Sustainability Success Stories
Learning from others’ experiences is a great way to start your sustainability journey. We are collecting stories from individuals and communities that will tell you what they did and how they went about it.
What is the difference between a ‘Case Study’ and a ‘Community Story’?
Well it’s really a question of level of detail.
A ‘Community Story’ is a quick and simple telling of the bare details of a communtiy project – it includes key facts and ideas whio did what and how, and why it’s useful to know about. It also has contact details for how to get in touch with the people runing the project.
A Case Study is a deeper look into a community action or project. It comes with a five page PDF that looks at a whole range of ideas and actions in the project. Many of the case studies have podcast episodes alongside them.
Our latest Community Stories
Sligo Children’s Community Garden
Born from a shared idea, SCCG was created to give a welcoming outdoor space where children and families can connect with nature. They can learn about sustainability, and bring about a sense of community. The garden is in the heart of Sligo, and it is a place where biodiversity does really well. The main idea of “grow your own” is taken on by everyone, and where people can improve their awareness of their environment.
A NetZeroCities Project: Warm Home Hub
The Warm Home Hub, in the Westside Community of Galway City, gave a free-of-charge advice service that helps local residents by sustainably upgrading and retrofitting their homes, to make them into energy-efficient, sustainable, more comfortable and healthier homes. This included advice about the grants to home owners. They gave solutions that are available and suitable for each home, and how they could pay back the works through savings.
From Small Wins to a Community Energy Pipeline: GreenPlan Mulranny (Case Study)
GreenPlan Mulranny turned a volunteer-run tourist office into a public “green hub” for the whole village—swapping bulbs, cutting bills, refilling water bottles, charging e-bikes from solar, and showing live energy on a screen. Those visible, low-cost actions grew into a community energy pipeline (Sustainable Energy Community → Energy Master Plan → Building Energy Ratings → Retrofits) and helped set the stage for Mulranny’s Decarbonising Zone.
Just three of our latest Personal Stories
Avril, Sligo, “Don’t make it a one time thing, make it a habit”
I Upgraded to reusable water bottles and tea cups, and started buying second hand clothes. Location Sligo Name Avril Impact: Over it's typical lifetime a re-useable coffee cup saves approximately 10kg of CO2 equivalent. What inspired you to do...
Joe oB: Bikes to work on the scheme that could work for nearly everyone
We were always a two car family. When my own car was up for renewal I looked into the bike to work scheme. I found out that the electric assist bike would work well for me: it’s quite an uphill journey in parts and so I didn’t feel that the standard bike was for me. I also saw that the bike to work scheme meant that I got the bike more or less for half price. It makes total economic sense when you factor in cost of even a second hand car, the petrol, tax and insurance. The sustainability benefits are very obvious.
Brian – uses the train for distance commutes
Even though I live in Mayo and work in Dublin I have switched to cycling and commutes using the train instead of a car.
Sustainability, reducing CO2 emissions, and from a practicality perspective, it’s actually safer.