Here is how one Cork town is committed to shaping a greener future

KINSALE is renowned for a plethora of reasons.

It’s known as the gourmet capital of Ireland, a picturesque fishing town, a place where history still stands in the form of two impressive forts, and for its eye-catching streetscape, with a palette of vibrant, contrasting colours that set a cheerful, holiday tone on even the greyest and rainiest of days.

There are many reasons Kinsale stands out, but one that few may be aware of is the town’s commitment to sustainability, as evident in its shops, library, and, of course, the renowned Kinsale College.

This pioneering educational institution has earned national and international recognition as a climate action hub, was the first in the world to offer a permaculture course, and, more recently, it claimed the title of the first College of Further Education in Munster to achieve the prestigious An Taisce Green Campus Award.

The college’s values are helping to shape a better future for Kinsale.

In 2005, Rob Hopkins, a Kinsale College teacher, and Louise Rooney, an attending student, developed the voluntary organisation, Transition Town Kinsale. Since it began, its achievements and projects have been plentiful, from allotments to an anaerobic digester, a Community Biodiversity Action Plan, a Community Garden at Sáile, and work on educating the next generation.

This template for cultivating a low-carbon, socially just future with resilient communities, more active participation in society, and a caring culture focused on supporting each other, can easily be replicated once there are those willing to volunteer and develop this initiative for their town. Further details for those interested can be found here: https://transitionnetwork.org/

Most recently, the group’s work has sought to tackle a significant waste issue, a blight across all towns: disposable coffee cups.

While it is easy to say it’s just one cup, it becomes a bigger issue when you multiply that by two million daily in Ireland. Regardless of whether new cups are compostable (and there are caveats around this, too), it does not change the issue of using finite resources and energy on a wholly unnecessary yet socially standard product.

2GoCup is one of the providers offering what may just be the answer to this problem, with a deposit and return scheme to prevent the production, consumption, and landfill created by single-use cups.

What will make this a success is ultimately its convenience. Forgot your keep cup? No problem, buy another and return it to receive a refund. Further information on this can be found at: www.2gocup.ie

For those simply taking a wander and wanting to shop in Kinsale, it is a treasure trove of sustainable options, including:

• Kinsale St Vincent De Paul, which offers eclectic options, from second-hand style to bric a brac, whose sales help support those in need - a double win.
• Prim’s Bookshop, an independent second-hand bookshop with gigs in the evening to boot.
• Lindas Of Kinsale, which offers an impressive vintage jewellery collection for those who plan to bend the knee in romantic Kinsale.
• Chaac, which stocks high quality, sustainable, and durable outdoor wear brands like Picture, which recycles plastic bottles to make jackets.
• The farmers’ market held every Wednesday is when the town comes alive with stalls selling locally grown and produced fresh food.
• Seeds bakery is another must-visit. Strong sustainability ethos shapes every aspect of this business, and their locally sourced ingredients, baked goods and organic wine selection reflect this.

Ingrid Kelly and Ben Le Bonne, local owners of Seeds, are excited to be transitioning to a more sustainable coffee cup solution; “Before we even opened the doors of Seeds we had planned to operate without paper cups, but we didn’t quite know how to do it. We are grateful to Transition Town Kinsale for arranging a presentation by 2GoCup to learn all about the inspiring @killarneycoffeecupproject.”

After a coffee and wander through the vibrant and meandering streets, here’s a new attraction that embodies sustainability and is worth a trip to admire its architecture alone, never mind the 25,000 book collection.

The Kinsale Library now resides at a building known as the Old Mill, dating back to the late 19th century. Thanks to the council’s €3.7 million investment in its conversion, the building has been transformed with impressive results.

This amenity meets the needs of a growing town, offering a gallery exhibition area, a mezzanine area, a children’s area, an adult and study area, and a suite of digital facilities.

While the concept of a library is thousands of years old, it is only now beginning to gain traction for other items, such as a beach toys, and Kinsale locals have been busy on that front too, installing a toy library at the local Dock beach.

As we work towards a more sustainable future, each step is paved by making the greener option easy. Whether it’s a cup, a book, or a toy, if we can reuse, borrow, or swap before we purchase second-hand/the best we can afford, we slow the demand for production, and over time, and with enough people, the magic happens. Results compound.

Can two million disposable coffee cups a day in Ireland become a thing of the past? Can we set up more libraries and normalise borrowing over buying? In Kinsale, they believe the answer is yes!