A committed environmentalist since the early 1980s, Trevor Sargent first became politically active when he joined the Green Party in 1982. However, it was not until 1989 that the Green Party made an impact on national politics, winning its first seat in Dáil Éireann through Roger Garland. In that same year Sargent stood for election to the European Parliament, but was unsuccessful. Two years later in 1991, he was elected to Dublin County Council. He is well known for waving in the council chamber a cheque received in the post from a builder who was seeking to rezone land for a housing development. When he asked the other members whether any of them had also received cheques, he was assaulted by a number of his fellow councillors. Sargent alleged that Fianna Fáil Councillor Don Lydon put him in a headlock and attempted to snatch the cheque from him. This is one of the incidents which eventually led to the creation of the Mahon Tribunal to look into planning matters in Dublin County Council.
Dáil Éireann
At the 1992 general election, he was elected to Dáil Éireann and retained his seat at the 1997, 2002 and 2007 general elections, topping the poll in 2002. Having been elected to Dáil Éireann, he resigned his county council seat in keeping with Green Party policy on dual mandates. This policy has since been adopted by the Government of Ireland and is now compulsory. Having been the only Green Party member of the Dáil between 1992 and 1997, Sargent was joined in 1997 by John Gormley, and in 2002 by an additional four Green Party TDs. At a special "Leadership Convention" in Kilkenny on 6 October 2001, Sargent was elected the first official leader of the Green Party. He was re-elected to this position in 2003 and again in 2005. Following the 2007 general election, the Green Party entered talks on forming a coalition government with Fianna Fáil. A programme for government was agreed after over a week of negotiations, which was ratified by 86% by a special conference of the Green Party membership, following passionate endorsements of the deal by Sargent and the rest of the Green leadership. However, Sargent announced that he would resign his position as leader of the party and would not accept a seat in cabinet, as he had promised he would not lead the party into government with Fianna Fáil before the election. He was succeeded as leader by John Gormley. Instead of entering cabinet, he was appointed Minister of State for Food and Horticulture by Bertie Ahern on 20 June 2007. He served as the Minister of State for Food and Horticulture from June 2007 to February 2010. He resigned as Minister when he admitted unlawfully contacting Gardaí about a criminal case involving a constituent who had been assaulted. He lost his seat at the 2011 general election, along with all the other Green Party TDs.
Post politics
In March 2012, he published his debut book, Trevor's Kitchen Garden, a week-by-week manual and diary in book form about growing food in a small garden, based on his blog of the same name. In August 2017, Sargent was ordained a deacon in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory. He was ordained priest in Christchurch Cathedral, Waterford city on 8 September 2018.
Media
Sargent has made many appearances on the Irish-language TV channel TG4. He was a guest judge on TG4's Feirm Factor and a guest gardener for Season 2 of Garrai Glas in 2011. He also made an appearance on The Podge and Rodge Show on 10 April 2006.
Personal life
Sargent lived in Balbriggan for 30 years. In 1998, he married Heidi Bedell, a former councilor, and one-time co-ordinator of the Green Party. They divorced in 2013. Sargent lived with his second wife, Aine Neville, in Tacumshin, County Wexford, where they developed an organic horticulture enterprise. They were also members of the Wexford Naturalists' field club. In 1987 he helped found Sonairte, The National Ecology Centre, in Laytown, County Meath and served as chairman. He has been active in GIY Ireland.
