Donabate Portrane Sustainable Energy Community (DPSEC) is a volunteer group working to make our community more sustainable through practical, inclusive events. The group was established in late 2023 by a group of locals passionate about climate action, biodiversity, and community empowerment.

Our objectives include improving the energy efficiency of buildings, increasing the use of renewable energy, helping nature to thrive, and promoting more sustainable consumer behaviour and transport choices.

In 2024, we were delighted to be awarded over €15,000 in Climate Action Funding from Fingal County Council, in partnership with Donabate Portrane Community Centre. With this funding, we were able to purchase items for the Community Centre which help to promote sustainable living and the circular economy. These include a set of reusable cups, a bike repair station, five new bike lockers, clothing rails for swap shops, five sewing machines, and raised beds for growing food.

We also collaborated with the local Scout Den on the most recent Climate Action Fund and are currently waiting to hear if it was successful.

One of our most popular initiatives has been our clothing swap shops, which take place every few months on a Saturday afternoon in the Community Centre. A swap shop is a place where people can bring items they no longer need and take home items they will use, for free. This helps to keep our resources in circulation for longer and reduce the cost of living for families. We have organised special swap shops for Halloween costumes, Christmas jumpers, and at the Portrane Summer Festival.

We also hold repair cafés at our swap shops, where one of our volunteers can help you to repair an old item of clothing, or to practice simple sewing and mending techniques on scrap fabric. We can help with both sewing machine and hand sewing skills.
We have lots more projects in the pipeline (or electricity line!), so keep an eye on our social media to find out what’s happening next- just scan the QR code on this page.

We love collaborating with other organisations like community groups, businesses, public bodies and social enterprises to share knowledge and resources and maximise our ability to achieve our vision. Equally, we are always looking for new volunteers to join the organising committee or provide one-off support for events.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at donabateportranesec@gmail.com or on social media if you would like to collaborate or support our work - we would love to hear from you!