Waterford communities take action to become climate neutral by 2040

Action Climate Targets will tackle themes including suburban transport, domestic energy use, horticulture, biodiversity, and responsible consumption

Working with Dunmore Road Communities as part of ACT Waterford, creative Joanne Donohue is exploring the residential area, chatting to residents, examining access to bus routes from the residential estates, and exploring walking and cycling options already available. 

Four Waterford communities have come together in a year-long project tackling climate change, in a bid to accelerate the county's transition to becoming climate neutral by 2040.

ACT (Action Climate Targets) Waterford, which is funded by Creative Ireland Climate Action fund and involves the local authority and South East Technological University (SETU), will see the communities tackle themes including suburban transport, domestic energy use, horticulture, biodiversity, and responsible consumption.

Greening The City in Ballybricken will see the promotion of planting in public spaces, gardens and balconies, as well as exploring novel places to grow, while also creating a vision for how the community — one of the oldest and most historic in the city — would like their area to look like in future.

Dunmore Road communities will examine access to bus routes from the local housing estates, and explore walking and cycling options available.

Biodiversity in Kilmacthomas will examine ways to include water-based areas such as the coast, estuaries, lakes, streams, springs, bogs and peatlands, reed beds, fens, salt marshes, flood plains, and wet woodlands in the restoration of nature.

The Walls Project (TWP) is working with the Ballybeg community to examine domestic energy use and efficiency to examine energy efficiency and what people can do on a day-to-day basis in their lives in relation to combatting climate change through local measures.

As well as the four on-the-ground projects, ACT Waterford will investigate shopping and recycling habits through an online community. 

ACT Waterford project manager Nollaig Healy said it is a "hugely ambitious" initiative "which will help place Waterford in the lead of climate action in Ireland".

"We believe these community projects will bring about real change and a move from climate change awareness to climate change action," she said.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB