Finalists: Digital Sustainability

Cork – OpenLitterMap – advanced open database on litter, brands & plastic pollution

This project maps illegal dumping and aims to reduce it by showing the positive impact of litter-picking. The tidy towns’ teams use the App which allows them tag litter into over 130 categories. Researchers can then identify the biggest causes of litter, including that by corporate brands. It provides a digital tool that can visualise litter problems within the local and wider community. It helps interested companies fulfil their ESG commitments in a meaningful way for example, allowing staff time off to engage in litter-picking activities. The tool uses AI to make data collection easier and Artificial Reality – similar to Pokemon Go for visualisation.

Change Clothes Crumlin to promote sustainable clothing solutions

Change Clothes Crumlin is a clothing reuse initiative to promote sustainable and affordable clothing solutions.  This includes re-providing swapping opportunities and learning skills such as mending, sewing and upcycling. Crumlin Community Cleanup, provided seed funding for Change Clothes. The investment was used to build a website which includes an events booking and equipment hire feature. They are using social media to build awareness and also use personalised email marketing. Preventing over 32 tonnes of carbon emissions in just 3 short months at the end of 2022, this local revolution has the ability to make a big impact.

Hollymount – Eco-powered Cabinets to store life saving equipment

Two eco-powered cabinets have been installed on Croagh Patrick, to securely store defibrillators and life-saving medications to treat cardiac arrests. The reliable cabinets are powered by solar energy so they don’t require a main power supply and they can be seen from up to 6 miles away via an infrared LED light. Heat sensors are used to monitor temperature levels which are transmitted in real-time to a mobile device. The cabinets have geolocation capability which is vital for emergency services.

Newtownkennedy – The Sandwich Economy/Smart Villages – an online portal to improve connectedness

This project involves the implementation of an online portal enabling communication between the 6 rural villages sandwiched between Bray, Greystones and Wicklow town. There are plans to connect these villages by providing cycle/walking routes to improve connectedness. There is also a plan to launch remote digital working hubs to improve the local economy and increase job availability.

Tinahely – The Bee Sanctuary – a digitally focused project with international reach

This bee sanctuary was set up to tackle the biodiversity crisis and raise awareness of the current threats to bees. The website has a booking feature for farm tours. With clever use of Twitter hashtags the bee sanctuary has reached a global audience. Now featuring in the Metaverse, they continue to educate the public on sustainability practices. Within 5 years, they have gone from a ‘bricks and mortar’ project advocating for bees and nature locally to a digitally focused project with international reach.

Trim – Air Quality Monitoring – an online dashboard which is updated in real time

This project kick-starts efforts to decarbonise by providing baseline air quality information for key areas of Trim.  This project looks at air quality on a micro scale.  It increases community engagement by helping them understand why certain changes are needed and the benefits they will provide. The data will be communicated via an online dashboard which is updated in real time. The project shows that climate change is a local issue and that small community efforts can make a positive impact locally and nationally.