In the midst of a gloriously colourful Bagenalstown in Bloom festival, the County Carlow Environmental Network (CCEN) ran a Climate Café in the beautifully refurbished Old Post Office Café.

Drawing on years of environmental and gardening experience and educating, County Council Environmental Awareness Officer, Dee Sewell planted some ideas for reducing and capturing carbon in our gardens. After describing the carbon cycle*, Dee offered easy ways to reduce carbon output, such as by growing food or trees, avoiding concrete by allowing paths to remain natural, and digging or tilling less, or not at all. Simply growing a small amount of food has a layered positive impact: We eat something very fresh, without any transport miles. If grown from seed, the effect is multiplied because the carbon output from the initial green housing, packaging and transport are also eliminated. You can imagine how, multiplied in many gardens, the impact on our local and broader environment could grow quickly. If you’re on LinkedIn, see Frank Holleman, Founder at Fork Ranger for ongoing and interesting Food Stats.

Alternatively, buying food that is truly in season and as local as possible greatly reduces the carbon footprint of family meals. Bord Bia’s website offers a guide to what’s best in season.

For the keener gardener, techniques like making your own leaf mould and compost, using mulch instead of digging to keep carbon in the ground, and using hand tools instead of mechanical tools (keep an eye out for CCEN’s upcoming scything workshop!) increases
our garden’s carbon sequestering power. Water is of major importance in the garden, and you can make a “rain garden planter” to collect rainwater. Or build a pond – a huge boost to
biodiversity – if you have the space.

Local artist Mags Flynn exhibited at the Climate Café. Mags paints images that reflect the environmental crisis as she sees it. Titles like “Ice Melting,” “Fish Over City”, “Climate Chaos” and “Moving to Mars” reflect her awareness, humour and hope. Formerly a secondary school art teacher, she said “I thought I’d never paint again” after retiring, but the desire to reflect and share her interpretations of the climate crisis sparked her desire again. Prints of her work can be ordered, and the originals are available as a full set. Check out her work at the Made In Carlow gallery.

Climate cafés are social and informal ways to connect with community members, learn, and join the conversation. One person said they saw great value in incorporating art in environmental conversations because of the visual communication of these complex and sometimes overwhelming ideas. Many participants were experienced gardeners, so the carbon conversation was lively, including some commentary on how hand tools are sometimes easier to use than mechanical ones, like a scythe compared to a strimmer. But no expertise is needed to join these climate cafés; everyone is welcome.

We have several events coming up this year, including a community gathering (pizza will be served!), workshops and an eco-film festival and all are welcome. If you’d like to receive CCEN’s news about them as soon as it’s published, email info@ccen.ie to add your name, or sign up below.

*The carbon cycle refers to the circulation of carbon in various forms through nature. Carbon is a constituent of all organic compounds, many of which are essential to life on Earth. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and metabolise it into simple carbohydrates, creating their own source of food, a process called photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is necessary to human life, but the huge amount being pushed into the atmosphere through fossil fuel use is what is causing the Earth’s climate to be imbalanced. So our garden plants can help to absorb some CO2, and even natural (non-concreted) garden paths and hedging helps.