A loal community saw that their bog was being harmed by commercial harvesting of peat for horticulture. They believed this was not in the best interests of local nature and biodiversity. They began a campaign that took eight years to protect the bog with the agreement of the owners. The active raised bog habitat increased by 1,130% from 2009 to 2020. They created a vital local amenityfor the community and its visitors.
This garden has made a habitat for nature so that biodiversity has increased in this space so close to the city of Cork. But at the same time it is clear that Mandie, Marie, and everyone else in the project sees how important it is to include many people and groups. “It was a challenge at the start to convince people that the garden wasn’t going to be vandalised and that if it was, then we would just fix the issue not highlight it in the community not to be negative about any vandalism. It was important to include the kids and teenagers…”
West Kerry Dairy Farmers set up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) in 2020 to cut electricity use and carbon emissions in the dairy sector in the area. Led by local farmer Dinny Galvin, supported by a small steering committee, Dingle Hub, and SEAI mentors, the group co-created an Energy Master Plan (EMP) with outside consultants. They went on to run a collective solar PV meitheal . The SEC combined a collective tender for solar, and farmer-to-farmer learning to move farms toward energy efficiency and visible climate action.
Swift Conservation Ireland is a volunteer led initiative working on the conservation of the swift in Ireland. The project began with Lynda Huxley. Her interest in swifts began while working at ATU Mayo campus in Castlebar, where there is an established colony of the birds. She began recording numbers and studying nest sites on campus in the summer months, and noticed that fewer birds returning each year. She decided to set up a nest box project to provide secure breeding sites to help conserve – and then grow – their numbers
Boomtreebees is a conservation and natural beekeeping project in Ireland which is all about protecting the native Irish honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera). They make semi‑natural habitat (log hives) to serve as nesting sites, and do research and education to share what they have found out about how to help bring back the Irish honey bee in the wild. They have helped Irish bees make more than 200 wild bee hives.
A beach in Galway City was the home of a family of Dexter cows in 2024, to graze the headland east of Ballyloughane beach for several months as part of a project led by Galway City Council, working with a local farmer. Local schools and community groups were invited to participate in a programme to share information about this native Irish breed, farming, and its relationship to Irish biodiversity.
The Westside Resource Centre is a hub for the community where people can find resources and make connections to help kickstart their sustainability actions – there are resource centres and community hubs throughout Ireland: find yours and start your own action. In our latest podcast, Maeve from the Climate Connected series speaks with James Coyne, the CEO of the Galway Westside Resource Centre, about how his community-focused organisation is tackling climate and environmental issues from the ground up.
OURganic Gardens is an outdoor teaching garden in northwest Donegal. They teach people how to grow food and work with nature, not against it. It’s a place where people can come together to learn, volunteer, and enjoy the outdoors through classes and garden tours. It helps other people and groups do similar gardens in their own place.
Bounce Back Recycling (BBR) is a Traveller-led social enterprise that breaks down mattresses and bulky furniture by hand so their materials can be reused or recycled instead of having to be landfilled or incinerated. It brings together environmental aims (shifting bulky waste into the circular economy) with social goals (training and employing people from the Traveller community).