DCU Green Campus Award

Dublin City University Green-Campus Award On the first day of the 2014/2015 Semester Dublin City University raised its first Green Campus Flag. The award follows over two years of diligent work undertaken by students and staff since commencing the An Taisce/Federation for Environmental Education (FEE) Green-Campus Programme . The Green-Campus Programme is an international environmental education and award scheme that promotes long term, whole college action for the environment. Dublin City University becomes the third University campus in Ireland join to attain this prestigious international award. The Programme, operated in Ireland by An Taisce, on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education has seen DCU maintain its’ target of reducing annual energy consumption of 3% per annum, improve its overall rate of recycling, significantly enhance biodiversity on campus through the DCU Community Garden and implement a campus wide engagement campaign on Sustainability. The DCU Green Committee established to implement the seven step programme was composed of members from rights across the University including the Estates office, staff all faculties as well as a large representative group from undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In 2012 DCU established the Sustainability @ DCU Initiative to develop and build an understanding of Sustainability that demonstrates the need to balance economic, environment and social factors in campus activities to create a sustainable future for all. The objective was to develop, demonstrate and embed an ethos of sustainable development via cross-campus projects focusing on the primary activities of Teaching and Learning, Research, Development and Innovation as well as demonstrating these in the operation and management of the DCU Campus. DCU is delighted to accept its first green campus flag in recognition of the efforts that have been undertaken to date but recognise that this is but the first step along a the path toward a fully sustainable campus. In the Strategic Plan 2012 – 2017, DCU has committed to the development and implementation of a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy. A major tool in the implementation of this strategy is the participation in the An Taisce Green Campus Programme. Not only does this programme provide a structure approach to engaging staff and students alike it will also provides the reward in the form of a Green Flag for the efforts of the staff and students. Director of An Taisce’s Environmental Education Unit, Mrs Patricia Oliver, paid tribute to DCU: “The successful implementation of the seven steps of the Programme and the enthusiasm and dedication of the students and staff involved with the Green-Campus Committee is unique in many respects and will, I am sure, be an example and inspiration to many more third-level institutions not only in Ireland but throughout the world” “This is about more than making a campus green”, continues Mrs Oliver “Over the past 17 years hundreds of thousands of students in Ireland have been brought up with Green-Schools, sometimes starting at pre-school, through primary schools and then second level. It is critical that the chain not be broken once they complete the Leaving Cert. It needs to continue into 3rd level, and from there into their professional as well as their personal lives so that they become life-long educators and ambassadors of sustainable living.” “Without the commitment, dedication and innovative thinking of all of the Green Committee members we would not be in a position to raise this flag today” says Samantha Fahy, DCU Sustainability Manager and co-chair of the Green Committee. Ms Fahy went on to say that this is but a first step along the path to a sustainable campus and DCU is committed to achieving this goal.