The Sustainable Development Goals are both a global blueprint and a call to action for communities all over the world to protect people and planet. Across Ireland, this call is being answered, and the SDGs are coming to life in communities and natural landscapes, on campuses and playing fields.
Every two years, the Irish government honours organisations that advance sustainable development. For the 2025-2027 cohort of ‘SDG Champions’, their focus ranges from night sky ecosystems, to sustainability in sport, and using creativity to empower young people.
Fighting light pollution
Dark Sky Ireland has a mission to reduce light pollution across Ireland and to promote responsible lighting. Ireland’s western seaboard is home to many areas with dark skies, forming a priceless part of the country’s natural and cultural heritage, but these skies are under threat.
While often overlooked, light pollution is one of the most widespread forms of environmental pollution. Some of its lesser-known consequences include the disruption of nocturnal and natural life, disordered sleep amongst humans, and energy waste. In many parts of Ireland today, children grow up having never seen the Milky Way.
However, light pollution is entirely reversible, and countering it has measurable effects for communities. The town of Newport in County Mayo aims to be Ireland’s first Dark Sky Friendly Town. It sits on the edge of Ireland’s first internationally accredited Dark Sky Park, showcasing some of the darkest, most unpolluted night skies in the world.
The introduction of warm tone street lighting to Newport has delivered a 50% reduction in light emitted to space, saved the town €12,000 per year in energy usage, and reduced C02 emissions by almost two tonnes.
“Addressing light pollution is not about keeping people in darkness, it is about using light wisely: the right type, the right amount, in the right place, at the right time,” says Dark Sky Project Coordinator Clare Masterson. “Doing so is good for nature, good for communities, and good for our electricity bills.”
Using art and culture to find sustainable solutions
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network Ireland (SDSN), an all-island network of universities and NGOs, creates practical pathways to implement the SDGs at a local level. It develops tools, for example, to help communities and local authorities understand and track sustainability progress.
“Our work has demonstrated that sustainability is most effective when communities are actively involved in shaping solutions that reflect local context,” details John Barimo, SDSN Manager at University College Cork.
Arts-based solutions are particularly important for the network to engage with the public on issues of sustainability, supporting initiatives that bring together art, ecology, citizen science and local heritage. These include the Reach Arts & Sustainability Festival at Queen’s University Belfast and the Sustainability in the Arts Festival at South EastTechnological University.
“Such initiatives create spaces where people can engage emotionally and imaginatively with sustainability challenges, transforming complex issues into accessible, hopeful and participatory conversations that inspire action and strengthen community resilience,” adds Barimo.
Fostering creative confidence amongst children
The B!G Idea is a non-profit organisation that helps equip secondary school students across Ireland to develop creativity and innovation skills by being tasked to solve real-world challenges such as climate change and social inequality.
Believing that creative thinking and confidence are the defining skills of the 21st century, the organisation aims to give young people the skills they need to thrive beyond the classroom, regardless of background in a world increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence.
The B!G Idea works alongside Ireland’s National Convention on Education and gives teachers a fully resourced, flexible programme. Students get direct access to hundreds of industry mentors they would otherwise never meet.
For Niamh Cooney, Head of Development and Sustainability at The B!G Idea, the SDGs give students a shared language for global challenges.
“The challenges facing our world […] will be solved through mass collaboration, and that only happens when every young person, regardless of where they grow up, feels equipped and confident enough to be part of the answer,” says Cooney.
Tackling climate issues on the rugby field
Munster Rugby, founded in 1879, is a professional rugby club covering a province over a quarter of the island of Ireland.
“Munster’s links to health, education, inclusion and community aren’t new. They’re built into what this club has always been – developing people, not just rugby players,” says Sustainability Lead at Munster Rugby Laura Lahiff.
The organisation is working towards climate and responsible consumption goals, signing the UN Sports for Climate Action and Race to Zero frameworks.
It has solar panels installed on the stadium roof; players take part in litter picking days, there is Reduce-Reuse-Recycle infrastructure at its Thomond Park Stadium; and staff and players are offered bespoke sustainability training.
“The SDG Champion designation is a kickoff, not a final whistle. What comes next matters more,” says Sustainability Lead at Munster Rugby Laura Lahiff.
Different paths, same goal
“The SDG Champions Programme recognises that everyone has a role to play, and everyone can contribute to achieving the SDGs,” notes Darragh O’Brien, Irish Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment.
The breadth and range of SDG advocates showcase that there is no one-size-fits all approach to sustainability. Instead, real progress happens through participation.
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