Today marks a significant milestone in our collective commitment to a sustainable future as Limerick City and County Council launch a suite of climate action programmes aimed at local communities in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
A combined total of in excess of €1 million in funding is available through two programmes designed to empower Limerick communities to shape and build low carbon, sustainable communities in a coherent way to contribute to national climate and energy targets.
The Community Climate Action Programme and Síolta Glasa: Creative Climate Action Fund aim to empower and strengthen communities and support the Climate Action Plan for Limerick City and County, which is currently in development. Both programmes are a collaborative effort that bring together local residents, groups and interested organisations to implement tangible solutions that address our current and future environmental challenges.
Council has been allocated a total of €811,000 for community/non- profit groups within the county. The 100% funding opportunity is for capital investment in small, medium, and large-scale community climate action projects under 5 themes:
- Energy
- Travel
- Food and Waste
- Shopping and Recycling
- Local Climate and Environmental Action
An additional funding opportunity is Strand 1A - Shared Island Community Climate Action. This strand enables communities and local authorities to carry out a cross-border project in partnership with a community in Northern Ireland. Unlike Strand 1, Local Authorities have not been automatically allocated funding under Strand 1A and it is open for all communities to apply.
As an investment under the Climate Action Fund, the overall objective of the Community Climate Action Programme is to support small and large, rural and urban communities to take positive climate action. This Programme supports direct engagement with communities to both promote and assist in the scale up of community climate action from the respective starting points of the communities.
Limerick City and County Council are delighted to have also secured €249, 936 in grant aid from the Creative Climate Action Fund II for a cross Directorate project Síolta Glasa. Supported by Creative Ireland, Síolta Glasa uses creativity to empower seven communities, in collaboration with creative partners, to take climate actions by making carbon reduction activities relevant, actionable and relatable to people’s lives and communities.
When supported by Local Authorities and other stakeholders, creative climate conversations/explorations increase understanding and create ‘buy in’, forming the basis for significant individual behaviour change and the initiation of carbon reduction projects at community level under a variety of themes. Síolta Glasa has the potential for long-lasting community impact in the context of the development of the Local Authority Climate Action Plans and the launch of the Community Climate Action Fund.
The Síolta Glasa call is also open to Artistic/Creative/Creative Industry partners from a diverse range of disciplines including, but not limited to: music; performing arts; visual arts; architecture; crafts, product design; graphic design; fashion design; film; radio; photography; software and computer game development; publishing; literature; cultural heritage; museums; galleries; libraries; advertising; and marketing. The participatory element of socially engaged practice is key, with the artworks created often holding equal or less importance to the collaborative act of creating them.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell said:
“The launch of the Community Climate Action Programme and Síolta Glasa: Creative Climate Action Fund signifies a commitment to empowering our communities to help realise the vision of a greener, more resilient future through collective action, where creativity and community engagement become catalysts for lasting change.”
Senior Engineer, Environment and Climate Action at Limerick City and County Council, Aidan Finn commented: “The Community Climate Action Programme and Síolta Glas are excellent initiatives to give local communities the means to ‘Think Global, Act Local’. I look forward to seeing the projects that come from these initiatives and sharing their achievements with the wider community”
The application process for both programmes will be made available through the Limerick County Council website from 9:00am on December 11th with Síolta Glasa applications open until 5pm on February 6th 2024 and the Community Climate Action Programme will remain open till 5pm on Friday 1st March.
For more information on the Community Climate Action Programme or to make an appointment to discuss your potential project please email the Community Climate Action Officer, Darren Barry, at communityclimatefund@limerick.ie or visit www.limerick.ie/community-climate-action-programme
For more information on Síolta Glasa Open Call for Creatives please email the Creative Communities Engagement Officer, Sarah O’Farrell, at creativeireland@limerick.ie or call 061 556370.