We Work with:
Local Authorities Arts Offices | Service Departments, Universities, Libraries,
Cultural Organisations, Bioregional – Regenerative Community Organisations,
Cultural Leaders & Professional Creatives
Across the public realm—local authorities, educators, creatives, and heritage professionals—are being called to lead the greatest cultural shift humanity has faced: inclusively addressing the intersecting environmental and social challenges of our times.
Haumea Ecoversity offers transformative ecoliteracy learning* with Dr Cathy Fitzgerald and trusted facilitators. Our training helps you and your team gain clarity and confidence in this era of just, equitable systemic change.
*This pioneering ecoliteracy training for County Council Staff and professional Creative Practitioners was developed with the support of the Carlow Arts Officer Sinead Dowling, and Aileen Nolan as part of the Irish Arts Council Invitation to Collaborate’ 3-county eco-creativity for community peatland restoration programme ‘Gnáthóga Nádúrtha | Natural Habitats programme, evolving from the ecoliteracy advisory direction Cathy had fostered for Carlow’s Drummin Bog Project Creative Drummin programme since 2017.
We introduce the Earth Charter, a UNESCO- and IUCN-recognised holistic framework, to guide inclusive, equitable, and just societal transformation. Its accessible language and vision—rooted in environmental and social justice, democracy, and peace—enable rapid adoption of ecoliteracy and systems thinking by county councils, Creative Ireland programmes, and cultural organisations.
In our popular cross-departmental training, we provide real-world examples of how ecoliteracy, energised by creativity, can:
- Activate inclusive community engagement
- Integrate programmes and policies
- Drive whole-of-institution systemic change
We also highlight international and Irish examples of how ecoliteracy upskilling inspires individuals, workplaces, and communities—locally, bioregionally, or nationally—to understand their role in creating a better world.
Ecoliteracy also nurtures emotional wellbeing, helping us navigate this eco-cultural turn with sensitivity, warmth, and compassion to cultivate personal and social resilience.
Ultimately, fostering an ecological and intergenerational worldview is essential for envisioning and acting toward personal, collective, planetary, and intergenerational wellbeing.
What We Offer
Ecoliteracy Training
1/2 day In-Person training with Cathy & trusted co-facilitators
Who is this for?
Cathy Fitzgerald and a co-facilitator offer tested, engaging in-person 1/2-day ecoliteracy training for:
* local authority staff across departments —to envision ecoliteracy & eco-ethics for whole-of-organisation and inter-departmental strategy & policy.
* for professional creatives working in all areas —to envision ecoliteracy & eco-ethics guiding individual & community creative practices. Ideal to introduce the Haumea Ecoversity Membership across a county or region.
* Over 2022-26, Cathy and her trusted co-facilitators have jointly delivered engaging 1/2-day ecoliteracy training* for the Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare, Meath, Roscommon, Leitrim & Mayo Arts Offices/Depts, and Creative Ireland Wexford. Subsequently, some have organised creative bursaries to upskill creative professionals in their regions.
Mentoring
Tailored ecoliteracy for 1:1
or group mentoring
Who is this for?
Cathy Fitzgerald provides tailored and confidential online ecoliteracy mentoring for professionals: creatives, curators, cultural workers, researchers, policy writers, and Local Authority staff.
She has offered bespoke private mentoring for creative professionals for many years.
Cathy continues her research in international developments in holistic sustainability and creative education, and emergent discourses toward a global ecological civilisation and expanded fluency of wellbeing to speak to collective, planetary and intergenerational wellbeing.
See details and testimonials of her popular ecoiteracy mentoring services here:
Haumea Ecoversity
Online Ecoliteracy Learning Membership & supportive community
Who is this for?
Provide learning support and valuable networking for professional creatives and cultural workers in your region.
Haumea Ecoversity online membership ecoliteracy training has now supported 400+ learners since 2019.
It has cultivated a pioneering, inclusive and supportive community of eco-social cultural practice in Ireland, with people also joining from overseas.
Lectures/Webinars
Introductory overview of ecoliteracy & ecological ethics
Who is this for?
