The Rural Youth Europe (RYE) rally brings together members from European states to discuss topics relevant in rural communities, share ideas and experiences and promote peace.

This year the rally was hosted by Germany, in the town of Nienburg for the 65th RYE rally. The topic for the rally this year was Dialogue on Sustainability in Rural Areas.

Prior to arriving in Germany each team had to prepare:

  • A selection of food to be used at the international food buffet and also some sustainability info about some food items. We prepared some info on Kilmeaden cheese and Tayto crisps.
  • A brief summary of a sustainable practice from your local community to share with others at the rally. We looked at the overall impact of global warming on Ireland, and then looked at the carbon navigators completed by dairy farmers and how they can help reduce farm emissions.
  • A lip sync performance as a group based around a theme Love is in the Air. We performed to the song C’est la Vie by Bewitched where we polished off/found the Irish dancing shoes.
  • The whole week was very interactive, with nearly all the sessions involving group work. The sessions included: Understanding Dialogue, Intro to Sustainability, Labels and Certification, Your Personal Impact and the EU Green Deal.

    We made videos, acted short sketches and completed some group presentations to help us understand the topics better. We had great craic along the way, as every group we were in was randomised so we could meet different people each day.

    On a farm trip we visited an organic blueberry farm with adjoining shop/restaurant. This was a very impressive farm with 25ha under blueberries.

    The blueberries were used extensively on the menu as drinks, jams, sides or just ordinary fruit.

    The farm facilitated a great connection between the consumer and the farmer, which is a really sustainable food production model.

    A visit to a glass factory which uses all recycled glass accounting for 85-90% of their raw materials. Glass is a very sustainable product, as it can be recycled indefinitely and has such a variety of uses.

    This plant focused on making glass bottles for Jägermeister and Jack Daniels to name a few.

    While staying with a host family for one night, I got to visit a local dairy farm with a 1.2kW anaerobic digester.

    Renewable energy is a vital source of income for farmers in Germany, and when asked which enterprise was more profitable he said his renewable energy “paid him better”.

    We had great craic with our own team and meeting everyone else from other countries, with dancing every evening.

    The success of the event was down to everyone getting involved and bringing a small bit of information each, which collectively adds up into a large body of information for everyone. I’m delighted that I could represent Macra at this event.