What We Do
This pillar focuses on four interconnected areas: social enterprise, circular economy, bioeconomy, and community wealth building. Together, these strands give communities the tools, mentoring, and opportunities to create new models that keep resources, jobs, and value local while addressing environmental and social challenges.
Working with partners including Offaly County Council, Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC), and the Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB), the Regenerative Economies pillar delivers:
- Capacity building and mentoring for social and circular enterprises.
- Practical demonstrations of circular economy practices such as reuse, repair, and upcycling.
- Research and mapping to identify opportunities and support evidence-based decision-making.
- Collaborative workshops and events to inspire and empower local groups across Offaly.
Alongside this, research and development within the project is helping to build knowledge and resources for communities, such as:
- The development of a tailored Social Enterprise Handbook, designed to be clear and user-friendly, offering guidance for both new and established social enterprises with a strong focus on practical circular economy practices.
- A Social Impact Study of the Offaly Healthy Homes initiative, which will examine the wider social and community-level benefits of local projects, while generating valuable evidence to inform future programme design and funding proposals.
- A Visual Map of Social Enterprises in Offaly has been created for the purpose of offering data and location insights on active organisations, helping to identify where support and mentoring may have the greatest impact.
- The promotion of circular economy practices through community events and a study visit to the Rediscovery Centre in Dublin, helping participants see how reuse, repair, and upcycling can be applied locally in Offaly.
All activities are underpinned by ongoing observation and evaluation, capturing learning from projects and community engagement so that approaches can adapt and improve over time.
Our Goal
The Regenerative Economies pillar aims to ensure that the Just Transition in Offaly is:
- Inclusive: Empowering communities to co-design their own transition.
- Sustainable: Embedding circular and bio-based practices in everyday life.
- Resilient: Keeping resources, skills, and value within the county to secure long-term benefits.
Through this work, project partners are helping Offaly communities take practical steps towards a more regenerative local economy, creating opportunities that are both socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.