It has been a while since we issued a newsletter or blog post but a lot of work has been going on by the small team of volunteers at Skibbereen Tidy Towns. In this series of occasional ‘Spotlight on…’ blog posts we will share some of our achievements in the national competition categories where we made the most improvements and were awarded marks accordingly. This time the focus is on the category ‘Sustainability – doing more with less’. Skibbereen was awarded 25 marks, 2 more than in 2021. With a maximum mark of 55 there is considerable room for improvement. To put this in context, Sustainability category marks for our Cork West (not West Cork!) medal-winning neighbours including Ireland’s Tidiest Village and Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town, are presented in the following table:
| Name | Marks 2021 | Marks 2022 | Change |
| Ballydehob | 21 | 22 | +1 |
| Bantry | 21 | 22 | +1 |
| Clonakilty | 23 | 24 | +1 |
| Eyeries | 23 | 24 | +1 |
| Rathbarry | 18 | 18 | – |
| Rosscarbery | 25 | 26 | +1 |
| Skibbereen | 23 | 25 | +2 |
| Timoleague | 21 | 22 | +1 |
As all Tidy Towns volunteers will attest to, every additional mark awarded is the result of considerable effort and hard work. We hope that sharing our experience will help other towns and villages achieve their own sustainability goals and contribute to a better future for our planet.
Skibbereen taking on Food Waste – how it started…
In February 2022 participants in SECAD Sustainable Communities Training Programme received an email inviting us to participate in the Skibbereen taking on Food Waste programme. Community participants are key to the success of the project and a small number signed up. In the months that followed local events were facilitated to engage and raise awareness regarding food waste.
The first event in March involved food waste awareness stalls at Skibbereen Farmer’s Market and at Lidl. This was followed a couple of weeks later with a food waste and composting workshop at Myross Wood House courtesy of CECAS.
Also, in April, the team at CTC designed and created an online survey to collect data regarding attitudes and behaviours pertaining to food waste. An entirely different type of survey involved sifting through general waste bins collected from Skibbereen households.
Check out these videos – you might be amazed at the results: Video 1 – The cost of Skibbereen household food waste; Video 2 – Save money and help the environment.
A sustainable energy community, Net Zero Skibbereen, aims to make Skibbereen carbon neutral by 2040, with an interim goal of a 50% reduction on energy related missions b 2030. Ambitious certainly, and food waste has an important role to play. At its launch event in the Uilinn West Cork Arts Centre on 28 May 2022, participants heard from Donal O’Leary talking about food waste and composting and engaged in a Q&A session.
How it’s going…
“It is wonderful to see you are collaborating with outside organizations to address the major problem of food waste through organizing food waste awareness events”
National Tidy Towns competition adjudicator, October 2022.
Current projects include two with Cycle Sense:
- Highlighting food waste in Skibbereen through community composting projects.
- Convert organic waste into food through composting and the building of a raised bed made from reuse materials at the Cycle Sense Reuse workshop.
Another project involves students from local primary schools creating and sharing recipes using seasonal produce. A selection will be included in a seasonal recipe booklet to be launched early in 2023.
We are also hopeful of engaging businesses to support their challenges with food waste through working with Skibbereen and District Chamber of Commerce.
While we are disappointed with the level of interest in the in-person food waste training course we understand that it’s November, the evenings are dark so perhaps not conducive to heading out. No matter, there is also a short online course that people can do from the comfort of their own home (or while waiting for the kids at training!) that is currently being trialled in the area. Participants that finish and submit their details will be entered into a draw for one of three €100 vouchers for Fields SuperValu – that will help in the run up to Christmas!
Sarah from CTC has kindly documented the journey so far on the project’s web page. While due to end in January 2023, the important work must continue. If you would like to get involved please contact Sandra at SkibbereenTidyTowns@iCloud.com
Further information and reading…
Clean Technology Centre: https://ctc-cork.ie/projects/skibbereen-taking-on-food-waste/
Cork County Council: https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/news/cork-county-takes-a-tidy-sweep-at-this-years-tidy-towns
Stop Food Waste resources: Main page: https://stopfoodwaste.ie
Eat it or freeze it: https://stopfoodwaste.ie/shopping-and-storage/eat-it-or-freeze-it-and-use-your-freezer-treasure
How to make the most of your freezer food: https://stopfoodwaste.ie/shopping-and-storage/how-to-make-the-most-of-the-food-in-your-freezer
Bread no knead to waste it!: https://stopfoodwaste.ie/shopping-and-storage/bread-blog-bread-basics
Tidy Towns Competition 2022 Adjudication Report Skibbereen: https://tidytowns.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/u_reports/2022/cork-west/2022-Cork-West-Skibbereen-693.pdf
Tidy Towns Competition 2022 Adjudication Reports Cork West: https://www.tidytowns.ie/_reports/cork-west.html
Skibbereen Tidy Towns 