myEARTH – Northern Ireland’s digital hub for environmental action – is calling on more across the region to join its platform, as new figures reveal that users have already recorded more than 100,000 pieces of litter recycled, and 159,783 hours outdoors spent outdoors, since the platform launched less than a year ago.
Developed by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful in partnership with Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL), myEARTH provides environmental charities, education providers and community groups a dedicated space to connect with schools and households. Organisations simply upload activities known as ‘Action Cards’ such as litter picking, nature walks, bird watching, planting and recycling, allowing users to choose and complete them in exchange for points.
Maghera’s Yvonne Fleming created The Weatherbies in 2016. The weather‑themed characters – Sammy Sun, Rosie Rainbow and Ronny Rain – help teachers and introduce children to various environmental themes through songs and stories.
Peter Fleming, Business Development Manager at The Weatherbies, shares why the team partnered with myEARTH to connect their characters and resources with even more young learners. He said: “The Weatherbies welcome children to their wonderful world, Skytown, where storytelling, songs and other fun resources help young children explore the weather, discover nature and build positive connections to the environment so that they learn to care for the world around them. Joining myEARTH has allowed us to connect with thousands of new children and educators who are passionate about environmental learning. The platform makes it incredibly easy for schools and families to discover our resources and turn curiosity about the weather and nature into real‑world action.”
As Eco-Schools NI’s official Early Years partner, The Weatherbies are also using the myEARTH platform to run a schools Song Competition, with 300 schools across NI tracking their Eco-Schools projects through myEARTH. Pupils are invited to create a song about making their school greener and the winning entry will be turned into an animated music video featuring the children’s artwork. Using the Weatherbies resources in any Early Years setting can also count towards the Climate Ready Classroom Award, also found on myEARTH.
Alongside The Weatherbies, over 40 other local partners including the National Trust, Ulster Wildlife and RSPB NI have joined the myEARTH platform, taking advantage of the ready-made route to connect with audiences and amplify their impact.
Alex Hall, Project Manager at myEARTH, said, “This is about supporting environmental learning at every level. myEARTH was built to make it easier to do more, and whether you’re an environmental charity, a community group, or a business, the platform provides a straight-forward system for people to get involved and for us to see the collective impact all of us combined are having.
“We’re incredibly pleased to see how well the platform has performed to date, especially in the areas of litter picking and spending time outdoors. Time spent outdoors is especially important in early years learning, where play, exploration and connection with nature help shape children’s understanding of the world around them. While the progress in litter collection has also been especially encouraging. Removing this volume of waste from our streets, parks and shorelines has a direct impact on local biodiversity and the health of our shared spaces.”
To register an activity or sign-up to log participation visit www.myearth.org.uk
