Circular ideas, rooted in community

Waste is just
nature waiting
for a second chance.

The problem: valuable coffee grounds are thrown away while people remain disconnected from how food grows. We turn both challenges into local food, practical learning and community action.

Explore our work Scroll to discover ↓

What we do

One collective.
Two ways to make change.

Second Nature Collective brings circular food production and hands-on environmental education together—so sustainability becomes something people can see, taste, learn and take part in.

Why Second Nature

A clear problem.
A useful response.

01 / THE PROBLEM

Good resources are being wasted.

Used coffee grounds still contain nutrients, yet tonnes of them leave cafés as waste. At the same time, climate and sustainability can feel distant from everyday life.

02 / THE BENEFIT

Waste becomes food and knowledge.

We grow fresh oyster mushrooms, return spent substrate as compost and create practical learning that gives people useful skills, confidence and connection.

03 / GET INVOLVED

Bring your coffee, group or classroom.

Cafés can supply grounds. Restaurants can buy local mushrooms. Schools, workplaces and communities can join workshops and growing activities.

Start a conversation
02 / LEARNING↗

Second Nature
Education

Practical environmental learning that helps schools, workplaces and communities understand nature, climate and the circular economy by doing.

Explore education

The circular story

From daily habit
to local harvest.

Our first circular system begins with something Dublin produces every day: coffee waste.

  1. 01☕

    Coffee is enjoyed

    Local cafés make great coffee. The grounds and silverskin are kept separate.

  2. 02↺

    Waste is collected

    We collect this nutrient-rich resource before it enters the general waste stream.

  3. 03♧

    Mushrooms grow

    Oyster mushroom mycelium transforms it into fresh, nutritious food.

  4. 04✦

    Value returns

    Mushrooms feed people. Spent substrate becomes compost for community gardens.

Second Brew Mushrooms

Coffee waste.
Gourmet mushrooms.
A better future.

From our urban growing hub on Watling Street, Dublin 8, we are testing a hyper-local food system built around collection, cultivation and community participation.

  • Fresh grey oyster mushrooms
  • Café waste collection partnerships
  • Home grow kits and farming days
  • Supply for restaurants, markets and CSAs
Partner with Second Brew Read about the coffee-waste problem

Learn with Second Brew

Make your own urban mushroom grow bag.

Join a practical two-hour class exploring how coffee waste can become food. Learn about oyster mushroom mycelium, substrate preparation, grow-bag making and the conditions mushrooms need to thrive.

€30per person2 hoursbeginner friendly

Dublin dates and online booking will be announced soon.

View the course

A growing European movement

Coffee waste is already growing new value across Europe.

Second Brew is part of a wider circular-food movement. These businesses show how locally collected coffee grounds can support urban farming, education, employment and new materials.

01Portugal

Nãm Mushroom

Nãm grows nutritious mushrooms from coffee waste in a hyper-local urban farming system, working with Delta Cafés. It also supplies fresh mushrooms and home grow kits.

Visit Nãm Mushroom
02Italy

Funghi Espresso

Born from a zero-waste research project, Funghi Espresso uses locally collected coffee grounds for vertical mushroom cultivation, grow kits and environmental education. Its used substrate returns to the soil as compost.

Visit Funghi Espresso
03Belgium

PermaFungi

PermaFungi collects coffee grounds from Brussels partners by bicycle and grows organic oyster mushrooms. The remaining material becomes compost, while the company also develops biodegradable mycelium products.

Visit PermaFungi

How we will show our impact

Specific. Local.
Measurable.

What we’re building60 home grow kits + 5 hands-on workshops
Who benefitsUp to 75 residents, students and workers in Dublin 8
Why it mattersCoffee diverted from waste, 50kg+ local harvest and compost returned to gardens

Dublin 8 pilot targets

60home grow kits
50kg+community harvest
5hands-on workshops
75local participants

Second Nature Education

Learn outside
the lines.

01

Schools

Age-appropriate workshops that turn climate, biodiversity, food and waste into active learning.

02

Communities

Inclusive growing days, workshops and shared meals designed to build skills and connection.

03

Workplaces

Practical sessions that help teams understand circular thinking and take useful environmental action.

Meet the founder

Built from policy.
Grown through practice.

Second Nature Collective was founded by Conor Gilligan, a Dublin-based sustainability educator, beekeeper and circular-food entrepreneur. With an MSc in Sustainable Development, four years working in European environmental policy, and community experience across Dublin, Italy and Senegal, Conor created the collective to make big environmental ideas practical and local.

Environmental educationFreelance Educator
Education for SustainabilityVisit team page ↗Urban biodiversityBeekeeper & Educator
Bee8Explore Bee8 ↗

How to get involved

Supply grounds.
Buy mushrooms.
Learn with us.

Let’s work together