Microsoft Ireland today celebrated a milestone in its ongoing efforts to support community wellbeing and local biodiversity in south and west Dublin, with 25,000 trees planted across the area.
Coinciding with National Tree Week, the tree planting initiative, now in its third year, was delivered in collaboration with Trees on the Land, and brought together more than 300 volunteers from Microsoft, local community groups, schools and third level institutes to plant trees in communities near the Microsoft data centre campus in Grangecastle.
This year alone, over 8,000 trees have been planted as volunteers came together to improve existing landscape infrastructure and create more green spaces by planting mixed native tree cover at three sites across Dublin – St Aidan’s Community School, Ballyboden St Enda’s GAA Club and TU Dublin Blanchardstown campus.
In total, 15 different tree species were planted across the various sites including oak, birch and hazel, which in turn will help to reduce air pollution in the local community as the woodland matures. Enhancing these natural spaces will benefit local wildlife by providing a valuable source of food and shelter for birds, insects and other fauna.
Of the 8,000 trees planted this year, more than 4,000 trees were planted on the grounds of St Aidan’s Community School, which will provide a new woodlands area that can enable teachers at the school to deliver practical lessons on nature, biodiversity and sustainability. As part of the initiative, Microsoft also worked together with Clondalkin Tidy Towns to donate native trees to members of the local community to help improve the wellbeing of local residents.
Commenting on the milestone, Lavinia Morris, General Manager of Microsoft data centre operations for EMEA, said: “At Microsoft, we’re committed to empowering thriving and sustainable local communities where we operate, in line with our Data Centre Community Pledge. Planting 25,000 trees at various sites across south and west Dublin will help to deliver on this pledge, fostering sustainability and enhancing community wellbeing across the local community, while operating responsibly as a good neighbour.
“I’d like to give a special thanks to the many volunteers from Microsoft and the local community for their generous contribution to the initiative this year and look forward to seeing the positive impact of their work on the local community well into the future.”
Imogen Rabone, Project Coordinator at Trees on the Land, said: “We’re delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Microsoft on this initiative. The 8,000 trees planted at the sites across south and west Dublin this year will help support local biodiversity and create greener natural spaces that directly benefit local residents. Many thanks to the volunteers from Microsoft and the local community for their brilliant help with the planting work on the ground.”
The tree planting initiative is one of the many ways in which Microsoft is supporting thriving and sustainable communities in south and west Dublin. Earlier this year, the company unveiled the Microsoft Community Fund for South Dublin, which will provide €100,000 in funding for local groups near the company’s data centre campus in Clondalkin to deliver impactful projects focusing on sustainability and digital skilling initiatives.
Since 2008 Microsoft has invested more than €4 million in initiatives that support thriving, sustainable communities in the vicinity of its data centre operations in Clondalkin, assisting more than 60 community projects and engaging 16,000 local people across South and West Dublin.