For Local Authority Arts Offices, cultural and heritage teams and organisations, for leadership conferences or BA, MA, and PhD academic programmes.
Cathy Fitzgerald’s webinars draw from several decades of work employing eco-creativity for forest and peatland restoration, inspiring ecoliteracy for local Authority and eco-creative-led community engagement and her work since 2019, from developing Haumea Ecoversity.
Our ecoliteracy training is guided by the unifying, holistic vision of the people’s Earth Charter
—inviting all to turn “conscience into action” for wiser, thriving futures
The Earth Charter is a document with sixteen principles to read, share and live by. It arose from calls from across the world for the UN’s first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. The Earth Charter’s significance lies in its remarkably inclusive, decade-long, worldwide dialogue (launched in the 1990s, officially launched in 2000) that sought a shared ethical foundation for sustainable development—bridging indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and spiritual traditions.
In 2025, ahead of the 80th anniversary celebrations of the UN General Assembly in New York, UNESCO again endorsed the vision and learning framework of the Earth Charter for Education for Sustainable Development ESD) for all people across the world. Importantly, the Earth Charter’s holistic vision, celebrating many ways of knowing, including Indigenous cultural knowledge, prefigures the ecological worldview advocated in recent IPBES, Club of Rome and international Earth Trustee developments.
Reviews
Mary Butler, Arts Officer
Kilkenny County
2022 – ongoing
Developing the pioneering Living Values – Living Futures programme, with the Earth Charter in 2026
—previously offer Ecoliteracy webinars and bursaries since 2022 to creative practitioners across Co Kilkenny
“We were delighted to collaborate with Cathy and Grace on the delivery of the Ecoliteracy sessions for both artists and Kilkenny County Council staff. Their facilitation brought clarity, creativity, and depth to a topic that is central to our climate action work.
Weaving together Ecoliteracy, the Earth Charter, and arts‑led approaches strengthens our capacity to co‑create a thriving, resilient Kilkenny. It reinforces the values and behaviours that underpin long‑term climate action and helps us build a shared language we can practise together. The impact of this and our current collaboration will continue to support our communities well into the future.
At the Arts Office, we believe the arts have an essential role to play in our values‑centred approach to our climate programming.
Artistic practices—whether through storytelling, poetry, visual art, music, or our rich cultural heritage—make environmental and social values accessible, emotional, and deeply relatable.
Cathy and Grace’s Ecoliteracy session supported participants in understanding the vital connections between ecological and social systems, giving artists and staff alike the confidence to envision community projects that are both environmentally responsible and culturally grounded.”
Aine Butler, Creative Communities Engagement Officer, Roscommon County Council – Feb 2026
“The Creative Ireland Culture Team at Roscommon County Council was delighted to participate in the Ecoliteracy Workshop facilitated by Grace Wells and Dr Cathy Fitzgerald.
The morning offered a profound and inspiring exploration of how we, as staff across Cultural remits, can work collectively to embed ecological understanding and values-led practice into our everyday work with communities.”
The facilitated discussions throughout the morning were thoughtful and generative, revealing a strong appetite for continued partnership, shared learning, and the development of an integrated ecoliteracy approach for Roscommon.
We are deeply grateful to Grace Wells and Dr Cathy Fitzgerald for leading such a thoughtful, hopeful, and energising session, and we look forward to building on the momentum created during this workshop.”
Maura Kiely CEO
Leave No Trace Ireland
27 Feb 2026
For the inaugural Irish Leaders for Nature Programme, in association with Common Purpose Ireland and Native Events
“Cathy, when you delivered your keynote, something changed in the room. The energy shifted—shoulders dropped, eyes widened, and hearts opened.
I truly believe you elevated the Leaders for Nature programme to another level, reconnecting us all to the essence of our work.
I’m so excited to build our partnership and collaborate in the future.♥️”
Launch of the inaugural Irish Leaders for Nature programme, Borris House, County Carlow, 25 Sept 2025. Photo by Mark Stedman.
