The real environmental activists

Who are the real environmental activists? Are they the ones who constantly blow hot air about what must be done to save the planet from imminent disaster? Do they include those who hypocritically criticise the actions and activities of others while living contradictory personal lives based on over-consumption and indulgence? Are they the ones willing to sacrifice the livelihoods of others for their own definitions of the greater good, while suffering no personal lifestyle inconvenience? The list of self-defined environmental activists certainly includes many who demand a change in the worldview of others while cossetting themselves in a warm cloak of high moral certainty.

Meanwhile, the real environmental activists actually engage with the challenges facing the planet to produce practical solutions. The finalists in last month’s Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Award 2025 are among them. They live the reality of adopting, oftentimes difficult, practices that have a positive impact on their surrounding environments. They do so with quiet determination to make a difference. At the same time, they have to suffer the slings and arrows of unwarranted criticism from those who seem to believe that the only good bath is a waterless and baby-less one. There are better, more constructive ways of delivering on environmental change than destroying whole industries, ways of life, and economic productivity. Sustaining food production in the face of climate and weather challenges, burdensome over-regulation, and constant criticism is not easy. Yet, the 13 finalists in the sustainability awards are not only doing just that, they are also publicly showing their fellow food producers that the role of an Irish food producer is one that should be appreciated and encouraged. The ability and willingness of Irish food producers to adopt novel, often expensive, and always challenging changes in their farming practices confirm that the real environmental activists are those who practice instead of preaching.

Hypocrisy is real

Many of those who preach down to the rest of us are among the tens of thousands who take multiple flights annually. Many of those who talk down to the real environmental activists are among the unthinking consumers who buy fast fashion and contribute to the vast landfills of clothing, which we export for imaginary recycling. Are the real environmentalists the ones who produce food sustainably or the ones who incessantly fly across the globe to engage in echo-chamber babble? The pseudo-environmentalists pontificate about the world needing to change its ways. Food producers change it by their actions. Those world-changing actions were highlighted at the sustainability awards ceremony last month.

Winning ways

Don Somers, a tillage farmer from Oylgate, Co. Wexford, won the overall Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Award 2025. He is a true environmental activist using precision soil samples for greater accuracy. Careful planning means his crops get what they need – no more and no less – protecting both the soil and the environment. Soil health is at the heart of Don’s system. He believes that the future of farming depends on keeping soils healthy, so crop rotation and soil care are always at the centre of what he does. Don’s cover crops are another key part of preventing leaching as well as improving soil structure and helping the land absorb water more effectively, reducing the risk to water quality. Precision technology on his farm includes nitrogen (N) sensors to increase efficiency and reduce N inputs. Yield maps and GPS add further efficiency and environmental care. Riparian zones, hedgerow management, and integrated pest management (IPM) all encourage flora and fauna biodiversity on Don’s farm. He is a real example of environmental activism.