Community Stories | CONNECTED

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.

Achursáil Árainn – Aran Recycling

Community Stories, Recycling, Waste

A community member owned co-operative of the Aran Islands. The key to the project was the islanders deciding they no longer wanted to dump household and commercial waste to landfill on the island. This affected the quality of the public water supply. A more sustainable view was needed: based on maximum recycling and minimum landfill. This was achieved and almost 60% of all waste on the island is recylced or repurposed – way ahead of the national targets.

Sligo Sustainable Energy CommunitySligo

Community Stories, Sligo

Sligo’s community and the town’s largest businesses and employers are working together to reduce energy use and carbon emissions across Sligo and Leitrim. This group, called Sligo Sustainable Energy Community (SEC), was set up in 2016 by local organisations and community members. They are helping people and businesses to save energy, cut costs, and switch to cleaner energy sources.

Aran Islands Keep Cup Campaign

Community Stories, Waste

The Aran Islands ‘Keep Cup Campaign’ was launched in June 2025 by the Aran Islands Energy Co-op (Comharchumann Fuinnimh Oileáin Árann Teo, CFOAT), in collaboration with thirteen local businesses across the three Islands. Ten businesses on Inis Mór, one business on Inis Meáin and two on Inis Óirr have partnered up with CFOAT to promote the increase of reusable utensils and to reduce the number of single use plastic items in the form of takeaway cups.

Use Your Mug Galway City

This was a campaign that lasted for 3 months in Galway City. During this time 9 cafes in the city did not sell coffee in paper cups. Instead you had to bring your own keep cup. The campaign was talked about all over the city and it helped get people into the habit of bringing their keep cups out with them. Once you pick up a good habit, it’s easy to keep doing it. This is a project that you could start in your town or village. Read more to see how they did it and how you can too.

Westside Community Organic Garden: Growing Together for Sustainability (Case Study)

Biodiversity, Case Studies, Community Stories, Food, Food, Galway

In the heart of Galway’s Westside, a city community turned land that was not being used into a growing centre for biodiversity sustainability, and connections between people. Set up in 2011, this project which is led by volunteer gives locals the power to grow local food. It helps people in the community work together and improve how we look after the land. It’s more than just a garden—it’s a living space where people come together to look after both the land and each other.

Coill Chormaic: A Community-Driven Model for Sustainable Forestry (Case Study)

Biodiversity, Biodiversity, Case Studies, Community Stories, Leitrim

Discover Coill Chormaic, a cooperative forestry project that was inspired by the life of Cormac ó Braonáin, a passionate campaigner for nature. This project brings together family, friends, and neighbors to plant a native Irish forest that supports the joined-up web of living things and how local people in a community get on with eachother. It’s about more than just planting trees; it’s about creating a space where a community working together meets looking after nature.

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.

RIPEET Transition Labs Handbook

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.

The Sketch Game: discovering your team’s diversity

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.