$name

Protecting the environment, lowering our carbon footprint and supporting local communities – these are things that more and more people are considering when they’re planning their holiday. While sustainable tourism is still an emerging area, many visitor attractions in Ireland are looking at ways to lower their carbon footprint and use local resources and products, as well as examining their impact on the environment, the local economy and local communities. Here are five fun places with a strong sustainable ethos to enjoy.

At Beyond the Trees in Avondale Forest Park in County Wicklow, you can take the 1.4km Treetop Walk, an immersive forest experience on a walkway above the tree canopy. It’s a wonderful way to get a new perspective on the forest, which is filled with many tree species including fir, larch, oak, spruce, yew and giant redwoods. The walkway ends at a 38-metre-high viewing tower that offers spectacular views over the forest and the County Wicklow countryside. And to get back down to earth? Why, you just take the giant slide, of course! (Or you can walk down a boardwalk, if you prefer).

Beyond the Trees is centred around sustainability. Locally-sourced timber was used to build the treetop walk, viewing tower and adjacent buildings, and it uses solar photovoltaic panels for electricity, solar hot water panels, plus air-to-water heat pumps and harvested rainwater. The site supports biodiversity and planting to attract pollinator species, single-use plastics are avoided, and local or responsibly sourced products are used. As part of the “no print” policy, there are no tickets – instead you use a QR code for admission, and you can avail of the water refill stations and electric car charging points during your visit.

The pavilion also has interactive exhibitions that show the benefits of trees and forests for the climate and you can explore the Avondale estate on one of the looped forest trails.

The lakeside setting of Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, County Galway has helped make it one of the most photographed buildings in the west of Ireland. The neo-Gothic marvel was built in the 1840s and has been home to Benedictine nuns since the 1920s. Some of the beautifully restored rooms on the ground floor of the house are open to the public, and the Victorian Walled Garden is an ever-popular spot with visitors, as are the tearooms.

Kylemore is located on the banks of the Dawros River, and incorporates many different habitats, including grasslands, woodlands and peatlands, over its 1,000 acres. It has a strong sustainability ethos and the team here has developed a biodiversity and sustainability programme with NUIG Galway, making it a centre for biodiversity research and education. Some of the initiatives include removing invasive plant species, planting indigenous trees and producing peat-free compost, as well as using electric vehicles, planning for renewable energy sources, eliminating single-use plastic and supporting local suppliers.