A Journey in Sustainable Development in an Urban Campus

Abstract

University College Cork is located in an urban setting in the heart of Cork city. The university was the world’s first Green-Campus awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Copenhagen, in 2010 (renewed 2013) and the world’s first university to achieve ISO50001 standard certification for Energy Management Systems: we are student led, research informed and practice focussed on matters of sustainability and this ethos is embedded across the entire university. During the period campus recycling rate increased from 21 to 75 %, total energy consumption decreased by 9 %, the number of staff choosing to cycle to work- increased from 6 to 12 % across campus. €1,000,000 on waste costs was saved and a saving of over 7,50,000 m3 of water. We are also committed to engaging in training our staff in environmental awareness in biodiversity and environmental management. Student led initiatives range from food production in on-campus poly-tunnels to collaboration with our estates to maintain biodiversity. This paper describes the journey for the university staff and its students in advancing our Green-Campus, with a wider impact on our stakeholders and service providers.