Mireia Guardino Ferran

    Green Campus, Estates

    Green Campus Coordinator

    Lyreen Building, South Campus
    (01) 708 36 36

    About

    Mireia is Maynooth Green Campus coordinator and part of the administration team in the Estates Office at Maynooth University. She is based in the Lyreen building on the South Campus and is always happy to engage with creative projects from staff, students and the wider Maynooth community. She wants to be instrumental in developing the campus for sustainable research, teaching, working and living.
     
    These are her main responsibilities:

    • Administration duties of the Green Campus office
    • Coordinating and managing events
    • Communicating with stakeholders (internally and externally)
    • Apply for climate and sustainability grants
    • Social Media manager
    • Collecting data for reporting to external agencies

    Mireia is passionate about her green campus work and enjoys a hands-on approach when organising events such as Green Week, informing staff of new sustainable initiatives, and engaging with students and the MSU Officers. She works toward solving some of the “green” challenges and needs of colleagues and students on campus.  Mireia is committed and focused on closely monitoring the metrics and policies related to carbon reduction, the circular economy and climate justice and aligns her work to the Environmental, Society and Governance (ESG) principles to develop the campus as a ‘Green Living Lab’ for sustainable research, teaching, working and living.
     
    As part of her development in a previous role where Mireia co-facilitated a community development art project for a public library, she came to Maynooth in 2015 to complete a Community Development & Leadership course. This course opened the door for her to continue her learning and development in building community spaces where everyone is welcome. She returned to full-time studying for a BA (Hons) in International Development and Geography. In her first year, she co-founded the MU Environmental Society, got involved with the Green Campus team and became the first Maynooth Students Union Green Campus Senator. She was also an assistant researcher with Professor Mary Gilmartin (Dept. of Geography) and Dr Jennifer Dagg on the ‘Mapping processes of settlement and integration in contemporary Ireland’ research paper. Mireia also led the #FridaysForFuture global strike in Maynooth in 2019, which is said to have been the ‘biggest march ever seen in the town’ before graduating later that year.
     
    During 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her to broaden her knowledge of the United Nations SDGs and environmental, biodiversity and climate crisis. Mireia became an SDG Advocate (Development Perspectives) and An Taisce Climate Ambassador. She also enrolled in the Forest School Training Programme, a child-centred inspirational learning process that offers opportunities for holistic growth sessions that support play, exploration, and risk-taking to facilitate after-school camps in nature.
     
    Her work towards a more sustainable society has brought her to where she is today, Maynooth University Green Campus Coordinator.  As part of her life-long learning focus, Mireia has recently finished her Professional Diploma in Innovation for Sustainability from UCD.
     
    Mireia sees herself as a community leader who likes a ‘direct’ approach. ‘My eagerness to bring awareness to the public and my passion for protecting the environment has grown stronger, especially seeing the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crisis. I like helping people to understand how vital it is to have a positive impact, and developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything I do, professionally and personally’.
     
    Mireia spends her weekends travelling around Ireland in her campervan Beibhinn (run with HVO), deepening her knowledge about Ireland's ancient stories, traditional skills and folklore. You can find her grounding or forest bathing under the lime trees on the south campus or potting around in the edible garden.
     
    Other accolades:
    Green Gown Awards nominee for Maynooth Green Campus Sustainability Team
    Maynooth University ‘Special Prize for Contribution’ to the Dept. of Geography
    Maynooth University Student Experience (MUSE) Awardee
    MSU President Award 'Outstanding Contribution to Campus Life'
    Union of Students of Ireland, Environmental Activism of the Year nominee
    Maynooth University Environmental Society Award for ‘Best Civic Society’