Mayo community reaping benefits of decarbonisation status
THE community in Mulranny is reaping the benefits of its decarbonisation zone status, local councillors heard in a year two climate action plan update.
Project highlights over the last year included the delivery of 16 A-rated homes, 64 solar panels installed at St. Brendan's Unit, the community centre and Old Irish Goat Centre, undertaking energy surveys, LED bulb swaps, the creation of a community food forest on the church grounds, and more.
And public transport service improvements now see eight buses between Mulranny and Castlebar, along with five on the Westport route, while the TFI Anseo pilot rolled out in Achill is also providing a boost.
There's lots more exciting initiatives in the pipeline, Mayo County Council's climate action officer, Laura Dixon, told elected members in an update at a municipal district meeting.
They range from invasive species removal to examining the possibility of a greenway link to the beach, the new Farm Up farming and restoration management for upland commonages scheme, creating a Clew Bay circular economy initiative, a care and repair scheme, as well as a cultural and natural heritage online digital map of stories and nature, past and present.
Also this year, three staff are being funded in Mulranny by the Sunflower Foundation, working with communities on becoming more sustainable.
Speaking generally, Councillor Sean Carey highlighted a new public lighting system where lights dim at night when not in use, being triggered when traffic or people pass. He suggested this should be adopted by the council, highlighting energy savings of 50% or more.
On tackling invasive species such as rhododenron, he said how there are still issues with gunnera and he would like to see more works to eradicate it.
The Anseo public transport scheme was something Councillor Chris Maxwell would like to see extended to the Louisburgh area, including Roonagh and Killeen and out to Cushlough and Delphi.
* Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme