Based in Maynooth, Co-Creative Lab is built on a simple but powerful idea: that people are far more likely to engage with climate challenges when the process feels fun, accessible and shared. Drawing on Fun Theory and co-creation, the project brings residents together to imagine and prototype creative innovations that respond to local environmental needs.

Listening First: What Does Climate Action Look Like in Maynooth?

Before any designing began, the Lab set out to understand Maynooth’s lived experience of climate. Through over 600 survey responses and eight focus groups, the team explored what local people consider fun, how they feel about climate change, and what issues matter most right now, from waste and traffic congestion to energy use and access to nature.

This rich community-generated data was captured in the Co-Creative Lab Data Report (led by Dr Amy Fahy, Maynooth University), which identified six opportunity areas for creative climate innovation:

• Climate Art with Purpose 
• Interactive Energy Installations 
• Biodiversity Pop-Ups 
• Street-Level Climate Games 
• Climate Conversation Zones 
• Repair, Share and Celebrate Hubs
  

These insights shaped the direction of the project and set the stage for a new wave of local experimentation.

From Ideas to Innovations

Working with Vision Creative Studios, Dr Fahy and her team translated the community’s ideas into tangible, playful prototypes. Two early innovations have already made an impact in the town:

The Magic Bin
Responding to concerns around waste, the Magic Bin is a playful intervention designed to spark new habits. Installed in three town-centre locations, these bins reward users with musical feedback each time rubbish is dropped in – turning a mundane action into a moment of delight. Researchers are now measuring how the musical bins are influencing public engagement.

LEGO Smart City
Blending creativity, engineering and sustainability, the fully transportable LEGO Smart City introduces audiences of all ages to renewable energy. Featuring solar panels, wind turbines and eco-buildings, the interactive model has already toured local events such as Picnic in the Park 2025, making energy literacy fun, tactile and memorable.

More innovations are on the way, including 3D-printed street furniture and biodiversity totem poles created from ocean plastic – reminders of how design can reimagine waste streams as climate solutions.

The Role of Art and Story in Climate Action

Creativity sits at the heart of the Co-Creative Lab. In 2025, the project welcomed two artists – Martina O’Brien and Rachel Sweeney – to interpret the project’s data and processes through their own artistic practices.

Visual artist Martina O’Brien is developing a public-facing artistic response that explores the relationship between people, nature and technology within Maynooth’s decarbonising zone.

Meanwhile, Rachel Sweeney, artist, ecologist and dancer, has been leading Deep Time Walks and creative workshops across the community. These walks guide participants through Maynooth’s geological and cultural timelines, offering a powerful perspective on the town’s carbon story. As one participant noted: “I felt that time slowed down and I noticed so many species in their tiny worlds within this canal walk that I pass through every day. Thank you for deepening my perspective of lived time.”

The project is also inspiring new creative outputs: the choral director of Maynooth Chamber Choir is currently transforming Co-Creative Lab data into a bespoke piece of climate-themed choral music.

Growing Impact Through Participation

With over 2,000 engagements to date, the Co-Creative Lab has demonstrated how creativity can lower the barrier to climate participation. Students, residents, artists and researchers are learning from one another, shaping innovations together and building momentum around local climate action.

Early feedback indicates strengthened partnerships between Maynooth University, local communities and wider sectors, as well as a growing sense of ownership among residents who see their ideas becoming real-world interventions.

As one focus group participant put it: “What’s fun for me is being around people in the community, not necessarily doing anything, just being present.”

This sentiment captures the essence of the Lab: climate action as connection, creativity and celebration.

A Model for Creative Climate Engagement

Supported by Creative Ireland, the Co-Creative Lab is demonstrating how imaginative thinking can ripple outward into meaningful change. By meeting people where they are – in parks, on canal paths, in playful interactions with bins and bricks – the project shows that climate action can be joyful, communal and deeply rooted in place.

With more innovations on the horizon, Maynooth’s creative climate journey is only beginning,  and it’s one built collaboratively, step by step, idea by idea, and always with a sense of fun.

Follow the Co-Creative Lab:
Instagram: cocreativelab2025
Website: www.co-creativelab.eu