Ballyhaunis man honoured for leading role in climate action
Kurt Reinhardt
A Ballyhaunis man was one of ten An Taisce Climate Ambassadors to be distinguished with a special award for his impactful climate actions.
Kurt Reinhardt, who worked at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan, was described as an excellent example of a citizen driving climate action in his place of employment and local community.
“The Climate Ambassador programme gave me the confidence, education and tools to go out into the community in an effort to transfer knowledge, promote and sow the seeds of change,” said Kurt.
“From there, hopefully, our communities can begin to take their own positive steps and actions to impact the thematic areas for the good of our future generations.”
During his time with Connacht GAA, Kurt used innovative initiatives to increase sustainability and created a blueprint for climate action that can be adopted in GAA clubs and communities across Ireland.
These initiatives included tree planting, with over 10,000 trees planted and successful Climate Action Fund applications for Sligo and Leitrim GAA, resulting in new infrastructure like bike racks, water fountains, and solar panels.
The Centre of Excellence is home to the world's largest Airdome, which is powered by solar energy. The Airdome is now exporting solar energy with the first category B export licence to go live in Ireland, which is a landmark project in the country.
Kurt negotiated a €2m partnership with Pinergy which will guarantee renewable power supply to clubs at below market price across Connacht from Lacken Wind Farm in Sligo. Connacht GAA was also recently honoured as Ireland's top Sustainable Energy Community at the national awards.
“An Taisce has no doubt that Kurt will continue to inspire others to take action locally and in GAA clubs across Connacht,” said Gráinne Ryan, Climate Action Manager with An Taisce.
