Energy Clinics on Campus – Today (7th March) at the GEMS (10am-12 Noon) and the Library (1-3pm), and tomorrow (8th March) at the Student Life Courtytard (10am – 2pm)

Be nice this Christmas and power off lights and office equipment!

UL Students join the Global Strike for Climate

UL Students being addressed by Prof Kerstin Mey (UL Vice President Adacemic Affairs and Student Engagement) before heading into the Global Strike for Climate in Limerick City today.

UL students protest through the Main Building before heading into the city

UL’s Green Flag at half-mast symbolising that whilst much is being done at a local level in UL, the time for Climate Action is now.

Pictures from today’s protest through the city.

Protesters gathering outside City Hall

Global Strike for Climate Action, today 11.30am SU Courtyard

To mark today’s Global Strike for Climate and Fridays For Our Future, UL’s Environmental Society has put together a promotional video (click on the below picture to view). The music video showcases Greta Thunberg talking about the environment, and reiterating that we have all the solutions already, but nothing is being done about it. After this the song starts and showcases children taking action to better the world the best way they can.

Today a Global Strike for Climate is taking place. Over the last 13 months millions of school children from around the world have been leaving their schools each Friday to demand Climate Action. Ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit in a few days’ time, UL students are gathering  to demand climate action at a national and international level. Whilst this Global Strike for Climate won’t solve the climate crisis, it does signify a call-to-action for world leaders to come up with effective and credible plans to stop emissions increasing by 2020 and dramatically reduce emissions to reach net-zero by mid-century. The time for Climate Action is now.

 

Reducing single-use plastic waste at UL through the provision of water bottle filling stations

The Green Campus Committee is pleased to announce that 13 new water bottle filling stations dotted throughout the campus will be ready in time for the start of the academic term. These are set to dramatically reduce single-use plastic waste on campus by providing chilled and filtered water at no cost.

Four similar water bottle filling stations located in the library extension have already dispensed 410,000 fills over a 9 month period.

Watch out for these new water bottle filling stations at the following locations:

• Analog Devices Building – Level G Lobby
• Analog Devices Building – Level 2 Lobby
• Main Building Block B Level 1 Canteen – East
• Main Building Block B Level 1 Canteen – West
• EGO-10 (at Main Reception side)
• Languages Building – Lobby
• Health Sciences Building – Lobby
• Irish World Academy – Lobby (adjacent to café)
• GEMS  – Lobby (at seating area)
• Computer Sciences Building – lobby (opposite café)
• Schuman Building – Ground Floor (South)
• Kemmy Business School – Lobby
• Physical Education and Sports Sciences Building (near café)

The original idea to install water bottle refilling stations came from the Environmental Society (exclusively made up of students) who presented their idea to the Green Campus Committee. Once funding became available (via the HEA Educational Sustainable Development Fund) UL Buildings and Estates teamed up with the Education Procurement Service, UL Procurement and Student Life to complete the project (Student Life advised on the locations for water bottle filling stations that would most benefit students).

The Green Campus Committee would like to acknowledge the following:

• HEA National Strategy for Educational Sustainable Development Fund
• Buildings and Estates
• Environmental Society
• Student Life
• Education Procurement Service
• UL Procurement

UL’s Kayak Club and Environmental Society receive National Tidy Towns Award

Limerick Tidy Towns Chairperson Helen O’Donnell visited UL today to present the UL Kayak Club and UL Environmental Society with their Water and Communities Runner Up  Award 2018 today. The award was presented in recognition of their contribution to successive Riverbank Cleanups.

Helen O’Donnell flanked by UL Kayak Club and Environmental Society members.

Also present to celebrate the event were members of the UL Environmental Committee and UL Green Campus Committee

The Water and Communities Runner Up  Award 2018 presented today to the UL Kayak Club and UL Environmental Society

UI Greenmetric Chairperson visits UL

On Friday 12th last, Prof Riri Fitri Sari (Chairperson of the UI Green Metric since 2010) made the University of Limerick her first stop when visiting Ireland for the 5th International Workshop on UI Greenmetric Rankings (held in UCC).

