A massive community effort inspires a Midlands town to turn the tide on climate change and become Ireland’s first low-carbon hub.
Ortlaoise in Co Laois is on a mission to push the green agenda with over 50 different initiatives – and is on track to become one of Ireland’s most sustainable urban areas.
Improved cycling and walking infrastructure to reduce car dominance, adapting older housing stock and providing air quality monitors in schools are among a stream of county-led projects.
It has also started replacing thousands of energy-hungry streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs.
Portlaoise, like many other cities, relied heavily on private cars – before Covid, 11,000 people a day left their native countries to work elsewhere.
Now extra parking spaces at the train station will encourage those who have to commute to use public transport, the city will provide more charging points for electric cars and remote hubs will give staff the chance to work locally.
A carbon footprint study found that the city emits about 100,000 tons of carbon a year, more than four tons for each of its 23,000 residents.
On the occasion of Your Council Day today, local authorities are focusing on how climate action is at the heart of their work.
Every local authority is addressing the climate challenge and will reiterate what Laois has done in designating a low carbon zone, with Portlaoise now being the poster child for what can be achieved nationwide.
But none of this would be possible without the support of the local population, said Donal Brennan, director of Laois County Council.
“Our logo is ‘I bPáirt leis an bpobal’ or ‘In collaboration with the community’, and we have a good community spirit and groups that work well with the municipality,” he said.
That commitment to change has been embraced by groups such as Portlaoise Sustainable Energy Community, Portlaoise Town Team, Laois Partnership, Tidy Towns, Laois CLG and Portlaoise RFC.
Despite the initiatives of the board-led Low Carbon Implementation Group, Mr. Brennan is under no illusions about the magnitude of the challenge ahead.
It’s all the greater when you consider that Portlaoise is one of the fastest growing cities in Ireland – its population increased from 8,360 in the 1991 census to 22,050 in 2016.
“We’re probably a few feet further in that marathon journey. We have taken some first steps, but we all realize that we are only at the foot of this and the challenge ahead is huge,” said Mr Brennan.
“But we all learn from the other. What we as a municipality are good at is learning from the performance of other municipalities.
“The city looks good; there’s a buzz about it and we’re getting work in. All these small initiatives will yield long-term benefits.”
It’s likely others will review Portlaoise’s homework, hoping to replicate initiatives such as the off-road Triogue River Blueway — the new bike route that runs through the center of town and creates a parent-accompanied “bike bus” for schoolchildren on their morning journey.
However, it is in residential areas where the city has a small advantage: domestic heating consumption is lower than the national average, because a large proportion of homes are made up of new stock, which offers greater energy efficiency.
Portlaoise is not only pushing the green agenda, but also wants to make the city a nicer place to live and visit, according to Suzanne Dempsey, the municipality’s environmental awareness officer.
“The goal of the low-carbon city center is to remove the dominance of cars and address the poor pedestrian and cycling experience,” she said.
“Large volumes of traffic are being removed from congested areas, utilizing the South Circular Road and reconfiguring existing traffic flows through the city centre.
“We will have a market square developed to stimulate and show the public space.
“We aim to increase bicycle use by 40 percent by 2040, plant up to 500 trees in the city center and reduce neglect by repurposing existing buildings.
“Air quality is a huge factor and we have put monitors on every school in the city to try to make the connection between poor air quality and traffic volumes. Particulate matter is a silent killer in Ireland.”
A key weapon in the fight against emissions is the council’s development of a new Enterprise Park at junction 17 of the M7, which it hopes will attract new businesses and reduce the daily exodus of workers from the province. Glanbia is already on site, followed by Midland Steel and Alpha Drives Ltd.
The green wave is spreading across the county – 15km away, at Abbeyleix, the community won a Pride of Place award for a swamp restoration project.
The county has also led the way in sports, with the GAA’s O’Moore Park becoming one of two pilot ‘green stadiums’ with energy-efficient lighting, native hedge plants and waste management projects.
County Council has already outperformed national targets – asking all government agencies to deliver 33 percent energy efficiency improvements between 2009 and 2020; Laois had more than 46 pc.
“You see what might work and what’s worth investigating,” Mr Brennan said. “We know that there is only one path we can take: the path of sustainability. Not only should we do it, it will benefit us in the long run.”