.30pm)
RDS Sustainability Awards - celebrate the work of individuals, farm families and organisations who are enhancing the economic, environmental and social development of Irish agriculture and rural communities. (Fri 3rd May 12.45pm-2.30pm)
The full programme can be viewed here: https://www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/finding-common-ground-festival and will be updated regularly.
About RDS
RDS, the organisation that drives positive change for Ireland, is a philanthropic organisation operating in a membership context to make Ireland a better place for all.
The purpose of the RDS is to inspire, enable and empower positive change. The RDS Foundation delivers programmes, bursaries and activities on an all-island basis across five priorities including Agriculture, the Arts, Enterprise, Equestrianism, Science and Technology.
All events which take place at the RDS venue create the resources to support the work of the RDS Foundation.