Active Engagement
Raheny Rotary & the Peace Pole
Linking with our local community the Rotary Club in Raheny very kindly donated to DCU a Peace Pole as part of the international Peace Pole Project (https://www.worldpeace.org/history/). At a time of international turmoil with the war in Ukraine it was a very poignant donation and it was noted at the unveiling that not meeting our sustainability challenges may have a major impact of future peace.
The DCU and Raheny Rotary community at the unveiling of the Peace Pole on the DCU All Hallows Campus.
An Taisce Green Flag community
DCU is an active member of the An Taisce Green Campus Community. We have been awarded Green Campus status for all of our Academic Campuses and actively engage with our staff and students communities via our Green Committee to develop and delivery climate action.
Sustainable Kitchens
the Sustainable Kitchens project which involved assessing the environmental impacts of commercial kitchens and devising and implementing interventions to reduce the magnitude of those impacts. The aim is to reduce the environmental impacts of operating commercial kitchens and to develop a ‘sustainability best-practice’ for any enterprise operating within the foodservice industry.
Making a difference
DCU is proud to be active in our local community, but also across our city and in many wider communities, both nationally and internationally. Through activities and initiatives large and small, we seek to engage with people and groups committed to social, economic, political and cultural development.
Civic engagement is a cornerstone of our organisation. It’s mutually beneficial, with staff and students not only making valuable contributions but also developing their own social understanding, knowledge, skills and values through active and global citizenship.
In fact, our civic engagement work has developed a strong national and international profile, and is widely recognised as a model of best practice.
Engaging on sustainability
Our role in addressing sustainability and tackling climate change is multi-faceted. Our related engagement work is key to enable a broader community understanding and recognition of the changes necessary to create a sustainable future and the actions we need to take.
Our engagement strategy aligns our four-point model of engagement (enterprise, government, citizens, academia) with our four primary communities (local, regional, national, global).
Key initiatives
Student engagement: Engaging with the DCU student population each year to gain their input and feedback on the DCU Climate Action Plan.
DCU Sustainable Energy Community: Sharing what we have learned and expand the reach of our Sustainable Energy Community to the local community in north Dublin.
Partnerships: Continuing to research, test and transfer sustainability solutions through partnerships with city and county councils, the Dublin metropolitan Climate Action Regional Office and the Eastern and Midlands Regional Authority.
Civic engagement: Implementing our Sustainability Charter through our civic engagement activities, including with DCU in the Community, NorDubCo and the North South Social Innovation Network.
DCU Community Gardens: Developing our Glasnevin garden as a living lab for the demonstration of innovative solutions to local and global issues, and hosting social enterprises such as GrowDome and Garden Gnomes. We also plan to develop a second community garden on our All Hallows campus.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Exploring the possibility of working with our Artist in Residence, Visual Arts Officer, and local community to communicate the principles and objectives of the SDGs in a public space.
Find the full list of our engagement initiatives in Appendix 1 of DCU’s Climate Action Plan 2021-2026.