Mayo people worldwide to speak of their work on climate change

MAYO Changemakers is a Mary Robinson Centre event that will showcase the work done by Mayo people around the globe in addressing climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

Taking place on May 30 in Ballina Arts Centre and online, it will spotlight people like Céline Reilly of Crossmolina.

First introduced to renewable energy through a hydro-electric project as a student in Galway, Céline now knows that she was ‘sustainability growing up though I did not realise it at the time’, a realisation that has informed and influenced her career.

Recently retired from Dublin City Council, where she was Executive Manager for Climate Action, Céline today chairs the board of Vita Ireland, a charity that supports communities in Africa with sustainable solutions.

While with Dublin City Council, Céline’s work saved 146,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, improved people's quality of life and their energy bills, retrofitting 8000 homes.

Her work with Vita International has resulted in saving over 2 million tonnes of carbon and 30m trees through energy efficient cook stove and water point repair projects in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Céline is ‘really proud to have been heavily involved in all these projects that directly and positively impact both the climate and people's day to day lives'.

It is clear to Céline that interest from communities in biodiversity, climate change and the interconnectedness of these issues is now to the fore, and driving change. “There’s growing pressure from the public for the public sector to support them. This has influenced collaborative working in the public sector, and the need to interact with and facilitate communities in working on these issues,” she said.

To hear more from Céline about her work as a Mayo Changemaker, register for the free event on Monday next.

Registration and more information at www.maryrobinsoncentre.ie/mayo-changemakers.