The Climate Design Lab was a community‑led creative initiative supported by Creative Ireland’s Creative Climate Action Ignite Fund. Delivered as part of Creative Climate Action Fund II (launched in 2023), the Lab supported creative, cultural and artistic approaches that built awareness of climate change and empowered people to make meaningful, practical changes in everyday life.
Rooted in human‑centred Design Thinking and Fun Theory, the Climate Design Lab used creativity, play and collaboration as powerful tools for climate engagement. Throughout 2025, the Lab brought together community groups from across Maynooth, working alongside creative partners to explore decarbonisation at a local level. Participants identified shared priorities, examined barriers to action and co‑designed innovations that made climate action visible, engaging and achievable.
The Lab was informed by extensive community‑led research involving over 600 survey respondents and eight diverse focus groups, which revealed a strong appetite for inclusive, joyful and locally driven climate initiatives. Participants highlighted the importance of creativity, storytelling, play and shared ownership in addressing climate fatigue and supporting long‑term behaviour change.
Through its collaborative and creative approach, the Climate Design Lab supported community‑based champions in the climate conversation, enabling new ways of responding to familiar challenges. Innovations piloted within the Maynooth Decarbonisation Zone demonstrated the potential for replication in towns and villages across Ireland, contributing to local, place‑based responses to climate change that are shaped by communities and sustained over time.