IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
Green Foundation Ireland, in collaboration with Climate Justice Universities’ Union (CJUU) and Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), invite you, especially those interested in food systems, climate justice and higher education, to join us for our all-day conference:
SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
What is the role of universities in making Ireland’s
food system more sustainable?
TUESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2026 – 09:30 to 16:00 (Irish time)
(registration starts at 09:15)
Venue: Room B54, TUS Athlone
University Road, Athlone, County Westmeath, N37 HD68.
GETTING THERE
Room B54, TUS Athlone is situated on University Road in Athlone and here is a map to help you locate it.
Please note that there is limited parking available on campus for attendees. You can find out how to get there by public transport here.
As always at our events,
an important part will be the
Q&A session which will allow full
participation by those attending.
About Our Guest Speakers
RUTH HEGARTY
Ruth is a leading voice for sustainable food policies and systems in Ireland and is Director of Food Policy Ireland. She is currently actively involved in trying to make Ireland’s Free School Meals programme more sustainable, as well working on supporting local producers and leveraging the potential power of public procurement to help transform food systems. For more info about Ruth, please see here.
LISA FINGLETON
Lisa is an artist, filmmaker, writer and grower who has spent over twenty years cultivating deep-rooted connections between art, food and farming. Her Creative Climate Wall incorporates socially engaged, collaborative and performative process; participatory moving image; large scale drawing installations; as well as creative and autobiographical writing. Lisa is currently the embedded artist with Brilliant Ballybunion who ran the Ballybunion Bean Festival in August 2025. For more info about Lisa, please see here.
REPRESENTATIVE FROM TALAMH BEO
Talamh Beo is a grassroots organisation which believes that farmers and communities should be at the centre of decision-making for food and agriculture systems and developing agricultural policies. It stands for a system which puts the power back into the hands of farmers, communities and citizens instead of corporate interests and industrial agriculture and food production.
TICKET DETAILS
While admission is FREE to this event, registration is REQUIRED. Please secure your place by booking here.
Photo by:
STIOFÁN NUTTY
THEME
The theme of our conference will be exploring how universities can help to transform Ireland’s food systems. Topics such as sustainable diets, food poverty, supporting regenerative farming, procurement, food education and research will be explored on the
day with expert input and round-table discussions. Working groups will also meet later in
the day, focusing on a range of topics including scholar activism, education, Irish language,
AI and tech justice.