Climate Action Programmes and Initiatives

Find out about Climate Action Community Funding and Initiatives in Meath

Community Climate Action Programme Funding

Community organisations in Meath with an interest in helping to address climate action in their local areas can apply for a Department of Environment, Climate and Communications Grant Fund that will be administered by Meath County Council. Find out more about the Community Climate Action Programme Funding Streams

Sustainable Energy Communities Workshops

Meath County Council is committed to working with communities across County Meath to address the challenges for communities and homeowners of managing their energy needs.

A series of tailored Sustainable Energy Community Workshops were held around the County in October and November to provide awareness of what steps they should take or changes they should make in their day to day lives to gain better control of their energy needs.

Workshop No. 1 focused on addressing the energy gap in knowledge for attendees and increasing awareness of how they can better control their energy needs.

Workshop No. 2 focused on providing Elected Members with an awareness of the importance of their role in influencing the outcome of the formation/activation of a Sustainable Energy Community and to familiarise them with the key processes of energy upgrades.

Workshop No. 3 was designed for Sustainable Energy Communities who have completed their Energy Master Plans and outlined the next step of identifying homes or community facilities for energy upgrades to make them more efficient, warmer and save money. It was also suitable for Sustainable Energy Communities who have not completed their Energy Master Plans to inform them of the next steps.

Group photo of Meath County Council's Cathaoirleach Cllr. Tommy Rieilly, Navan MD Cathaoirleach Cllr. Edward Fennessy, Director of Service Dara McGowan, Director of Service Barry Lynch, Mary D'Arcy Climate Change Coordinator, Peter Olwell Climate Action Officer, URBACT Lead Expert Jose Costero, and Eastern Regional Assembly European Officer Dr. Karl Murphy.

In4Green URBACT Project

Meath County Council has been successfully selected as a project partner in the In4Green under the UBRACT IV programme. The project is a collaborative project with 9 European city partners under the URBACT IV programme. The aim of project is to empower and build the capacity of local stakeholders to overcome the barriers that prevent the transition to greener economies while remaining competitive and inclusive cities.

The project kicked off on 17th October, 2023 with a visit to Navan by the project Lead Expert, Jose Costero.

Poster advertising the SDG Survey and Map. The poster details the purpose of the SDG Survey and Map and encourages communities to enter their details into the survey

Sustainable Development Survey and Map

To coincide the SDG Week 2023, Meath County Council has launched the SDG Survey & Map.

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The SDG Survey & Map provides an opportunity for local community groups, NGO's, individuals, businesses, and schools to highlight how their endeavours link with and advance the SDGs. Groups and individuals can promote their contribution to the SDGs and inspire sustainability by accessing the survey on https://www.meath.ie/council/council-services/environment/climate-action/sustainable-development-goals

Air quality sensor on Market St, Trim, Co. Meath that monitors air quality

Trim Air Quality Project

The Trim Project was originally funded through the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Digital Innovation Programme in the amount of €163,518. Meath County Council co-funded an additional 20%.

This funding allowed us to deliver the Meath Environment Platform, a custom open source web application which stores and displays air quality sensor data and integrates with Trilateral’s STRIAD:AIR platform to show in-depth insights on trends and health. The Meath Environment Platform has the capability to provide in-depth insights on trends and health in expanded locations throughout Co. Meath. Specifically, the Platform can be extended to provide data on air-quality in each of Co. Meath’s nine decarbonising zones, that have been identified in the county’s Climate Action Plan 2024-2029.

We are currently monitoring air quality at a local scale in Trim with Earthsense Zephyr air quality monitors located at two sites: Market Street (in the town centre) and Patrick Street (close to several schools). We monitor all key EPA pollutants used to calculate the Air Quality Index for Health, but our focus in communication has been on fine particles (PM2.5), due to its well-understood harm and links to both traffic and solid fuel use, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) due to its effects on child health and its close relationship with vehicle use.

Air quality data is disseminated to local stakeholders using the platform. This includes comparisons with the nearby reference monitor in Navan, information about trends (showing concentrations on weekdays vs weekends, for example), sensor uptime statistics and our full range of health impact modelling.

Beyond the platform itself, we’ve shared information about the project at a range of workshops and school events in Trim, with six classes taking part in engagement sessions and two public meetings to raise awareness of the project’s goals.

Click https://airquality.meath.ie/ to access the Trim Air Quality Platform