Technology can prompt us to do better, such as pushing us out on an extra walk to get that pat on the back from a smart watch for reaching a step goal. Combining tech with team spirit brings the twin powers of sport and enjoyable competition to the table. In April, 60 communities across Ireland joined team climate and recorded their climate actions on a Climate Heroes app launched by Irish NGO Global Action Plan for the second year running.
The word “hero” is important when the message we hear is often much more negative: that we, as communities, are laggards in taking climate action. When we are bombarded with the idea that no one else is bothering, it can seem futile to take action. There are financial reasons that vested interests want that narrative of inertia and apathy to hold strong. But everywhere people are making changes, acting heroically or maybe just thoughtfully and getting friends and communities to join them.
For two weeks 60 communities could see a live leader board showing columns of carbon savings being achieved around the country. This could help spur their own groups to do more to get ahead in the competition. The winners of this year’s challenge were the Climate4You team from Fingal. Their 46 members prevented the emissions of an impressive 6,018 kg of CO2e – roughly equal to the emissions of driving 1,432 cars for one year. For comparison, Irish emissions were 11.9 tonnes CO2eq per person in 2022. The Coast Climate Champions (a residents’ association in Baldoyle) came second, and Lorcan Estate Residents Association from Santry came third.
Last year 517 people took part in the Climate Heroes competition, saving an impressive 36.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions
Businesswoman Patricia Sheehan, the sustainability lead with Castleknock Tidy Towns Climate Heroes, headed a team that came second last year when her group managed to reduce their carbon emissions by 202 kilogrammes per person. “The beauty of this is we have kept the habits up,” she says. One of the reasons was how clearly the app explained the most effective of the actions people were taking. “You can see which habits are most impactful for the environment.” Already a vegetarian, she was considering doing a day a week as a vegan to help boost her group’s chances.
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At the end of each day hundreds of people recorded their data, picking from a menu of 40 climate smart activities across transport, food, consumption and energy.
“People want to do stuff but they don’t know what to do,” says Sheehan. The app is very good at showing people the stuff that is most worth doing from a carbon saving point of view.
“Last year 517 people took part in the Climate Heroes competition, saving an impressive 36.8 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Equally significant was that they discovered first-hand the profound impact that minor lifestyle changes can yield,” the organisers said in a statement.
“Each action logged by participants is converted into a corresponding reduction in CO2e emissions, illustrating the central tenet of combating climate change: everyone has the power to effect change, and small changes to our daily habits can add up to significant outcomes.”
