From Plan To Do

From Plan To Do is a project that supports community-led climate action through clear, accessible, and people-centred communication tools. Commissioned through the Creative Climate Action Fund, the project set out to understand why many Sustainable Energy Communities (SECs) in Ireland struggle to move from planning into action despite having developed detailed energy masterplans. 

Using a human-centred design approach, the team engaged with over 29 SECs across Ireland. Interviews, workshops, and participatory research helped surface the lived experiences and key barriers facing communities, particularly around inclusion, energy literacy, and navigating support structures. 

The outcome was a set of co-designed, open-source communication tools to help communities take tangible steps: 

Manual for a Cosy Home: zine-style booklet made by and for people who rent, offering accessible energy-saving advice. DIY Community Toolkit: a guide to help SECs plan and deliver small-scale sustainability projects. fromplantodo.ie: a digital hub to host and share the tools to support wider learning nationally. 

These resources were intentionally low fidelity and prototyped openly with communities, allowing them to continue to evolve. They reflect a participatory process that prioritised momentum, accessibility, and shared ownership. 

The design brief called for clarity and approachability, with an emphasis on creating replicable tools that could support similar efforts elsewhere. Visual and editorial decisions were driven by the need to resonate with audiences who often feel excluded from energy and climate conversations. The resulting materials are practical and grounded in community voice. 

The process highlights how editorial design, co-design and public engagement can converge to build inclusion, trust, and climate action at the local level.