Platform Launched to Empower NI Households to Tackle the Climate Crisis

  • Photo: Iain McAfee, The National Lottery Community Fund, Rachael Thomas, myEARTH, Beth Frazer, Northern Ireland Environmental Link

    myEARTH, a new digital hub for environmental knowledge and action, has officially launched in Northern Ireland. The website is designed to connect families and households to the organisations who are taking positive action for the environment – and crucially makes it easy for them to take part.

    Developed by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, in collaboration with Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL), myEARTH connects and supports a growing network of local changemakers focused on environmental action. With early backing from these organisations, myEARTH is gaining traction as delivery partners across Northern Ireland begin to adopt the platform, including the National Trust, Ulster Wildlife, RSPB NI and The Weatherbies. Users can discover local events, activities, resources and opportunities from these, and many more, partners.

    By creating an online community, myEARTH will help families discover local events and environmental activities, from beach cleans to wildlife watches, and encourage them to participate. Users will not only be able to find activities that suit their household – such as community litter-picks, tree planting, and recycling projects – they will be encouraged to use and collect digital Action Cards. Each card includes clear, step-by-step guidance, making it easy for anyone to get involved in a particular activity – and every activity makes a difference.

    READ MORE: Lisa Stevenson on the moment she felt inspired to make tech a more welcoming environment for everyone

    The launch of myEARTH is a significant step in raising the profile of environmental education whilst driving community action throughout Northern Ireland. It is also anticipated to accelerate digital transformation, and support the resilience of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector through innovative ways of working.

    Rachael Thomas, Project Manager at myEARTH, said, “At its core, myEARTH simplifies environmental action by uniting the efforts of everyone on one easy-to-use platform. Our research told us that whilst there is a huge appetite for families and households to do their bit to tackle the climate emergency, there were barriers in place around sourcing and gathering the information required to take part. myEARTH uses tech to break down these barriers – ultimately, we are creating an online community of people and connecting them to local activities, events,

    and ideas to get them and their families involved and active in caring for nature, tackling climate change, and making a difference – right on their doorstep.

    “From the very beginning, our goal has been to open the door to participation. Everyone is welcome, not just those already involved in environmental efforts. With the summer approaching, we’re calling on families and households to get online, get involved and get active so we can all help protect the planet together.”

    Max Bryant CEO at Northern Ireland Environmental Link said, "As the networking and forum body for organisations interested in the natural and built environment, Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL) strives to connect this network for a more valued, resilient, healthy environment. The delivery of myEARTH with Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful extends our work through the website as a hub to highlight environmental efforts in NI to a wider audience via opportunities, action, resources and impact. We look forward to seeing the measure of this impact through the public interaction with myEARTH and our networks." 

    The myEARTH project is funded through a £488,557 grant from Dormant Assets NI, which is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.

    Highlighting the importance of this initiative, Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund said, “I’m delighted to see the launch of the myEARTH platform. Dormant Assets funding in Northern Ireland aims to build the capacity, sustainability and resilience of the VCSE sector, and this project will contribute to that by providing much needed collaboration, resources and support to VCSE organisations to get involved in environmental activity and collectively track their impact.”

    The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) supported the concept development stage of myEARTH.

    READ MORE: Lorna McAdoo: We need to widen the entire talent pool and open up the opportunities for everyone in society

    DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said, “It is great to see this easy-to-use web resource to help communities, families and individuals identify and undertake actions to improve our environment across Northern Ireland - positive actions for biodiversity, air quality, recycling and so many more ideas. I applaud this collaborative effort between so many organisations to bring together access to all this information in one place to help friends, family, colleagues and groups to make a positive impact on our environment.”

    To mark the launch of the platform, the myEARTH Summer ImpACT Competition challenges families to complete one of four eco-themed Action Cards for the chance to win a National Trust Family Membership, with entries closing on Sunday 31st August 2025. The competition is free to enter. T&Cs apply.

    For more information visit www.myearth.org.uk

    Read the latest edition, Summer 2025, of Sync NI here completely free of charge.

    Subscribe to the Sync NI newsletter for all the latest technology news, jobs and upcoming events in Northern Ireland.

    Visit Sync NI online for the latest technology news in Northern Ireland.

Share this story