Sustainability Graduate Spotlight - Lee Geoghegan
Food security is of ongoing concern to many countries worldwide. With growing concerns on food harvest because of climate change, and increasing political instability worldwide, food security will become of even greater importance in the coming years. Already, Ireland imports 80% of its food and are therefore also vulnerable to issues around food security. This edition of the Sustainability Spotlight series focuses on The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) SDG 2: Zero Hunger. This goal aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
This month we are shining a spotlight on Lee Geoghegan, who is a graduate of the former Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB). He now works for Global Action Plan as the Horticulturist and Garden Manager for the GLAS at TU Dublin community garden. Global Action Plan is an environmental education non-governmental organisation based in Dublin. Lee’s role as the Horticulturist and Gardener means that he works with schools, community volunteers, community groups and businesses. He provides them with the knowledge and practical skills required to live more sustainable lives through working directly with nature.
Lee Geoghegan
When Lee was a child, he was fascinated by wildlife, often spending hours learning to identify various species. As an adult, he found himself working for a large technological company in Blanchardstown. He described that this type of work felt like a heavy weight on him, and he felt drawn to working with nature. He wanted to learn how to grow fruits and vegetables organically ‘in harmony with the natural world’. When an opportunity for study came up on a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture (TU884, formerly BN113), he jumped at the chance. Now in his role at the garden, part of his work involves teaching school groups about nature. Lee loves seeing a class of young children becoming inspired by their time spent in the garden.
Educational Experience
Lee graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture. The Horticulture programme runs in the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology on the Blanchardstown campus.
Lee’s degree has enabled him to host workshops on many horticultural topics at the garden. It has equipped him with the knowledge to provide participants with the key skills required to grow organic produce to a high standard. The degree also equipped him with expert knowledge on composting. At the garden, Lee regularly provides workshops on composting, teaching participants about the importance of managing waste in a more sustainable manner.
Applying new skills and knowledge
Lee found that in addition to learning horticultural skills on the course, one of the most valuable skills he acquired was communication skills. Making presentations was a key part of the course which involved regular public speaking on his coursework findings to lecturers and peers. Lee says that this prepared him immensely for his role at the GLAS at TU Dublin community garden.
He now speaks publicly to groups who visit the garden teaching them about growing, nature and biodiversity. Lee’s public speaking skills have also led him to speak about his expertise through interviews on radio stations. Lee says that the communication skills that he developed throughout the course helped him to conduct these interviews successfully; allowing him to clearly communicate and articulate his knowledge to listeners.
Lee is excited by multiple new projects at the garden. He tells us:
“We have created many new plant beds that are designated to enhance biodiversity at our site, we have planted many pollinator-friendly plants as well as spring bulbs, the garden recently joined a fantastic initiative called ‘Buffet for Bees’ which hopes to see over a million bulbs planted in Ireland this year, we are very pleased that the garden can assist in this wonderful endeavour. We will soon begin the creation of a pond on the site which will further increase the biodiversity in the garden while offering a habitat to all the frogs which regularly visit the garden.”
#TUDublinSustainability
The concept of sustainability can mean many different things to different people and understanding what Sustainability at TU Dublin means to our people and our network is a great starting point as we work to establish TU Dublin as one of the most sustainable universities in the world. When we asked what #TUDublinSustainability means to him, Lee replied:
To me #TUDublinSustainability means bridging the gap between sustainability minded individuals and those who are not in tune with the need for change. At TU Dublin, Sustainability is at the forefront of every decision made. We have a fantastic opportunity to introduce new learners at the campus to the wonders of living more sustainable lives and how rewarding it can be to play your own individual part. The GLAS at TU Dublin community garden is a key addition to the campus and a place where all its visitors leave with increased knowledge and inspiration to venture on their own sustainability journey.