About Greener Quin
As Quin Village Tidy Towns has expanded its work in biodiversity, climate action, environmental education, the circular economy and community sustainability, there is a need for a simple way of identifying and communicating these activities.
Greener Quin is the sustainability programme of Quin Village Tidy Towns. It provides a single identity for the group’s sustainability work while remaining fully integrated within the wider activities of QVTT.
Supporting this programme is this Greener Quin Online Resource - a communications and knowledge platform that brings together projects, reports, educational resources and community achievements in one accessible location.
Our story
Over recent years, Quin Village Tidy Towns (QVTT) has evolved well beyond the annual SuperValu TidyTowns competition.
While continuing the work that has always been at the heart of TidyTowns, QVTT now delivers a wide range of community infrastructure, environmental and sustainability projects, including:
· Community infrastructure - An Tearmann, the Famine Pot Project and the Quin Grotto Restoration Project.
· Sustainability and biodiversity initiatives, including the Quin Biodiversity Action Plan.
· Climate action projects, including the Quin Energy Master Plan.
· Circular economy initiatives.
· Environmental education and citizen science.
This reflects the changing role of TidyTowns nationally.
As recognised by Minister Dara Calleary in his Foreword to the 2026 SuperValu TidyTowns Competition, TidyTowns groups are now leading projects that make communities:
“more attractive, more vibrant and more sustainable places to live, work and visit.”
As the role of TidyTowns continues to evolve, so too does the need to communicate and demonstrate the wider impact of community-led projects.
As the committee's activities have expanded, there is now a need for a more effective way to organise, communicate and preserve information about projects, reports, educational resources and community achievements.
The Greener Quin concept has been developed to provide a single identity for the committee's sustainability work, while the Greener Quin Online Resource brings these resources together in one accessible location.
The concept was developed through the Circular Communications Connections Grant, supported by communications mentoring from Wove. Alongside the Online Resource, the project also produced educational materials, community display resources and promotional content to support sustainability awareness and community engagement.
The team
Greener Quin is led by three volunteers who have each lived in Quin for over 20 years.
Liz is a retired teacher with a background in community organisation and a long involvement in biodiversity work in the village. She has led the biodiversity projects, from planting days and monitoring walks to the Quin Biodiversity Action Plan, Arbutus Grove Sensory and Nature Trail and the Return to Nature Church Biodiversity Project.
Alison studied management for sustainable development at DCU and leads the sustainability and circular economy work. She coordinates the SEC programme, the SDG initiatives, circular economy events and the East Clare Tidy Towns Network. She loves to sew and makes sustainable decor for village events from clothes heading to landfil.
Elaine is an organic horticulturalist with a particular interest in native species. She acts as pollinator and horticulture advisor for the group, guiding planting decisions and habitat management across the village. Elaine loves to garden and is so generous with her talents, we learn something new from her every day!
Alongside the core team, Greener Quin works with TY Gaisce volunteers, Scoil na Mainistreach's Green Schools committee, resident groups and a wide network of local organisations and supporters.
How we work
We use native species in every planting scheme we manage. We do not use pesticides or herbicides on any site under our care. We follow the guidance of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and the Quin Biodiversity Action Plan in all biodiversity work. We monitor our biodiversity work through citizen science programs including the All-Ireland Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme and Flower-Insect Timed Counts, submitting records to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
We link our sustainability initiatives to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and have planned Climate Action projects from our SEC register of opportunities. We align with Circular.ie on our circular economy activities.
We share what we learn with other community groups through the East Clare Tidy Towns Network and through our involvement in the Clare Community Gardens Network.
Our funders and partners
Our work has been supported by:
Community Foundation for Ireland — Quin Biodiversity Action Plan
Clare County Council Biodiversity Office — Return to Nature Church project
National Parks and Wildlife Service — Local Biodiversity Action Fund
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland — Sustainable Energy Community programme Department of Energy, Climate and Communications and Clare County Council - Community Climate Action funding. Circular.ie - Circular Communications grant funding.
We are signed up to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and are members of the Clare Community Gardens Network and the East Clare Tidy Towns Network.
Get in touch
We welcome enquiries from residents, community groups, schools and organisations who want to find out more about our work or explore ways to get involved.