Philip Ryan
Eco-Creative Partner for Nocht Studios -New European 2025 Bauhaus Prize Finalist
“Dr Cathy Fitzgerald’s mentorship on the 2025 this/OUR project has been vital. Cathy brought a depth of ecoliteracy that has significantly shaped both the project and my wider eco-social practice.
Her introduction to the work of Thomas Berry and Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison, alongside provocations such as “How big is here?” and “Who else lives here?”, became core to the project’s programming and my own personal thinking.
Cathy is a rare champion of others: a connector, a weaver of people with their nested ecologies, and a committed advocate for wider ecological culture.
Alongside her work with Haumea Ecoversity and Hollywood Forest, her wide engagement in the ecoliteracy space and her sustained advocacy with the Earth Charter make her a real asset to artists, communities and broader global movements for ecological change.”
Elizabeth Howard, Creative Communities Engagement Officer, Wexford Co County, Dec 2024
“The session encourages thought & consideration about our value systems. Attendees from Wexford Co. Council’s Libraries, Arts, Environment, Housing & Town Management gave very positive feedback:
‘It was fascinating to hear from two practitioners—my knowledge has expanded. I plan to explore how I can inform staff work and also use the knowledge gained to guide the Tidy Towns group.’
I now appreciate the critical role the creative sector plays in shifting attitudes and perceptions at an almost subconscious level. I especially liked the examples about the river, folklore, and mythology, and how to involve community and stakeholders in projects”
Dr Nikos Patedakis – Consulting Eco-oriented Philosopher, DangerousWisdom.org, California
“If life gifts you the chance to work with Cathy Fitzgerald, consider yourself lucky. She is a warm, ethical, and wise resource.”
Dr Paul O’Brien – Research Fellow, National College of Art & Design, Dublin (NCAD)
“Cathy’s work offers a practical antidote to the threats of climate change, species extinction, and ecological degradation.“
Dr Iain Biggs – Co-Director of PLaCE, Educator, Artist, Researcher, Bristol UK
“Haumea Ecoversity is a valuable resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the relationship between art and ecology.”
Dr Kate Flood – Cultural Ecosystem Services Researcher, Community Wetland Forum Ireland Strategist
“Cathy’s work gives us the language and tools to keep going at a time when our hearts are close to breaking.”
Dr Marilyn Lennon – Artist & Full-Time Lecturer, Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland
“Cathy tailored critical eco-learning to our professional group, engaging and provoking in equal measure.”
Frank Abruzzese – Owner, Cow House Studios, Co. Wexford, Ireland
“It was evident in the work produced that Cathy had a significant impact on many of the artists.”
Client List
Dr Cathy Fitzgerald with CEO Leave No Trace Ireland Maura Kiely and CEO of Common Purpose Ireland Dara Connolly after my keynote talk for the inaugural Irish Leaders for Nature programme: Photo by Mark Stedman.
Ireland:
2022-26 ongoing ecoliteracy training for Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare, Meath, Roscommon, Leitrim & Mayo Arts Offices/Depts, Creative Ireland Wexford
2026 AfrI Action from Ireland: pilot values Earth Charter ESD talk to complement Global Citizenship Education GCE
2025 Invitation from Dr Lorna Gold to attend Pope Leo’s Raising Hope interfaith & civil society celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si ecological vision; supported by Earth Charter International.
2025 Keynote at Borris House, Carlow for the inaugural Leaders for Nature Network programme led by Common Purpose, Leave No Trace Ireland & Native Events
2025 DCU Climate & Society Conference – panel speaker
2025 Mary Robinson Conference, presenting the vision of the Earth Charter to activate ecological awareness with community creative experience curator, Angelina Foster.
