Planting the seeds of tomorrow: eFlow Continues Support for Coill na nÓg in Schools Across Ireland
eFlow, operators of the barrier-free tolling system on Dublin’s M50 motorway on behalf of TII, has announced their continued support of Biodiversity in Schools’ Coill na nÓg initiative, one of Ireland’s largest education-based tree planting programmes.
Building on the success of the partnership to date, the initiative will once again provide schools across Ireland with native tree and hedgerow planting kits, helping students engage with biodiversity, climate action and environmental stewardship in a meaningful and hands-on way. In the first two years of this partnership, the programme has already supported the planting of more than 10,000 native Irish trees in school communities nationwide. For this year, over 5,000 trees will be sent to the participating schools through tree-planting kits.
To mark this year’s launch, representatives from eFlow, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Biodiversity in Schools visited Pelletstown Educate Together National School, Dublin on 20th October 2026. They engaged with students on local biodiversity, its importance and how to plant and care for a tree.
Coill na nÓg, meaning "the children’s forest", encourages students of all ages to connect with nature while creating a lasting environmental legacy within their school grounds. Schools receive the resources and guidance needed to plant and care for native trees, fostering outdoor learning opportunities and supporting local biodiversity.
Over the past two years, the programme has provided over 600 tree-planting kits to participating schools and supported the planting of thousands of native trees across the island of Ireland. Applications for this year’s tree-planting kits are open until 16 November 2026.
In addition to tree planting, participating schools gain access to educational resources through an online learning hub, helping teachers integrate biodiversity and environmental awareness into the classroom.
Coill na nÓg is open to preschools, primary schools and secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Schools are also encouraged to explore local woodlands and hedgerows and share their outdoor learning experiences. Three participating schools will have the opportunity to win a share of a €12,000 outdoor classroom fund to create dedicated space for nature-based learning.
Commenting on the launch, Mark Nolan, CEO of Biodiversity in Schools said: “We're thrilled to be working with our programme partner eFlow for the third year of Coill na nÓg. We've already planted more than 10,000 trees with schools across Ireland and we're looking for another set of enthusiastic teachers and students to plant a further 150 mini-woodlands and over 1.2km of hedgerow this year. With one of the lowest rates of native tree cover in Europe, it's essential to get planting here in Ireland and nowhere is it more important than on school grounds - this ensures we nurture the next generation to have stronger connections with our native Irish trees”
Roisin Barton Murray, Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s eFlow Public Information Manager commented “We are delighted to continue eFlow’s support for Coill na nÓg for a third year. The programme gives pupils a practical way to learn about biodiversity by planting and caring for native trees in their own school grounds. Over the past two years, we’ve seen the impact these planting kits and outdoor learning spaces can make, creating more opportunities for students and teachers to get outdoors, connect with nature and learn about local biodiversity”.
Schools can find out more and apply through the Coill na nÓg website, here.