Sims Lifecycle Services joins “Orchards in the Community” to plant 1000 orchards across Ireland

Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS) joined with the local data center community and planted 20 orchards in Ireland to support biodiversity initiative

July 18, 2022

DUBLIN, IRELAND – Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS), a global leader in IT asset disposition (ITAD), data center IT circularity and electronics recycling, is pleased to announce its participation in Host in Ireland’s “Orchards in the Community” initiative. The Host in Ireland organisation represents 52 leading organisations operating in the Irish data center ecosystem all keen to make a positive contribution to the region’s biodiversity. Orchards play a key role in providing an early food source for struggling bees. To help protect the bees and increase pollination, SLS is one of 52 pledgers and over 90 schools and community groups planting in excess of 1,000 mixed fruit orchards all over Ireland. This year, SLS has pledged to double the number of orchards we’re sponsoring to help meet Host in Ireland’s 2000 orchard target for 2022.

SLS has already planted 20 orchards at schools including: Downshire Primary School, Hillsborough, Co. Down; Maghaberry Primary School, Maghaberry, Co. Armagh; Maralin Primary School, Magheralin, Co. Armagh; Ballymacash Primary School, Lisburn, Co. Antrim; Learning Together School, Tullamore, Co. Offaly; Tullamore Collage, Tullamore, Co. Offaly; Lagan College, Belfast, Co. Antrim. We are delighted that these schools are benefitting from this initiative.

Orchards provide vital green spaces in our cities and towns, where people are encouraged to interact with nature either through becoming custodians of the trees or by simply being around them and enjoying their shade, beauty and fruit. They are also important habitats as the natural life cycle of fruit trees provides food sources for pollinators and other species throughout the year. With “Orchards in the Community”, orchards are being planted in every single county on the island of Ireland – both in the Republic and Northern Ireland – making this an all-Ireland effort.

“‘Orchards in the Community’ is helping to create ‘pollinator pit stops’ across the island. One third of our 99 wild bee species are at risk of extinction. Each year as they flower, these orchards will provide them with vital food. In return, by pollinating the flowers, the bees will ensure we have lots of fruits to enjoy in the autumn,” said Dr Úna FitzPatrick co-founder and project manager of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. “This scale of this initiative provides us with a unique opportunity to track change. By planting uniform orchards in multiple locations within the one growing season, we can assess which insects visit in different regions, and better understand which areas have the greatest abundance and diversity of pollinators remaining.”

“Orchards have played an important role in communities for many centuries, providing a focal point, a gathering space, and a place where people and nature successfully work together to create abundant harvests,” said Garry Connolly, founder, Host in Ireland. “That spirit of community is alive and well with ‘Orchards in the Community’ as organisations like SLS come together with biodiversity groups, schools, colleges, Tidy Towns and others across Ireland to tackle challenges like biodiversity loss to save Ireland’s pollinators.”

“Our sustainability strategy is designed to help drive positive impact on our environment and society. We’re delighted to join our peers in the data center industry to be part of the Orchards in the Community initiative and play a part in driving real action to give back to our community.” said Sean Magann, chief commercial officer.

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