Projects
Ringsend Rain Planters
Aug 2024 - present
Ringsend has a combined sewer system, like many other places in Ireland. This means wastewater and stormwater go into one pipe system to be treated together. As storm events increase in intensity and frequency, the collecting systems are put under stress, and lead to overflow of diluted wastewater into our rivers and sea. The problem is amplified by increased use of impermeable materials over gardens and driveways, and reduction of green spaces.
Rainwater retention planters are a beautiful solution to urban water problems. The principle of a rain retention planter is to slow and temporarily store rainwater before it enters our drains, preventing the likelihood of surface-level flooding and pollution of the sea with wastewater. This is done by channelling water from a downpipe (a pipe which collects water from the roof or a building), into a planter before entering the drain.
We're excited to build upon the success and learning of the Catching Raindrops project in Ringsend in 2022-2023, and the research and outcomes of the Naturerx rain garden Project in Stoneybatter led by Sadhbh at Bí URBAN 2021-2023.
This project will:
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Provide free rainwater planters made from long-lasting recycled composite plastic and galvanised steel frame (3 ft long, 36"x24"x36") to Ringsend & Irishtown.
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Continue the research on rainwater retention planters as a water management nature-based solution.
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Reduce the amount of stormwater entering the sewage system and consequently reducing pollution of our waterways.
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Promote a connection to nature and an opportunity for gardening and mindfulness.
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Create natural habitats and attract pollinators & biodiversity.
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Raise public awareness of the importance of nature-based methods to increase climate resilience and improve the quality of our waterways.
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Brighten hard urban landscapes with self-sustainable greenery and biodiversity.
Do you live in Ringsend & Irishtown and would like avail of your own free rainwater planter?
Partners include:
Sustainability in Youth Theatre
Jun 2023 - present
Understory partnered with Youth Theatre Ireland to provide consultancy aimed at reducing the National Festival of Youth Theatres' environmental footprint and support their journey towards Sustainability and Carbon neutrality. The National Festival of Youth Theatres (NFYT) is the largest residential week-long gathering of youth theatres in Ireland, offers a unique experience for young people to learn new skills, work with specialist facilitators, and connect with peers from across the country. In this vibrant setting, the 2023 festival took a pioneering step by integrating sustainability into its core operations, ensuring that the arts and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.
As part of the initiative, Alex Konieczka from Understory conducted a comprehensive Sustainability Audit, exploring key thematic areas such as Attitudes & Behaviour, Transport, Waste and Litter, Single-use Plastic and Energy.
Working closely with Youth Theatre Ireland, Alex led daily workshops to engage participants and foster a deeper understanding of sustainable practices and incorporated sustainability into the festival's timetable. In addition, Sustainability Champions—young leaders nominated from each participating youth theatre—played a crucial role in the auditing process. These champions assisted in data collection and participated in interactive discussions, helping to shape a more sustainable festival. This collaborative effort contributed to the Report which summarised the findings of the audit, list of recommendations and suggested next steps. The relationship with Youth Theatre Ireland continues to support climate action and sustainable operations within youth theatres in Ireland.
You can read the 2023 National Festival of Youth Theatres Sustainability Audit Report here.
Partners include:
Joy of Bats
Jun 2023 - Nov 2023
Joy of Bats Training in Greystones
Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 18:00 IST
Mill lane, Greystones, Wicklow
Wicklow remains rich in bat diversity with bat activity observed over fields and waterways but how much do we really know about our local bats? In 2020, the Greater Horseshoe bat and Brandt’s bat was also noted in Wicklow for the first time. What else is there left to discover right at our doorstep?
Delgany and Greystones are highly attractive to investors and developers with several planning applications being submitted annually. Both are heritage towns, with Architectural Conservation Areas and multiple historical and biodiverse sites that are likely to be of significance to bats. Modification to local heritage may result in knock-on impacts on bat roosting and overall ecosystem health.
The “Joy of Bats” project is a bat tree roost potential survey and an acoustic survey of Wicklow bats in Delgany and Greystones, led by Alex (BSc. Environmental Science) from Understory, in partnership with Greystones TidyTowns and Delgany TidyTowns.
