Community Water Saving Programme
We rolled at water butt project in and to date, 50 free water butts have been installed in homes across Raheny. These systems help reduce flooding and water pollution by capturing rainwater, while also providing a sustainable water source for gardens during dry periods. The spell of heavy rain early in the year highlighted just how effective this initiative can be, with participating households playing an active role in protecting our local environment.
This project was funded by the Dublin City Council Community Climate Action Grant, and we are delighted with its impact so far.
Our own Water Conservation
In addition to the water butt project for households, we also have installed water butts in several locations around the village and the Community Garden and use this to water plants in the village. In the planters and hanging baskets, we choose drought-tolerant plants which need less watering.
Leaf Composting
Sweeping up the leaves from the deciduous trees is one of the big jobs we do in Raheny each autumn. We leave the leaves alone from flower beds and lawns as they nourish the soil and provide a home for lots of creatures over the winter. But it is important to have footpaths clear to avoid injury to pedestrians.
We now have several large leaf bins in the in the village to compost leaves. We use the leaf mould to mulch flowerbeds.
Sustainable Planting
We aim to grow more and more plants from seed, cuttings, or donations from our volunteers' gardens in order to reduce plastic waste. The herb planter in this photo was planted with chives, thyme, mint and oregano donated from the gardens of volunteers.