Organised by All-Ireland

Sustainability (AIS), the 2026 Festival of Sustainable Impact, in partnership with Cushon and hosted by Sarah Travers will take place on Thursday 1st October 2026 at Belfast’s Europa Hotel.

The all-day celebration of sustainable practice will welcome organisations from across the Island of Ireland and will be centred around the theme “Smarter Business Through Sustainability.” The event will explore how organisations can use sustainability as a practical tool to reduce costs, create long-term value, support people, strengthen resilience and improve overall business performance.

Speakers throughout the day will highlight how sustainability has evolved beyond standalone environmental initiatives to a smarter way of operating, investing, engaging staff, and future-proofing organisations.

When: Thursday 1st October 2026

Timings: Daytime Conference & Exhibition from 9.30am – 5pm

All-Ireland Sustainability Awards Gala Event from 6.30pm – midnight

Location: Europa Hotel, Belfast

Award Entry Deadline: 7th August 2026

More Information: For more information, to book a space to attend or exhibit, or enter the All-Ireland Sustainability Awards visit www.allirelandsustainability.com

IEN Annual Gathering (Members Only!)

When: 1st October – 3rd of October 2026

The Irish Environmental Network is thrilled to announce this year’s IEN Annual Gathering at Cloughjordan Eco Village in Tipperary and we’ve got an incredible line up planned just for you!

The IEN Annual Gathering is a multi-day event exclusively for IEN member groups to come together, connect, share ideas, and strengthen relationships across the network. The agenda will be confirmed and shared with you shortly.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the membership team!

Hosted by The Environmental Forum, Pesticide Action Network Europe, Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) and Environmental Pillar.

Under the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, crucial discussions are expected on the future of EU pesticide regulation, including the proposed Food and Feed Safety Omnibus package. Civil society organisations, scientists, water sector representatives and beekeepers across Europe have expressed serious concerns that parts of the proposed deregulation agenda could weaken environmental and health protections, particularly regarding pesticides and pollinator safety.

This high-level conference aims to create a constructive platform for dialogue between policymakers, scientists, civil society and stakeholders. The event will present the latest scientific evidence on pesticides’ impacts on health, water quality, biodiversity and pollinators, while discussing how EU legislation can better uphold the precautionary principle and support a truly sustainable agricultural transition.

https://www.pan-europe.info/events/conferences/protect-our-health-water-biodiversity-pesticides

Advancing Europe’s Ocean Research, Skills and Innovation Agendaduring Ireland’s EU Presidency

The Marine Institute, the University of Galway and Atlantic Technological University, with the support of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, are pleased to invite you to the Atlantic Summit Galway 2026. 
 
As one of the flagship ocean events and an Associated Event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026, Atlantic Summit Galway 2026 will bring together Europe’s leading ocean strategists, researchers, policymakers, innovators and communities to shape the future of the Atlantic and Europe’s ocean research agenda.
The Atlantic Summit will focus on a number of strategic objectives, including:

• Defining priorities and raising the ambition for the next chapter of Atlantic Ocean research and innovation;
• Advancing knowledge-based implementation of the EU Ocean Pact and Ocean Act;
• Accelerating innovation to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and global leadership in ocean science and technology;
• Addressing future capacity, training and skills requirements to support sustainable blue economy development.
   

Through a programme of plenary sessions, high-level policy dialogues and strategic exchanges, participants will have the opportunity to contribute directly to discussions that will influence the future of Europe’s ocean agenda at a pivotal moment for the Atlantic region. The event represents a unique opportunity for ocean leaders to strengthen Atlantic cooperation and ensure that ocean policy remains at the forefront of Europe’s competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience agenda.
 
Please view the Atlantic Summit 2026 Programme here for further details on each session.

𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝟐𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬.

You are invited to a gathering for talks, walks, discussions and networking, at Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway, Leitrim Village, Co. Leitrim on Thursday 8th & Friday 9th October 2026.

Registration form here: 

https://www.woodlandsofireland.com/25-anniversary-nws/ 

(For all eNGO staff, there is a rate of €40 fee for attendance which can also be used as a one year supporter membership of Woodlands of Ireland.)

