Re:Energise from ESB

Think of Dingle, in Co Kerry, and you might be picturing breathtaking
scenery, green farmland and sandy beaches, pubs and tourism, ice-cream and Fungie the Dolphin. 

What you may not be picturing is a Sustainable Energy Community and hub of activity and innovation, focusing on smart agriculture, sustainable transport, rural regeneration, and bioenergy.

So on this, the final episode of the season, Meghann heads to Dingle to chat to three people who are at the forefront of Dingle’s sustainable future.

Deirdre de Bhailís is the General Manager of The Dingle Hub. It’s a non-profit, community enterprise that connects people and organisations to develop cooperative approaches to the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Dinny Galvin is a dairy farmer who describes himself as an engineer at heart. He’s been leading the way on sustainable agriculture since first getting involved with the ESB Networks Dingle Project, and the Dingle Hub.

And finally Rose Spillane, also a member of the ESB Networks Dingle Project, has been working to make her bar and restaurant as energy efficient as possible.

The many benefits of cycling - for your health, for the planet, for your pocket - are very clear. And yet Ireland is not a country of cyclists. On this episode, Meghann chats to two people who are advocating for a better society by embracing cycling and sustainable travel.

In Waterford, lecturer and activist Sadhbh O’Neill has completely ditched her car and fully embraced cycling. She talks through the practicalities of car-free life in Ireland with Meghann, and looks at how we can get more people into active travel. 

In Dublin, Stephen McManus runs the Bike Hub, a social enterprise that uses cycling to promote inclusion, healthy lifestyles and sustainability. He works with local communities on all sorts of fantastic bike-related projects, from maintenance courses and refurbishing bikes for people in need, to cycle safety for kids and promoting active lifestyles for the over 60s.

Out on the streets of Dublin, Meghann finds out how reliant people are on their car and whether they could get rid of it completely. And finally, inspired by everything in the episode, non-cyclist Meghann tries out the new e-mobility hub in Galway city.

Repurposing and upcycling can be a great way to breathe new life into old objects, but on this episode, Meghann sits down with three people who are repurposing on a grand scale!

Patrick Bradley is an architect based in Derry whose designs have reused shipping containers in incredibly creative ways. In fact, his own multi-award-winning house used four of them, and was voted as the “Grandest Grand Design” in 20 years of the Channel 4 show.

Meanwhile, Gordon Hickey, the owner of a cafe in a shipping container in Dublin, has found his creative choice of building has led to all sorts of benefits. 

And finally, at a company called BladeBridge, Angie Nagle and her team are repurposing wind turbine blades into all sorts of products. You would be surprised at how incredibly adaptable they are! 

These are all incredible projects, demonstrating how we can take what would otherwise be waste materials, and apply design, engineering, and huge amounts of creativity.

We can’t escape technology, but how much do we really think about the tech we use every day? Is it repairable, recyclable, reusable? Is it second hand? Is it going to become obsolete with a software upgrade in a year’s
time? 

On this episode, Meghann asks tech journalist and broadcaster Elaine Burke to walk us through some of the complexities when it comes to technology and sustainability. There are some huge issues to be tackled
here, but there are also opportunities and new developments that could change how we live and how we use technology.

Meghann also sits down with scientist and broadcaster Phil Smyth, to talk about his work with children – the scientists of the future – and how a whole new generation will use technology.

In this special bonus episode, recorded with a live audience at ESB Headquarters in Dublin, Meghann sits down with Marguerite Sayers, Deputy Chief Executive of ESB.

They chat about Ireland’s changing energy industry and the innovations being rolled out to empower customers and help Ireland’s climate targets.

As ESB prepares to celebrate its centenary, Marguerite gives an insight into what is required to power Ireland over the next 100 years.