06-05-2025
Wool is one of the valuable resources, but nobody is thinking about the role it can play in climate change
Renewable energy is in the zeitgeist. Solar, wind, waves. Biomass, geothermal, hydropower. There's a long list. But, with the exception of Irish activist, Lorna McCormack, scarcely anyone's talking about wool.
As founder of the successful endeavour, Wool in School, she teaches children about sustainability, natural resources and traditional crafts. Exquisitely qualified for the task, the fibre artist, climate educator and heritage specialist is also a gifted teacher - her expert communication skills honed during former careers in early years and in Deaf culture and community.
Interestingly, despite the breath of her professional experience, it was the conversations she had at home with her own four children that lit the spark for this endeavour.
'They were always interested in my art, and in the knitting I was doing at home,' she says.
'They knew wool came from sheep, but little else on that topic. It was then that I realised that nobody was teaching young people about this, and that knitting wasn't even on the school curriculum. So I decided to do something about it.'
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This she's doing - on a national basis - often with her eldest child Connor, (19), working by her side. As a result of her work, over 30,000 primary school children have learnt about wool's sustainable qualities, with close to 800 of those having been taught to knit by Lorna herself.
'All the children love it,' she says. 'There's a supportive network in every class. Among the boys, part of the reason for its popularity is that there's no competition between them, as they all begin knitting at the same time.
'Most don't get enough opportunities to do this sort of thing and they value it.'
Despite this positivity, Lorna is worried about the disconnection she sees in the classrooms, between Irish schoolchildren and nature.
'Very few know where their food and clothes come from, or that clothes can be repaired and made at home,' she says.
Lorna believes that all children should be taught practical climate skills, repairing, crafts and innovation.
Wool in School founder, Lorna McCormack: "Wool is one of the valuable resources we have, but nobody is thinking about the role it can play in climate change."
'They need to learn about wool and its benefits, how their lives are linked with farming and nature, and how heritage crafts are part of the solution to climate change.'
In her work, she sees first-hand the physical impacts of tech overuse.
'Because children play games using just their thumbs, there's a thumb-culture. Their hand-eye coordination is poor and because so many struggle with knitting needles, the first Wool in School class is often taken up with demonstrating how to hold them so they don't keep dropping to the floor.
'Before being taught how to knit, most have to be shown how to tie a knot. To begin, each child is given a knitting needle holding five stitches. Usually, those stitches are off the needle almost as soon as they take the needles in their hands.'
Despite the frequency of wobbly beginnings, the feedback is excellent. She has been told that it boosts self-esteem and that kids feel great when they help one another to knit and see their own skills improving.
Parents tell her how learning the craft helps their young ones to slow down and to be more mindful at a time when addiction to fast tech is slowing critical thinking.
With that, knitting offers a slower, more sustainable alternative to fast fashion - one that will reduce waste down the line and inspire young people to make more eco-friendly consumer choices.
Currently, less than one third of Irish people see the link between buying textiles and climate change, despite the fashion industry being estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.
Environment Protection Agency research paints a damning picture. Textiles account for 9% of the content in Irish general waste bins. Globally, it's estimated that one full truckload of textiles goes to landfill or incineration every second, with less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing recycled into new products. The rest is landfilled, incinerated, or exported overseas where it has a negative environmental and social impact.
Some of the pieces created by children with Lorna McCormack founder of Wool in School
'Wool is one of the valuable resources we have, but nobody is thinking about the role it can play in climate change,' says Lorna.
'Besides its environmental benefits, it's culturally significant. As a renewable, natural fibre, it stores carbon and is part of the climate solution. We need to bring back our traditional skills, and lead the next generation with climate action at heart.'
We also need to support Irish women in wool. 'They are up against people knitting with synthetic fibres, people who - because they don't ask - assume they are knitting with wool.
'Another difficulty is that in order to be processed into yarn, Irish wool must be sent to the UK. This means that when it comes to traceability, we cannot say that Irish wool is fully Irish,' says Lorna.
Of current endeavors to valorize the Irish wool industry, she says, 'A lot of money is being put into research. But through education, it can be shown that the answers are already there.
'Women in wool, women in agriculture, already have the solutions. Yet they are being ignored.
'They are fighting hard and it's difficult for them to fight against an industry that's sometimes nearly fighting against them.
'Within the wool industry there can be a lot of politics. This is something that holds back its progression. This is frustrating, particularly for these innovating women, who have long been the backbone of the wool industry in rural communities.
'Women in wool need support, finance and recognition. The last, because so often women are expected to do everything.'
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