Kildare County Council has designated Maynooth Town as the Decarbonising Zone (DZ) for the county. Acting as a “testbed”somewhere you try out new ideas to see if they work Maynooth Town will pioneer ambitious climate actions intended to be replicated by other “Fast Follower” towns across Kildare.
The Council’s Climate Action Team, working alongside Maynooth University and local community stakeholderspeople that will be affected (good or bad) by a project, is putting the Local Climate Action Plan 2024–2029 into practice. Kildare is also the first county in Ireland to name a permanent Climate Action Officer, showing its long-term commitment to ‘decarbonisation’reducing the amount of Carbon Dioxide emissionsand sustainability. These efforts will contribute to the Maynooth Town DZ’s vision:
“To make our Maynooth Town Decarbonising Zone climate neutral together by 2050 for a sustainable tomorrow.”
– Kildare County Council, Climate Action Plan 2024–2029, p.75
4.91 tCO₂etonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per person per year
The Maynooth Town DZ estimated total carbon dioxide emissions from 2018 were 73,635 tCO₂e, with the residential sector as the largest emitter. This was followed by transport and business/commercial activities. Maynooth Town has a full time resident population of 17,259 and a student population of 18,500.
Community Engagement
Maynooth Town Sustainable Energy Community (SEC)
The Maynooth Town SEC is leading efforts to reduce residential emissions, supported by the Kildare County Council Climate Action Team. Around 6,000 homes in Maynooth Town have a BER rating of C or below this is a big challenge to achieving emission reductions.
Maynooth Town SEC helps other community groups in applying for funding to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. A new program, the Solar Meithealon Irish language word that comes from farming to describe when people come together to work on a common project Project, aims to bring residents together to increase the town’s renewable energy capacity.
Learn more about the SEAI Solar Meitheal Project
Maynooth Town Tidy Towns
Maynooth Town Tidy Towns, together with Kildare County Council and Maynooth University, won the 2024 SuperValu TidyTowns Award and earned Gold at the Entente Florale Europe Awards for their long-standing community work.
The Council plans to build on this strong community foundation by setting up a Decarbonising Zone Steering Group to organise collaborativepeople working together local climate actions.
Kildare County Council also used the Climate Action Works Programme, which brings communities into the conversation on climate change and action. View the Maynooth Town DZ video and case study under Climate Action Works here.
Sustainability Practices in the Maynooth Town DZ
(DZ) Climate Champions Awards Programme
Launched by Kildare County Council, the (DZ) Climate Champions Awards celebrate local groups making real contributions to climate action. Each award is represented by a native tree species (Oak, Silver Birch, or Hawthorn), with a tree planted in honour of each award winner. Maynooth Town SEC received the Silver Birch Award in 2025.
Picnic in the Park
The Picnic in the Park event has been held every year for the past three years. It celebrates community sustainability projects. Organised by Maynooth Town Community Council it is also supported by the Kildare Climate Action Office. The event shows how local businesses, experts, and organisations work on sustainability across many themes.
In 2025, over 4,000 people attended. This was the first year the Climate Champion Awards were presented at the event to inspire wider local participation in climate-friendly practices. The event is primarily funded through fundraising by Maynooth Community Council throughout the year, and with support from the Kildare Climate Action Team.
A suburban home has been retrofittedhad insulation and energy saving work done - especially on a house or building from a D1 to A1 BER rating. It is an example of green building and energy saving methods. It is a model example for energy-efficient work, and it earned the Presidential Award at the Entente Florale Europe Awards.
Funded by Kildare County Council, the project is based on the Irish Green Building Council’s Home Performance Index. It goes beyond energy efficiency to include biodiversityanimals and nature, universal access, and water conservation.
Tours and information sessions, are run by the Climate Action Office and Maynooth Town SEC, to help other local authorities to copy this model. These are open tolocal residents that are thinking of retrofitting as well.
Kildare Climate Innovation Fund
The Kildare Climate Innovation Fund gives annual grants for creative climate projects led by community groups, educational institutions, businesses, and individuals across the county. These are funded by the Local Property Tax.
Maynooth University Partnership
Maynooth University acts as a Climate Research Centre, working with the Council through a Creative Climate Action Ignite Fund project. The co-creative Climate Design Lab brings residents, students, and local authorities together to design and test innovative, behaviour-driven climate solutions — these include a Smart Bins project recently launched across the town.
Restorative Farming
Within the Maynooth Town DZ, several local farms have adopted organic and restorative farming practices. Supported by the weekly Maynooth Town Farmers Market, these farmers were recognised at the Climate Champions Awards for promoting sustainable agriculture and educating the community on its benefits.
Transport and Low-Carbon Planning
Kildare and Meath County Councils have jointly adopted the Maynooth Town and Environs Joint Local Area Plan 2025–2031. This plan was the winner of the ‘Plan-Making’ Award at the 2025 Irish Planning Awards.
The plan promotes low-carbon development, focussing on active travel routes, safe walking and cycling routes, and increasing public transport. Future plans to divert traffic away from the town centre at the same time as creating of orbital routes and increased public transport, will reduce traffic congestion. This will move Maynooth Town toward a fossil fuelusing petrol, diesel, oil or gas-free transport system. The plan also ensures that any upcoming developments are done sustainably, to avoide emissions being locked-in for the future.
Commercial Sector
Kildare County Council participates in the Green for Micro Programme, offered through the Local Enterprise Office, helping small businesses transition to low-carbon operations. The Climate Action Team will continue working with Maynooth Town’s business community to advance the town’s decarbonisation goals.
Get Involved
If you would like to participate in initiatives for Maynooth Town Decarbonising Zone, please contact:
📧 climateactionoffice@kildarecoco.ie
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