Joy of Bats Training in Delgany
Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 10:30 IST
Kindlestown Castle, Delgany, Wicklow
Citizen scientists taking part have the opportunity to:
· Learn bat surveying and fieldwork skills
· Explore the bat roost potential of trees
· Contribute to science
· Influence decision-making in Delgany & Greystones
The project provided up to date information on the presence and diversity of bats or lack thereof in Delgany and Greystones. The Joy of bats project provided this vital information to NPWS to help to inform decision making, conservation and mitigation strategies such as creation of feeding and roosting sites and could lead to targeted surveying of specific locations identified as significant.
The project was funded by National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The Project Report can be found here.
Partners include:
Funded by:
Catching Raindrops
Jun 2022 - Feb 2023
More than 9 billion litres of untreated sewage and storm waters were discharged into Dublin Bay between 2015-2019, mostly from the overflow tanks at the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment plant, which is significantly overloaded and no longer in compliance with the EU’s Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (link).
Several beaches suffer as a result of this pollution with temporary and long-term restrictions on sea swimming on Dollymount, Sandymount and Seapoint beaches in Dublin, among others. This pollution combined with climate change leads to serious implications for biodiversity and marine life, such can be observed through an increase in the number of Lions Mane jellyfish on Dublin beaches, which can cause nausea, sweating, cramps, headaches and other symptoms in victims of their sting.
The project was co-designed by Alex, founder of Understory, An Taisce's Climate Ambassador Angela Deegan and the Ringsend Irishtown Tidytowns and Environments Group. Catching Raindrops is raising
awareness about the importance of good water quality and collective action to protect our natural resources and habitats. We used reclaimed wood to build two industrial sized rainwater retention planters, carried out a canal clean up, fixed dysfunctional gutters and installed water butts to harvest rainwater in the community.
This active-learning approach gave community members the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at building with waste materials and eco-friendly products, raised awareness about Climate Action and nature-based solutions and encouraged the community to conserve and protect their heritage and natural resources. Increased collection and retention of rainwater is actively reducing the amount of stormwater entering the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment plant, and preventing a proportion of sewage and other pollutants from the sewer network getting into the city’s watercourses including the Dublin Bay Biosphere and beyond, while the government plans to upgrade the plant by 2025.
Partners
Funded by:
Rathmines Revival
May 2021 - 2023
Green spaces play an important role in increasing community's quality of life, through a range of added values, including scenic (e.g. greening of urban environments), psychological (e.g. relaxation, wellness, contact with nature, relief from stress), social (e.g. promoting social interaction, integration, equality), and last but not least educational and scientific services (e.g. offering environments for study and exploration by students and researchers at all education levels).
Although fragmented and scarce, Rathmines' green spaces already provide important food and shelter to local wildlife and are beaming with biodiversity.
This project came about to promote public awareness, ensure adequate protection of such areas as provision of further supports to encourage more wildlife. Additionally, it was important to us to come together as a community during lockdown and minimise the feeling of isolation and loneliness.
Alex created a WhatsApp group for local residents, organised two community action days and an online information session on how to report dumping, vandalism and other illegal activities. Together we compiled a list of projects and carried out numerous litter pickings. The community keeps on growing with meet ups and events still taking place.
Partners
The Rathmines Initiative
Planting Seeds
Jan 2020 - Aug 2021
The Planting Seeds Programme supported small steps towards a culture of sustainability with environmentally themes activites, case studies and events. It was rolled out in the Dublin headquarters of one of Fortune Global 500 companies.
First, Understory founder Alex, conducted an audit and led works and installations to improve building efficiency, reduce use of plastic and promote zero waste practices. Secondly, the Planting Seeds team launched an employee campaign that educated, inspired, and invited staff to get involved, creating a sense of community. Each month of the 12 month programme focused on a different aspect of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, showcasing relevant local businesses and artists, offering talks, workshops
and resources and opportunities to take on projects and win prizes. It was the grassroots and authentic content that set this project apart.
We observed dozens of people changing their habits and making a big impact on the world around them within a few weeks of the launch date. One employee switched from buying 2 plastic bottles of sparkling water a day, to using a soda maker and a reusable bottle, preventing the use of over 700 plastic bottles during the course of the programme.
Planting Seeds was a huge hit, quickly gaining global recognition and winning the most prestigious Greater Than 2021 Award.
