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GIY@Work Spring Update
Sow Seeds Harvest Change
Did you know research shows that time spent in the veg patch improves your mental and physical health, mental agility, and immune system function? Little wonder then that the corporate world is getting seriously interested in GIY, and its potential to reduce the stress and improve the mental and physical health of their employees.
This year in GIY we will inspire over 60,000 people to grow their own food and support over 800 community food growing projects in schools, workplaces and in the community. We are also working with some of the best places to work in Ireland such as Diageo, Genzyme and Boston Scientific helping them to create a productive and happy work environment where employees are growing food for health.
In our spring update below you can find out more about the role that food growing can play in workplace wellbeing and about some of the companies that we work with. We have a range of GIY@Work programmes which will get your employees growing their own food either at home, at work or in the community. See details below of our GIY@Work Kickstart programme and a special incentive to sign up in February.
Feel free to give me a call to discuss, you can reach me at 087 3168916 or 051 302674.
Give peas a chance!
Ronan Douglas
GIY
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GIY@Work Kickstart Programme
Want to be part of a ‘growing revolution’? The GIY@Work Kickstart Programme is an excellent way to introduce your staff to the benefits of growing your own food. Programme Benefits:
- Staff receive a talk by GIY Founder and author Michael Kelly on the nutritional benefits of food growing
- GIY Starter Kits for 40 staff (GROW Magazine, seasonal GIY organic seeds, GIY Wall Planner and Growing Guide)
- Ongoing online support for all staff throughout the growing year (weekly and monthly tips, advice and recipes).
GIY@Work Kickstart Programme Cost: €950+vat.
Because we are such nice folk here in GIY, every company that signs up to the GIY@Work Kickstart Programme in February will receive a GIY Goodie Bag to the value of €100 including GIY Annual Membership, a copy of GIY’s new award winning Grow Cook Eat book and a snazzy GIY hoodie).
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Digging it at Diageo
Spring cannot come quickly enough for staff in Diageo to start planning and planting up their on-site GIY Garden at the iconic St. James’s Gate site once again. Since last year, Diageo employees have been growing their own vegetables as part of a food growing in the workplace health initiative supported by GIY. Over 100 eager employees volunteered to help develop and plant the garden with each team led by a team captain and mentored by an experienced food grower.
This year’s activity will kick-start with GIY founder Michael Kelly giving a talk to staff in the coming weeks on the benefits of food growing, both at home and in the workplace. “Diageo is committed to maintaining a productive and happy work environment,†says Head of CSR at Diageo Angela Smith. “We are delighted to see the St. James’s Gate GIY Garden take shape. This is an important initiative for us in terms of empowering our employees to improve their health.â€
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Growing Communities with Boston Scientific
We are thrilled that global medical solutions company Boston Scientific have decided to partner with GIY as part of the GIY@Work programme.
Staff in their Cork site will be constructing a GIY Garden at the Cope Foundation in the city, in addition to receiving regular ongoing mentoring and staff supports. We are excited at the prospect of inspiring not just the staff of Boston Scientific but also all stakeholders in the Cope Foundation. |
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GIY@Work Options
3 great GIY@Work programme options:
- GIY@Work Kickstart - we support up to 40 of your staff to grow their own food with a motivational talk, GIY starter packs and online supports.
- GIY@Work Onsite Programme - all of the above and a workplace garden where staff can do their growing at lunch time and on breaks.
- GIY@Work in the Community - as per the Kickstart and we connect your staff with a great GIY community project nearby where staff can visit or volunteer.
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Watch - Seeds of Change at Genzyme
Starting on their GIY journey over the coming weeks will be one of Ireland’s top 10 best large workplaces, Genzyme. Staff will be growing their own food at their Waterford site and receiving a range of GIY supports enabling the crew there to either to take on a new life skill or in some cases pass on years of growing knowledge. We’re looking forward to September’s Harvest Party already!
Over 50 employees signed up to take part in the GIY programme at a recent canteen stand reach-out. Watch Genzyme’s High Trust Lead Gemma Kennedy; Genzyme’s Occupational Health Advisor Mairead O’Shea and GIY Founder Michael Kelly talk about the GIY @Work programme.
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National Workplace Wellbeing Day
Ireland’s workforce wants to get healthier and they believe their employers can play a role in helping them. Nationwide research found that:
- Two thirds (65%) of employees who participated in the nationwide survey recognise their need to consume healthier food and drink
- Only one third of employees take the recommended weekly level of exercise for a healthy lifestyle
- Four in ten office bound workers say they are not physically active at all during their working day.
We are delighted to support Irelands first National Workplace Wellbeing Day, taking place on March 27th. An initiative of Food and Drink Industry Ireland, which is part of Ibec, it’s being organised by the Nutrition and Health Foundation. The nationwide campaign aims to help improve employee health through promoting better nutrition and physical activity in workplaces. http://www.nhfireland.ie/wellbeing. Food growing can play a central role in a healthy workplace - call us and we can tell you how.
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GIY Wellbeing Roadshow
Over the last few months our 'Sow Seeds Harvest Change' roadshow has touched down at Alkermes (Athlone), Stryker (Cork), UDG Healthcare (Dublin), Amazon (Cork) and Abbott (Clonmel) to name but a few, reaching out to employees to talk food-growing and wellbeing. We'd love to talk to you about visiting your workplace in the coming months.
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RTE's The Business
RTÉ Radio One's The Business featured our GIY @Work programme and had interviews with Head of CSR at Aramark Iris Wade; a GIY project at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire and the GIY group at Eirgrid.
"It's amazing the joy that people got from growing their own tomatoes." Shane Maher, Eirgrid.
Listen Now.
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