The existence of the Native Woodland Schemes since 2001 has to some degree acted as a catalyst in encouraging a greater landscape restoration and expansion of semi-natural woodland habitats in addition to measures funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The gathering for talks, walks, discussions and networking will commence on Thursday 8th October 2026 at the Oak Barn, Drumhierney Woodland Hideaway in Co. Leitrim, focussing on:

(a)    A retrospective of how and why the Native Woodland Schemes came into being

(b)    An insight into the experience of foresters and ecologists employing the scheme measures.

(c)    Future prospects for semi-natural woodland conservation and management 

– followed by a field trip on Friday 9th October, visiting a site where Native Woodland Scheme measures have been applied.

Register here:

https://www.woodlandsofireland.com/25-anniversary-nws/ 

This event is part-funded by the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the Forestry Promotions Projects Open Call 2026. Other Woodlands of Ireland funders include National Parks and Wildlife Service, The Heritage Council and the Irish Environmental Network.

Tailors Hall, Dublin 8, Dublin

Professor John Feehan is a Geologist, Botanist, Author, and Broadcaster who will be sharing his insights into the rewetting of bogs and why we need to grasp the important opportunities to restore nature in these specialist habitats.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-nature-restoration-regulation-last-best-hope-for-peatland-rewilding-tickets-2000988068177?aff=oddtdtcreator

We’re on the countdown to Climate Action Week, Ireland’s 10th National Festival of Climate Action, and there are so many ways that you and your community can get involved!

🎊Attend a festival near you! Keep checking our event guide as new activities are being added daily.

🎫Host an event! To add an event, simply click on the ‘Add Your Event’ tab on the ClimateActionWeek.ie website

Share your pictures, posts and reels with An Taisce’s Climate Ambassadors, and they’ll repost as many as we can!

Please use #climateactionweek and tag @climateambassador to share.

https://climateactionweek.ie/

In the Strengthening Local Food Economies in Ireland project (2025-2026), Feasta, Cultivate and Talamh Beo have worked to better understand Ireland’s small but vital local food sector and to develop proposals to support it in the transition to a ‘wellbeing economy’ which can enable human thriving within planetary boundaries. 

We are now pleased to invite you to the Feeding Ourselves’ Local Food Symposium in Trinity Business School on Thursday October 29th as we share our research findings and policy proposals developed over the past two years.

At the Symposium we look forward to presenting three new documents that we believe can help to shape the future of Ireland’s food system:

• “Local Food Farming and a Wellbeing Economy”: A Policy Position Paper

• Talamh Beo Local Food Policy Framework – Updated Edition

• Basic Income for Local Food Farmers Policy Proposal



In addition to sharing our project findings, we’ll be joined by inspiring thinkers and doers who are enabling stronger local food economies across Ireland and the UK.

Essential details

Date: Thursday 29 October 

Time: 13:30 – 17:30 (registration will open from 13:00 to start at 13:30 sharp)

Location: The McNabb Theatre, Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin 

Refreshments: Light refreshments will be provided. 

Register here to secure your place.

This event is organised by Feasta, Talamh Beo & Cultivate in collaboration with Trinity Sustainability. It is held through the Feeding Ourselves Community of Practice as part of the ‘Strengthening Local Food Economies in Ireland’ project supported by the Irish Environmental Network.

Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17)

19–30 October 2026 – Yerevan, Armenia

The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will take place in October 2026. It will be held in conjunction with the twelfth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12) and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (NP-MOP-6). COP 17 will mark the first global review of collective progress towards the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

For registration, please refer to Notification 2026-041. 

You can stay up-to-date by subscribing to the CBD Secretariat’s COP 17 Round-up Newsletter on LinkedIn .

COP 31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. In the lead-up, the COP 30 Presidency and the incoming COP 31 Presidency are working together to foster an open, transparent and inclusive process, through regular engagement with Parties and observers throughout the year.

Their engagements will bring together ministers, Heads of Delegation, and negotiators, as well as observers and stakeholders, to build shared understanding and lay the groundwork for successful outcomes in Antalya.

The Presidencies will coordinate closely with the Chairs of the subsidiary bodies to ensure coherence across the UNFCCC process.

In line with the Türkiye-Australia Partnership Modalities, Türkiye and Australia, as incoming COP 31 Presidency, will work in close partnership.

The Presidencies encourage Parties to engage in a spirit of unity and shared purpose as they work together to deliver transformative and ambitious outcomes at COP 31 that enhance ambition and implementation of the global response to the threat of climate change.