Project Description

Briege’s story – some of the climate actions I take with my family 

Reducing Food Waste – In September 2015, Airfield Estate hosted their first Food Festival and I was so excited to be there as I love all things food! I attended a talk by Iseult Ward from FoodCloud, a social enterprise connecting business with surplus food, with charities and community groups that need it. She delivered an excellent presentation, and for me, it was a lightbulb moment. How can we waste so much food, when some people do not have enough to eat? I had not realised until then that when food waste goes to landfill, it contributes to our greenhouse gas emissions by releasing methane. For me, there was a moral obligation to look at how much food I was wasting and to reduce it. The following year, I participated in Stop Food Waste workshops with Stop Food Waste and DLR County Council. I learned so much! As a group, we produced a Stop Food waste calendar with food waste advice and tips, which was distributed to hundreds of homes in DLR. Reducing food waste is ongoing, it doesn’t always go to plan, but having awareness of what you waste, and how to avoid it, is time well spent (and money saved!). Meal planning and shopping with a list (and sticking to it) is a big part of it. I continue to try to raise awareness of the issue when I can, on social media. 

Sustainable Travel – I do my best to walk, cycle or use public transport where I can and avoid using the car if possible. I like walking and cycling, so it is easier for me to choose those options. 

Sustainable Diet – this is a work in progress. I am actively reducing my meat intake, particularly beef, as producing beef makes such a high contribution to our greenhouse gases. I am always on the hunt for nice vegetarian recipes to develop my repertoire of meal alternatives. 

Household changes – we have changed our bank to a greener bank, one not funding the fossil fuel industry, a decision accelerated as our bank is pulling out of Ireland. We used Bank Green to help with our decision. We have moved our electricity supply to Community Power. We are saving to try to install a heat pump so that we are not reliant on fossil fuels for heating any more. Reducing packaging waste is an ongoing battle. I use a keepcup for coffee and a refillable bottle for water. We refill our washing liquids and detergents in the Gourmet Food Pantry in Dun Laoghaire, and buy loose when we can, but there is still so much packaging on food. I try not to buy things I don’t need.

Supporting Biodiversity – when our son was small, he had a real love of birds, and it was infectious! As a result, we signed up as members of Birdwatch Ireland and try to do our bit to keep habitats (hedges and trees) for them, and to feed them in the winter. We also take part in the Birdwatch Ireland annual garden bird survey. Covid-19 lockdowns had the biggest impact on work to support biodiversity as we were spending so much more time at home and in the garden, noticing what was around, taking photos, and getting to so much pleasure and comfort from nature. Some actions we take include: not mowing our lawn, planting more trees and my husband put in a pond, logpile and hedgehog highway as part of the DLRVC Gardening for Biodiversity project! Over the past few years, I have been a casual recorder of biodiversity sightings with the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

Volunteering – I have also signed up as a volunteer with Dublin Friends of the Earth (signing petitions, making submissions, joining in with clean ups, tree planting and sharing ideas on social media) and the Native Woodland Trust (tree planting, potting and seed harvesting). We also became members of the Dublin Naturalists’ Field Club and this group is so supportive in helping with learning. 

There is so much more to do, and always lots to learn, but I am grateful for coming together with likeminded people, with shared values, to take collective action. Having the opportunity to build projects like the Climate Action Challenge, Gardening for Biodiversity, and participate in the Volunteer Centre Climate Action Working group also gives me the chance to take action through my work.