2024 ‘Love This Place’ campaign asks the public to enjoy and respect Ireland’s great outdoor spaces
Leave No Trace Ireland (LNT) - Ireland’s only outdoor ethics programme, which promotes the responsible use of the outdoors - has in collaboration with partners launched the 2024 ‘Love This Place' Public Awareness Campaign urging the public to enjoy our outdoor spaces (including parks, open countryside, and beaches) with care and respect. Author, outdoor enthusiast and founder of the Hike Life, Roz Purcell, is again supporting this important awareness campaign.
The Love This Place 2024 campaign invites individuals and their communities to join in a collective national effort to protect, respect and care for Ireland's beautiful outdoor spaces and deep wealth of biodiversity and natural outdoor heritage.
Research shows that some 2.7 million visitors to Ireland from overseas markets took part in outdoor activities, and 64% of Irish people participated in land-based recreation activities whilst on holiday in Ireland. (Source: National Outdoor Recreation Strategy).
The campaign focuses on promoting universal messages of respect and care in the enjoyment of our outdoor spaces. These universal messages incorporate both courtesy and respect for each other in the outdoors and moderating our actions to protect and care for nature, habitats and biodiversity that are present everywhere and are increasingly vulnerable to the pressures of the visitor numbers that enjoy them.
The ‘Love this Place’ campaign will run across June, July, and August - the busiest summer months that experience the highest numbers of visitors to the outdoors.
The campaign will focus in on three collective goals that include simple actions for people to enjoy the outdoor spaces more responsibly.
- Stick to the Path
- Be a Responsible Dog Owner
- Keep Ireland Litter-Free
During the campaign, members of the public will be urged to make the ‘#LoveThisPlace’ promise, confirming their love of Ireland’s great outdoors and committing to simple, positive actions that will help to protect and respect our outdoor spaces and natural environment.
The ‘Love This Place’ campaign will culminate in a day of environmental action on National ‘Love This Place’ Day on Friday, July 28th. This will also coincide with World Nature Conservation Day which underscores the global significance of sustainable practices in how we care for, respect, and enjoy the outdoors.
Launching the 2024 ‘Love This Place’ campaign, Maura Kiely, Chief Executive of Leave No Trace Ireland, emphasized the campaign's educational focus in cultivating care and respect for each other and the natural environment through responsible outdoor activities and behaviours. She said the ‘Love This Place’ campaign also supports the objectives of the National Outdoor Recreation strategy from Comhairle na Tuaithe: ‘Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors Strategy’ which seeks the development of a caring and responsible national outdoor recreation sector.
Maura Kiely said: "Research conducted by Leave No Trace Ireland confirms the need for targeted initiatives to raise awareness, particularly among younger people, around the importance of sustainable outdoor recreational practices. We need to equip individuals with knowledge and advice so that they can minimize their environmental impact while continuing to enjoy Ireland's beautiful landscapes, terrain and habitats."
“We are asking everyone to take one or two simple actions that support responsible enjoyment of the outdoors and reinforce the environmental stewardship that all of us share. This can include something as simple as taking our leftover food and litter home with us and sticking to recognised footpaths and trails to help protect wildlife and crops, and to avoid disturbing wildlife and farm animals.
By embracing the ‘Love This Place Promise’ we can ensure that we are protecting and caring for our landscapes and beautiful outdoor spaces for the generations that will follow us.”
Roz Purcell, presenter, broadcaster, content creator and founder of The Hike Life,
said the focus of the 2024 LNT campaign was on fostering a culture of environmental responsibility.
"As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I am honoured to join once again with Leave No Trace Ireland in championing the Love This Place Campaign. Together, we can ensure the longevity of our natural treasures by adopting mindful behaviours during our outdoor adventures. Let's make a collective promise to love and protect our cherished landscapes."
Supporting the ‘Leave No Trace’ Campaign, Minister Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said:
“The protection and restoration of nature is more important now than ever, and public awareness has never been higher. Through education and environmental knowledge-sharing, Leave No Trace empowers people to take action and make a change in their communities. We are all responsible for looking after the natural world, but it’s only by working together that we can protect the countryside and ensure that when we’re out enjoying it, no trace is left behind.”
The ‘Love This Place’ 2024 campaign is a joint initiative with Leave No Trace Ireland’s core partners including Fáilte Ireland, Sport Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Rural and Community Development, Dublin City Council, the Office of Public Works, Coillte, and Waterways Ireland.
The campaign is also supported by Fingal County Council, Galway County Council, Wicklow County Council.
For further information and guidance on responsible outdoor engagement, visit https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/love-this-place-leave-no-trace.