Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives

Farming Rathcroghan Scheme – Sustainable Farming in the Rathcroghan Archaeological Landscape

Biodiversity, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Project Management, Roscommon

The Farming Rathcroghan EIP project gives advice and support to farmers in the local area on how to farm in an historically important landscape, to look after and improve the landscape, while protecting bio-diversity, carbon sequestration and improving water quality. This is important because farmers need to work with forms and rules while at the same time make a living. As a farmer in the project says: ‘Being a member of Farming Rathcroghan has meant that I have the support that I need to farm on a heritage site. it’s made my farming more sustainable and meaningful. ‘

Pocket Forests – bringing nature into towns

Biodiversity, Dublin City, Engagement and Communication, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Social Entrepreneurship

Pocket Forests works on restoring biodiversity, soil health, and community connection by making small, dense plantings of native trees and shrubs in built up areas. They use the ideas from the Miyawaki or “Tiny Forest” approach. They also use permaculture to make richer and healthier soil that has become poor by being neglected. Since 2020, more than 100 pocket forests have been planted around Ireland. More than 1,500 people of all ages have taken part in workshops planting and other actions.

Burrenbeo Trust

Best Practices, Biodiversity, Clare, Engagement and Communication, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Governance and Leadership

Set up as a charity in 2008, Burrenbeo Trust is a non-profit organisation that connects all of us to our places and our role in caring for them. Based in the Burren, Burrenbeo Trust works to raise awareness of the importance of the Burren, and to encourage local communities to act as carers of its priceless heritage. Building on lessons learned over the past twenty years, Burrenbeo also supports ‘place-based learning’ across Ireland as a way that communities can learn more about their place and their role in actively caring for it.

Stone Wall Festival — Rebuilding heritage the regenerative way

Biodiversity, Case Studies, Case Studies, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Organizational Development, Social Entrepreneurship

What started as a small, hands‑on community weekend became an example of regenerative tourism (where vistors make a place better while they visit it): visitors learn a traditional craft, rebuild a section of wall, and leave a visible legacy on the Great Western Greenway.

Working with Nature: The Rosmurrevagh Dunes Conservation Project

Best Practices, Biodiversity, Case Studies, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Governance and Leadership, Organizational Development

The Rosmurrevagh Dunes Project is a very strong example of community-led ecological restoration based in observation, care, and long-term commitment. Started by local farmers in 1996, the project began as an answer to bad erosion and . Over time, it became a leading example of learning together and how to protect the land from the sea using natural ways and not just building walls. Today, Rosmurrevagh is known as one of Ireland’s strongest sand dune systems. This was not just against erosion from the sea, but because the community learned to work with nature.

Old Irish Goat Project – Reviving Heritage for a Resilient Future

Biodiversity, Case Studies, Case Studies, Engagement, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Governance and Leadership

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.

Mulranny Community Futures & Promenade (Case Study)

Case Studies, Committee Tools, Engagement and Communication, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, In Ireland Travel, Mayo

A Scottish-style, household-led consultation gave Mulranny a clear, shared brief: footpaths, safer crossings, and a seafront civic space. With a Village Design Statement (2012) to turn that mandate into drawings, the community and council delivered continuous footpaths, traffic calming, and the Mulranny Promenade—even during austerity—shifting the N59 corridor from car-dominated to people-first and setting the stage for later climate actions.

Creative Climate Action: Art and Sustainability in Westside (Case Study)

Case Studies, Community Stories, Engagement and Communication, Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives, Galway, Soft Skills Development

Westside Resource Centre’s community-led projects bring creativity and climate action together to engage residents in meaningful ways. Projects like “Painting the Planet” and “The Air We Share” use art and science to make sustainability understandable, start conversations about environmental issues, and strengthen community connections. Read the full case study to learn more about this work and what they are able to do.

Community Energy: A Practical Guide to Reclaiming Power

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Community Futures Goes Green Poster

A colorful poster titled “Vision for Mayo” that gives a snapshot of the sustainable vision of Mayo. It focuses on local living, community action, sustainable energy, and waste reduction. The poster is richly illustrated, getting its message across with great pictures