THE SUCCESSES of the Limerick based Citizen Innovation Lab (CIL) community-based climate-efforts were recognised on the international stage at the 79th United Nations General Assembly Science Summit in New York.
The Lab’s success in fostering innovative climate action through collaboration between citizens, researchers, and local government was presented by a team from UL and LCCC, including Dr. Madeleine Lyes, Living Lab Coordinator, and Javier Burón García, Director of Fab Lab, alongside Kieran Reeves, Climate Action Officer at LCCC.
Four projects were highlighted, involving everyone from the EPA to ordinary citizens of Limerick.
The project SMARTLAB involves 70 Limerick buildings equipped with energy and environmental sensors, while the Síolta Glasa initiative uses creative arts to engage communities in climate action.
The presentation also covered Clean Air Together Limerick City, a citizen science initiative with 400 participants, and City Studio, a collaborative space for citizens, government, and academia aimed at designing Limerick’s climate future.
During their presentation the team also visited the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations where they met with Limerick man Dónal Cronin, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Irish Permanent Mission in New York.
Dr. Lyes expressed enthusiasm about the exchange of ideas, noting, “We were delighted to draw inspiration from other countries’ living labs in support of our goal for a climate-neutral Limerick by 2050.” Kieran Reeves added that the team demonstration and the CIL project demonstrate the impact of community engagement on climate action.
