This week, H4.0E's Irish partner 3 Counties Energy Agency (3CEA) represented the Housing 4.0 Energy project at the Carlow Sustainability Fair, which provided a unique opportunity to meet with the country’s leading sustainability practitioners, organisations and environmental scientists, to share ideas and to learn from each other. Visitors of the fair were invited to work their way through the Sensory Garden Centre in Carlow, visiting displays, workshops and how-to events along the way to get a real and practical insight into living more sustainably and having a positive impact on our shared environment.
One of the chief organisers, Carlow County Council, is an Ireland pilot partner and hosted the fair to raise awareness and encourage participation within the community. Carlow County Council is heavily engaged with environmental issues and works hard to promote sustainability in the region.
The bustling Carlow Sustainability Fair, held on the 15th of April in Carlow County, Ireland.
The fair featured a wide range of activities and exhibitions, covering topics such as food waste, recycling campaigns, water conservation, cycling, green tourism, biodiversity, horticulture, forestry and energy.
3CEA was asked to participate as well, and H4.0 Project Officer Shane Faulkner volunteered as a project representative. At 3CEA's booth, various topics were promoted and discussed, including energy saving kits, various insulation materials, electric car demonstrations, energy saving tips, grant aids and so on – but mainly, 3CEA focused on promoting the H4.0 project to the community.
There was immense interest from the public regarding H4.0E, with many questions on the feasibility, funding streams, future roll-out, technical design and more. The fair was quite successful, with approximately 500 visitors throughout the event.
H4.0E project officer, Shane Faulkner, informing the public of the future of Carlow with the Housing 4.0 Energy project.
The Carlow Sustainability Fair offered one of the first opportunities to market the project within one of the Irish pilot regions, and based on the positive feedback, it seems that the H4.0E project will be well received in the area.
3CEA will remain engaged with the organisers, Carlow Institute of Technology, for future collaboration potential and may develop similar events in future.
