Zero Together: Dublin’s initiative to engage the local community in the green transition

At the end of the day, municipalities themselves are responsible for only 5 to 15% of their city’s emissions. A truly ambitious city is one with a plan that tackles the remaining 85 to 95% — and that, from the very start, involves everyone: private businesses, service providers, academia, non-profit organisations, and everyday people. That’s where transition management comes into play, mobilising the entire local community.

Putting the community at the heart of the transition

Dublin quickly realised there was a strong desire for participation in the city’s transition. In 2021, Codema, Dublin’s energy agency, organised a survey to gather public views on how to move the city away from fossil fuels. The survey collected over 1,000 responses. 65% of respondents said they would welcome initiatives that “allow people living and working in Dublin to discuss, propose and vote on actions that could be presented to local authorities and the national government.”

By adopting the transition management approach — and as one of the EU’s Mission 100 smart and climate-neutral cities — Dublin has set its sights on achieving climate neutrality by 2030, not 2050.

Codema created the brand Zero Together — under which the survey was launched — as a cornerstone of its engagement strategy. Among many initiatives, Zero Together ran a campaign inviting people to share their vision of a fossil-free Dublin through “postcards” sent from an imagined 2050.

As part of its engagement efforts, during Dublin’s Climate Action Week in 2022, Codema co-organised an event with Patagonia, the well-known sportswear brand, to present the city’s Energy Transition Master Plan to a wide range of entrepreneurs – a strong first step towards inspiring businesses to join the Zero Together movement and transition away from fossil fuels.

Get inspired by other cities’ stories to drive your green transition

Curious to learn more about this Irish success story? As at SPARKLE, we strongly believe in the power of knowledge-sharing, we have developed a free e-learning course showcasing success stories from cities across Europe. Enrol in Transition Management: a process for co-creating transformative change and discover how you can adopt the transition management approach in your city!

This course is part of Planning the Energy and Climate Transition for Cities, a training designed to upskill local and regional authorities (LRAs) as well as professionals involved in urban, spatial, and environmental planning.

Successful completion of this course will grant you a certificate. Moreover, by completing Integrated Energy and Climate Transition Planning and one of the other two free courses in the training- Data for a clean energy transition or Transition Management: a process for co-creating transformative change – you will be eligible to apply for the scholarship programme covering participation costs in one of the five SPARKLE Schools happening between March and June 2026.

Interested in learning more about the SPARKLE learning programme? Contact us at at sparkle@energy-cities.eu.