2025 Greywood Arts This/Our Mentor – year-long mentor ecoliteracy advisor for Glenbower Woodland creative community engagement
023 IMMA Earth Rising Seminar with Prof Michael Cronin, Grace Wells and Phoebe Cope – Earth Charter, and an Irhsi vision, values and language for a better world
2023 CREATE Climate Justice, key speaker with author John Gibbons
2019 Cowhouse Studios ongoing at Hollywood forest
2016, 2020 Burren College of Art Fellow, ongoing; Doctoral Art & Ecology Advisor
2023 HOMETREE Panel Speaker on Art & Ecology with Grace Wells
2023 Brewery Lane Writers Festival 3-day workshop with Grace Wells
2022 Dublin City Arts with The Dock Leitrim with curator Shannon O’Carroll
2021 Limerick School of Art & Design MA Space Ecoliteracy and Earth Charter webinar
2019 NUIG Moore Institute, Maynooth Cultural Geography Dept.
International:
Hosted Earth Charter International webinars with Prof. Emeritus Peter Blaze Corcoran & Prof. Emeritus Sam Crowell (USA)
Yearly Earth Charter Webinars for Dr Rhys Jones, WINTEC Pukenga (NZ), ongoing
Ecoart pioneer Prof Newton Harrison (USA) 2022 ‘Listening to the Web of Life’ Special International Research Sharing
London RCA Doctoral Training (UK) Ecoliteracy webinar
Simon Read, Middlesex University (UK) Ecoliteracy webinar
Creative Carbon Scotland – Library of Sustainability case study with the Hollywood Forest Story
Chrysalis (UK) guest webinar with ecological artist educator Prof emeritus David Haley
Valand Art College, Gothenburg (Sweden) Guest ecoliteracy webinar
Dr Cathy Fitzgerald is the Founder-Facilitator of Haumea Ecoversity and holds a PhD by Creative Practice (The Ecological Turn, National College of Art & Design, Ireland). As the Focal Point Irish Communicator for the Earth Charter and an alumna of the International Earth Charter ESD and Irish Leaders for Nature programmes, she is a sought-after transformational ecoliteracy facilitator for Local Authorities, Arts, Heritage, and Education sectors.
Since the 1990s, Cathy has evolved from a science researcher to an ecological art practitioner and ecoliteracy researcher, pioneering the rewilding Hollywood Forest Story in rural Carlow (begun in 2008), which became a case study for her pioneering eco-social creative practice PhD. She has served as ecoliteracy advisor for the Carlow Creative Drummin Bog Project (since 2017) and delivered ecoliteracy training for the Arts Council Ireland’s Invitation to Collaborate programme, part of the Gnáthóga Nadúrtha | Natural Habitats initiative (2022–24), led by Carlow Arts Office. In 2019, she founded Haumea Ecoversity, fostering a growing community of eco-social practice and CPD ecoliteracy training.
Her work has been featured in The Irish Times, Minding Nature (US), Earth Charter International magazine, the 2026 Guide for Wetland Communities Engaging in Creative Projects, and numerous eco-cultural publications. In 2025, supported by Earth Charter International and invited by Dr Lorna Gold, she attended Pope Leo’s interfaith and civil society celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, a global activation of ecological vision.
Cathy is uniquely positioned and passionate about guiding professionals to address today’s most urgent challenges: How can we use holistic education and creativity to inspire the cultural leadership needed for societal change—and the better world we know is possible?
Book a FREE 15-minute call with ecoliteracy & accredited Eco-Ethics Earth Charter ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) educator Dr Cathy Fitzgerald.
Or call +353 (0)87 285 7129
How Haumea Ecoliteracy Training Evolved:
LOCAL AUTHORITY & CREATIVE IRELAND TRAINING
2025: Ecoliteracy Mentor for This-OUR Glenbower Wood and Killeagh Village project supported by the Irish Arts Council & Cork County Council.
2024: Ecoliteracy and Values Training for Local Authority Staff and Creative Ireland Staff with Strategic Responsibility for Climate Action and Community Engagement: Dr Cathy Fitzgerald with Ecopoet, Author and Facilitator Grace Wells
December: 1/2 day ecoliteracy and values training for Wexford County Council, organised by Creative Ireland Wexford
*November: 1/2 day ecoliteracy and values training for Meath County Council, Kells
*May: 1/2 day ecoliteracy and values training for Kildare County Council staff, Lullymore Wetlands Centre
*February: 1/2 day ecoliteracy and values training for Carlow County Council staff, Blackstairs Ecotrails Barn.
