Change by Degrees

Madeleine spent six years in academia tutoring, teaching, writing and researching as an archaeologist in the School of Archaeology UCD and the National Museum of Ireland. She worked for many years as an Archaeological Manager in the private sector. Madeleine is an expert in employee sustainability engagement, and narrative crafting and messaging, and is passionate about helping businesses create and tell their sustainability stories. She was runner up in the Sustainability Champion of the Year category at the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2024. Madeleine has a Diploma in UX Design making her the first Irish sustainability adviser to use sustainability and UX as a problem-solving tool for business.

Tara spent 20 years as an international climate change negotiator and communicator, and special advisor to Mary Robinson Foundation. She is Chair of the Board of the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED), a board member at Enterprise Ireland, and a member of faculty for the visibility stream of Homeward Bound, a global leadership programme for women in science. Tara was awarded STEM Woman of the Year 2024 and PwC/Business Post Sustainable Business Leader of the Year 2024. She is a science communicator, broadcaster and TV presenter, seen on BBC, RTÉ and Channel 4. She is the proud author of ‘How to Save Your Planet One Object At A Time’ published in April 2020 by Simon and Schuster.

Mick Kelly is founder of GIY, a social entrepreneur, author, TV presenter and hacker grower. He worked in the IT industry for 10 years before starting GIY in 2008 after a chance encounter with a pesky bulb of Chinese garlic in a supermarket.  In the time since he’s most proud of working with an amazing team of changemakers to build GIY in to a leading social enterprise, and build a home for the movement at GROW HQ in Waterford. He co-presented/produced three series of Grow Cook Eat for RTE which is now watched around the world on Amazon Prime.  He is an Ashoka Fellow, a member of The Irish Food Writers Guild and a board member at ChangeX.  He has written 4 books and columns on food for The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and Food & Wine Magazine.  He was the 2017 Local Food Hero in the Food & Wine Awards. He lives in Dunmore East with his wife Eilish and two young GIYers.