The Bertra Connected group work on protecting the sand and grass dunes at Bertra Beach, Co Mayo. The dune system on the beach is shrinking rapidly and does not appear to building back up and recovering naturally as it once did. The very popular beach is under pressure from climate change and from over-use for recreation.
The community in Bertra has come together to find ways within nature to preserve these dunes…
A local 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 amenity for 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…”
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.
Sean Carolan from Mulranny Community Futures talks to Maeve Halpin in our Podcast Number 3. The Mulranny story demonstrates that transformative climate and community action is possible through a structured model of deep community engagement, respectful collaboration, and strategic coordination. It proves that when citizens are genuinely empowered to design their own future, they generate innovative, locally-suited solutions that also contribute to global sustainability goals.
What started as a search for a lost native breed has grown into one of Ireland’s most innovative examples of community-led climate action. In Mulranny, County Mayo, a local group came together to protect the Old Irish Goat — a rare and ancient animal deeply connected to Irish culture. Today, their work blends conservation, education, and land management in ways that support both biodiversity and climate resilience.
The handbook digs deeper into the ‘Transition Lab’ approach for energy transitions. It shows a clearly well set out approach on how to set up, and run sustainability meetings.
A drawing exercise that shows us how we can have different ideas and views on various subjects and/or goals. This shows how people come from different cultures and have their own views and ideas. It helps show that we all are equal and need respect.
This is a tool which helps a group in a meeting decide what tasks are most important for them. It also helps them choose what path, ouf many choices, to follow in their work.