Beyond questions of decarbonising our energy system, there are a much broader range of environmental challenges which are currently being faced at both the local and global level. Within the context of Dingle Peninsula 2030, an energy transition framework was centrally important in initiating a range of activities while also leveraging available funding supports. As time progressed and the project grew, a broader range of initiatives emerged which although still often related to energy, operated within new primary realms such as education, agriculture and tourism. Throughout our study we tracked the emergence of such initiatives through the introduction of the concept of the diffusion of sustainability, for the years 2018–2021. Here, we map out how this developed, both in relation to emergent activities and the associated conceptual formation. We introduce a second concept, scaling deep, as a framing through which we can understand the approach taken to regional development following on from Dingle Peninsula 2030 (2022–2024) and moves beyond classifications of scaling up or scaling out which have often failed to successfully account for the diverse forms and dynamics that impact upon local contexts. Through these two conceptual developments we hope to provide some fertile ground upon which similar local projects can be informed in their activities.