Reforesting Ireland, one community (and one tree) at a time
Each month at SustainabilityExamples.com, we highlight one initiative making bold, measurable progress in tackling climate and sustainability challenges in-line with our mission of driving more recognition for SMEs taking action.
For May 2025, we’re thrilled to announce our Initiative of the Month winner: The 100 Million Trees Project.
This grassroots, community-powered campaign is not only restoring native woodlands across Ireland — it’s also showing what happens when climate action becomes a shared national movement.
Check out their initiative 👉 https://sustainabilityexamples.com/job/1716296-video-the-100-million-trees-project-plants-an-urban-mini-forest-at-arbour-hill-prison-the-100-million-trees-project
🌱 Why They Won
The 100 Million Trees Project stood out for its powerful combination of ambition, inclusivity, and impact. The project was selected based on several key criteria that reflect the values of our community:
✅ Engagement – Their story generated the highest level of interaction and support across the platform in May
✅ Scalability – Their Miyawaki-inspired planting model works across both urban and rural sites, requiring minimal space but delivering maximum biodiversity
✅ Impact – From biodiversity restoration to carbon sequestration and climate education, their work reaches deep into local communities
✅ Innovation – Their partnership with Arbour Hill Prison represents a new frontier in inclusivity and systems change
✅ Storytelling Inspiration – They’re not just planting trees — they’re planting hope, and inspiring others to act
“The 100 Million Trees Project is one of the most inspiring, scalable, and grassroots-powered initiatives we've seen. From local GAA clubs to prisons to public parks, they are showing what’s possible when communities take climate action into their own hands.”
— Andrew Sheehan, Founder, SustainabilityExamples.com
🌳 Spotlight Moment: Arbour Hill Prison
This recognition coincided with a landmark event — the planting of the 600,000th native Irish tree at Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin. In a symbolic ceremony, Mrs. Sabina Higgins, wife of the President of Ireland, planted the tree alongside staff, volunteers, and members of the prison community.
This was the first prison-based planting partnership for the project — and a bold example of how unlikely spaces can become sites of regeneration, climate education, and hope.
As of June 2025, the project has now planted over 713,000 trees across more than 250 sites nationwide.
“This project has always been about people as much as trees,” said Tina Mulcahy, Founder of The 100 Million Trees Project.
“Planting at Arbour Hill showed how every community — no matter how unconventional — can contribute to healing our land.”
🚀 The Road Ahead
With a 10-year goal to plant 100 million native trees, this project is on track to become one of Ireland’s most ambitious and inclusive environmental campaigns. Through partnerships with landowners, schools, prisons, community groups and more, The 100 Million Trees Project is turning unused land into thriving biodiversity hotspots — and building momentum for a national climate movement from the ground up.
🌿 Explore their full story on SustainabilityExamples.com: https://sustainabilityexamples.com/company/the-100-million-trees-project
📣 Want your initiative to be next?
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