*For the Irish Arts Council ‘Invitation to Collaborate’ Award 3-County Creative Wetland Engagement programme: Gnáthóga Nádúrtha: (Natural Habitats) – Ecoliteracy and Values-based ESD training educator County Carlow Arts Office-led community engagement for Carlow, Kildare and Roscommon Arts Officers.
For this project, Cathy also mentored the 3-lead artists: Jules Michael (Carlow), Monica de Bath (Kildare) and Dr Kate Flood (Meath). The project and the lead artists’ community engagement work were exhibited at the 2024 IMMA Earth Rising Festival.
IN-PERSON TALKS:
2025: Panel Speaker at Earth Charter 25+ conference, Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands
2025: Mary Robinson Conference, Ballina, May 26-7
2025: DCU Climate and Society Annual Conference, April 29
2025: Drumshanbo Tidytowns Methodist Church—Wildlife, Art and Ireland, March
2023: Co-panellist with John Gibbons for CREATE‘s Climate Justice Annual Gathering
2023 HOMETREE.ie 2nd Ardnaculla Summer School. Dr Cathy Fitzgerald led an art & ecology panel session with Grace Wells, with a presentation on ‘Why ecoliteracy is important for creatives and the Irish creative sector’, on 9 July.
2022 Invited speaker for Web of Life celebration workshop for international ecological art practice pioneer, Prof Newton Harrison, UC San Diego.
2022 Speaking of Which: Series 2 ecoart interview & talk for curatorial scholar Shannon Carroll, Dublin City Arts + The Dock, Co. Leitrim
2022 Guest speaker for Irish Arts Council Climate Action Policy Roundtable, July.
2023 3-day Brewery Lane Writers Festival on Vision, Values and Values for a Better World –
Co-facilitator with ecopoet & writer Grace Wells for Carrick on Suir 14-16 April 2023, organised by writer and workshop organiser Margaret O’Brien.
2022 Burren College of Arts Symposium: presentation on Earth Charter values for the Rights of Nature
2019 What is Ecoliteracy: Cork School of Architecture
2019 onwards: Cowhouse Studios, Wexford: Cathy Fitzgerald has provided ecoliteracy talks in the wood she lives in in South County Carlow from 2019 onwards
WEBINARS
2025: Hosted USA Prof Emeritus Sam Crowell’s talk for Haumea Ecoversity webinar; ‘Unpacking the Earth Charter: Re-enchanting Education’
2023: March 27 Creative Carbon Scotland / Edinburgh Botanic Gardens Invited Speaker: Stories for Wiser Forestry: the right forestry in the right place
2023 Introductory talk for Leitrim Arts Office: Why Ecoliteracy is important for creative professionals and the Irish creative sector, 28 Mar 2023
2023, 2022 Introductory talk for Kilkenny Arts Office: Why Ecoliteracy is important for creative professionals and the Irish creative sector
2022 Introductory talk for Mayo Arts Services: Why Ecoliteracy is important for creative professionals and the Irish creative sector, Aug 26, 2022, with musician/composer Carole Nelson and ecopoet/writer Grace Wells
2022 Roscommon County Council Arts Office. Introductory talk for Mayo Arts Services: Why Ecoliteracy is important for creative professionals and the Irish creative sector.
2022: London Royal College of Art Doctoral Training Programme for Dr Catherine Dromor
2020 Webinar, Crawford Art College MTU EcoArt Level 9 course, Crawford Contemporary Applied MA by Research programme,
2020 Interview Carlow – Our Thriving Tribe, VISUAL research EU project and book.
2020 Tree TV Leitrim Dock Art Centre,
2020 What is Ecoliteracy? For Dr Marilyn Lennon, Limerick School of Art & Design, MA Space,
2020 Dublin IMMA -Breaking Cover Collective,
2020 What is Ecoliteracy for Curatorial Online course, Gothenburg VALAND art college (Sweden)
2020 Yorkshire – Chrysalis Arts (UK) Conversation with art & ecology professor Dr David Haley
