A RURAL community in Wicklow is hoping to create the world's first rural zero carbon district. The plan will see the areas of Ballynagran and Glenealy switch to green power, transport and production within 10 years creating a carbon free zone. While the initial steps are simple such as switching to energy saving light bulbs and energy audits the long term plan is much more ambitious and by 2020 it is hoped to have windmills, solar panels and rainwater harvesting installed.

Gerry Kinsella, chairman of the Ballynagran Zero Twenty project said the ten-year multi million euro project will create a very attractive community. ' We will be the first in the world to do this. The plan is really catching on and we hope to have a project manager appointed by the end of September.'

All the households are within a 3km radius of the Ballynagran landfill facility. A WICKLOW community's plans to make history are moving full steam ahead and the Ballynagran Zero Twenty project is generating huge interest.

Some 650 households within a 3km radius of Ballynagran landfill are included in the ambitious project with a view to completely eliminating carbon emissions making it a zero carbon area within 10 years.

The houses which take in a circular area 6km in diameter has a mix of one off houses, farms, a population concentration in Glenealy village and clusters of new and older homes.

The Ballynagran Zero Twenty project will start small with the retro fitting of energy saving light bulbs and an intensive energy audit in each of the 650 households but the ultimate goal is to see wind and solar power generated in the community in addition to rain water harvesting. A classroom in Glenealy National School is also being reinsulated to see how effective proper insulation can be.

Gerry Kinsella, chairman of the Ballynagran Zero Twenty project said the community is really getting behind the idea.

' This is a great opportunity for us and it is really catching on in the area. We will be the first in the world to do this and we have the backing of Greenstar who operate the landfill and also of Wicklow County Council. We hope to have a carbon free zone by 2020 which is a ten year plan.

'In the first year we are going to do an energy audit of each of the 650 premises within the area. It is not just checking their BER rating but will including water sampling, checking air quality, seeing how people are living environmentally. The size of their car and their recycling habits will all be looked at. It is a complete overview.

' From these energy audits people will be giving a plaque with their rating which can be fixed to the side of their house. From there then they will try improve their ratings with a range of measures.

'We are also retro fitting insulation into a classroom in Glenealy NS and we are going to monitor it for energy efficiency against the other classrooms.

' The project should also mitigate the effects of the Ballynagran Landfill and it is a win win situation for the community. In time we hope to have all houses well insulated with triple glazing, wind power which would see people's bills reduced, self generating street lights, good water.

'We will be the bench mark for other communities when the project is completed.'

- ESTHER HAYDEN