Free Westport course aims to detangle climate issues for the over 60s

Last June, Westport Eco-Congregation held a highly successful One Westport Circular Economy event, featuring many interesting talks on different aspects of sustainability and the circular economy. One of the speakers, Jacinta Barrins, discussed her free programme for people aged 60 and over, which she runs voluntarily to raise awareness of our carbon footprint and how we might reduce it.
Jacinta believes that because people over 60 were not taught the science of climate change in schools or colleges, many have become alienated or indifferent to it. Her programme aims to have conversations about climate change in a friendly atmosphere, over a cup of tea. (In fact, she often starts by showing in simple terms the connection between the cuppa and climate change!)
By encouraging conversations in a relaxed, open atmosphere, the terms used in climate science can be unravelled and demystified, and people’s confidence about taking action can grow. And Jacinta knows what she’s talking about: She has retired from a career at the UN, where her work focused on the environment and climate. She now lives in Galway.

Westport programme
Jacinta Barrins will be running her six-session programme in Westport in the new year. It will start on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 10.45am and run over the following four Tuesdays at the same time. The final session will be some weeks later, on Tuesday, April 8. Each session runs for two hours.
The first three steps of the course focus on understanding climate change, how it occurs, the challenges of changing behaviour and how to measure a carbon footprint. The second three steps focus on supporting participants in implementing one action based on their carbon footprint results. At step four, the participants identify one action they would like to work on. The gap between the fifth and sixth sessions allows participants to work with their action!
The course will be held at Carrowbeg House in Westport, and Westport Eco-Congregation would be delighted to welcome any over 60s who want to become more climate and carbon aware. This course is free to all participants.
Booking is essential, as numbers are limited. To book a place, ring Brid McAuley at 086 8576425 or Mary Manning at 087 2421330.