E-bike library, parklet, solar panels, green festival kit, dry toilet in the pipeline for Laois

A 'Peoples Parklet' in Portlaoise, club gear swapping at Clonad GAA, a wormery in Mountrath, e-bike library in Portarlington and a Green Festival kit.

These are just some of the high-tech and low-tech new innovative projects that are set to get off the ground around Laois as part of the county's Climate Action efforts.

Laois County Council is delighted to announce that €465,000 has been allocated to 16 Community Groups in Laois for local climate action under the Government’s Climate Action Fund.

This fund is provided to Local Authorities to partner with community groups and supports initiatives like community gardens, resource sharing and upcycling, reducing food waste and retrofitting community buildings.

There is plenty of variety and innovation in the applications recommended for funding under Strand 1 of the Community Climate Action Programme in Laois.

Starting at the Abbeyleix Community Garden, a local application for rainwater harvesting with gravity-fed irrigation has the green light.

Meanwhile, the Abbeyleix Park Development Committee is advancing the implementation of the 2023 Smart Plan for Fr Breen Sports Park. This involves installing solar panels. It's also planned to enhance energy efficiency with smart sensors and smart controls for heating systems. Segregated waste bins are in the pipeline and bike parking, as recommended in Fr Breen Park Greening Studies Report (2024), is also on the way.

The active Camross Community Association is also looking forward to an energy upgrade of the community hall. This involves completing a Community Hall retrofit with roof insulation and installation of LED lighting.

The Laois Teachers' Climate Action Committee is advancing a Grow Me Local project in Portlaoise. This will involve a fit-out of an existing polytunnel designed with fully accessible planting areas and a rainwater-harvested irrigation system.

The Mountrath Tidy Towns Association has a back-to-the-future plan. It wants to install a fully accessible dry toilet system, including wormery.

Also in Mountrath, the Community Forum has a Greening Macra Hall project. It involves a bike stop in a prominent site in the town centre with a bike repair station and bike parking under a shelter.

Mountmellick Men's Shed is embarking on climate-proofing with the installation of solar panels.

Down in Monavea at St Abbans Athletic Club, Action Energy Abban's is being advanced with plans for webapp hardware to control of lighting etc in the club.

The Rathdowney Vision CLG are pushing forward with Rathdowney Vision for a Sustainable Community with Solar power. A bike repair station and bike parking are also planned. Rainwater harvesting butt and a rotating composting bin are in the pipeline for the community garden.

O'Dempseys GAA Club in Killenard has a Green Trails project that involves a full LED retrofit of all 53 light fixtures in the clubhouse.

The Portarlington Business Association Sustainability Group has come up with a novel Portarlington Community Bike Library. The aim is to allow local people to borrow electric bikes, to suit various needs. The lending period is for several months so people can trial a viable alternative to car use for their shorter, more local journeys with a view to purchasing their own e-bike if they find it beneficial.

Bike maintenance hub in Portlaoise to spring up around Laois thanks to the grants.

The Laois Federation of Tidy Towns wants to launch a Green Your Festival kit for small festivals throughout Laois in support of their efforts to become sustainable events. The kit will contain equipment including a solar charging battery pack (to replace traditional diesel generators). It will reduce waste generated at festivals with reusable pint cups (to replace single-use disposables) and mobile water refill units (to reduce single-use plastics).

Portlaoise Tidy Towns has plans for Greening Lyster Square. A Peoples Parklet or a "mini park" built by Portlaoise Men’s Shed is on the cards. This Parklet will combine seating, rain garden biodiversity planting and bike parking.

The project will also involve a surface-level rain garden in Lyster Square that will lessen and filter extreme weather rainfall entering the drainage system.

The Ballyroan Community Development CLG has plans for the Ballyroan Community Site at the old boys school where a playground is in the pipeline. The development group want to retrofit the old school for community use. Also on the cards is a bike Stop in the original bike shelter of the school for a bike parking and repair station. Compost bins on site and throughout Ballyroan for plant cuttings are also sought.

Finally, The Heath GAA club wants to push ahead with its Climate and Environmental Action Plan. This involves insulating walls and ceilings, replacing doors and windows as well as biodiversity planting.

Laois County Council has worked with the groups and the projects. It says The Community Climate Action Fund provides funding of up to €100,000 to local projects to be carried out over an 18-month period. Across Laois, as the 16 groups move into the delivery phase of their projects now, they are reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Pamela Tynan, Acting Senior Executive Officer, Community, Climate Action, Sport & Leisure Department, Laois County Council noted the interest in taking climate action among Laois groups and organisations.

“The diversity of groups and projects allocated funding from the Community Climate Action Programme reflects the enthusiasm of Laois people for taking climate action in their communities. These actions are vital in helping stabilise our climate, improve our health and quality of life and to build resilience in our localities,” she said.

Karen Moore is the Community Climate Action Officer at County Hall. She said she was thrilled to have been able to notify community groups which have been allocated Community Climate Action Programme funds.

“These groups are doing projects that not only directly protect our climate but also bring many other benefits to their communities,” she said.

The funding was welcomed by Laois Fianna Fáil Minister of State Seán Fleming.

He said the funding will support a wide variety of organisations, from sports clubs to tidy towns to local enterprise groups, to pay for measures that they feel will improve their communities, save energy and money or support their members.

"Community groups and volunteers do great work in our local areas, and this funding also recognises this hard work by further investing in projects,” he said.

Further details can be found at: gov - Climate Action Fund (www.gov.ie) or by contacting Karen Moore, Community Climate Action Officer, Laois County Council [email protected].