Prof Sari (centre) and her colleague Sabrina Hikmah outside Plassey House with Chris Fogarty

The UI delegation was taken on a sustainability tour of UL which took in UL’s arboretum, the Farmers’ Market site, water bottle refill stations, waste management facilities, the Bernal Courtyard,  the Analog Devices Building,   the UL Orchard, the protected heronry, Electric Vehicle charge-points, secured covered bicycle parking hubs, UL’s special area of conservation (which includes a riparian woodland), UL Apiary, bat roosting and mining bee habitats,  site of trees planted by UL students and staff in addition to a walk across the Living Bridge. Part of the tour was competed on fleet bikes which are available to students to loan from free from UL’s Smarter Travel office (email smartertravel@ul.ie).

Prof Sari and Ms Sabrina Hikmah on the Living Bridge

The tour ended in the UL Roof Garden where the delegation met with Robert Reidy, Director of Estates UL.

The UI delegation talking with UL’s Director, Buildings and Estates at the UL Roof Garden

To conclude UL were presented with a mememto of the UI visit. UL are currently ranked 20th in the world in the UI Greenmetric Rankings.

UL Happy Market, 24th April, 11am – 4pm at the SU Courtyard

UL Switches off for Earth Hour 2019

Last Saturday, March 30th, was a busy day for sustainability action on campus. After a busy morning undertaking the  2019 Riverbank Cleanup it was back to UL for 8.30pm to mark Earth Hour 2019. This year the campus community was asked to support Earth Hour with the symbolic gesture of switching off unnecessary lights and equipment between 8.30pm and 9.30pm to heighten awareness and spark never-before-had conversations on the loss of nature and the urgent need to protect it.

If you’d like to become involved in sustainability on campus there are lots of ways as indicated below:

• The UL Roof Garden – Every Thursday 1-2pm – Just Drop in
• The UL Apiary – contact  j.j.leahy@ul.ie or adam.deeyto@ul.ie
• Smarter Travel – smartertravel@ul.ie
• Environmental Society (student led) – email: environmentalsocietyul@gmail.com
• Environmental Committee – email: yvonne.ryan@ul.ie
• Green Campus Committee – email: chris.fogarty@ul.ie

 

As part of the initiative the Living Bridges Buildings and Estates electricians and Security were on hand to switch off the Living Bridge lights and ensure bridge users’ safety.

Living Bridge – Lights on 

Living Bridge – Lights off

A virtual walk across the Living Bridge – Earth Hour style (speeded up 7X)

 

The North Campus was particularly eerie…

Health Sciences Building

Irish World Academy

Graduate Entry Medical School

There was plenty of lights out on the South Campus too…

Schuman, IBC Block 1, IBC Block 2

GLISB Phase 2

Student Life Courtyard

Clockwise from top left: Schrodinger, Ananlog Devices Building, Tierney and Main Building Block C

 

Thank you, Go raibh maith agat, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Danke sehr, Arigato, 谢谢 to all in the Languages Building

Fountain lights were also switched off at Plassey House, the Library and Schuman

REMEMBER:

If you’d like to become involved in sustainability on campus there are lots of ways as indicated below:

• The UL Roof Garden – Every Thursday 1-2pm – Just Drop in
• The UL Apiary – contact  j.j.leahy@ul.ie or adam.deeyto@ul.ie
• Smarter Travel – smartertravel@ul.ie
• Environmental Society (student led) – email: environmentalsocietyul@gmail.com
• Environmental Committee – email: yvonne.ryan@ul.ie
• Green Campus Committee – email: chris.fogarty@ul.ie

Later this year Buildings and Estates in conjunction with the Office of Public Works plan to roll out the Optimising Power at Work energy behaviour change campaign. In due course we will be asking the campus community to engage with this worthwhile initiative. If you’re interested in taking part or would like to know more, please contact chris.fogarty@ul.ie

Riverbank Cleanup 2019 takes place along banks of River Shannon at UL

Saturday last, 30th March, saw approximately 100 people on foot and 22 people in Kayaks show up to complete UL’s annual cleanup along the riverbank.

The event itself was organised by the UL Environmental Committee and enjoyed support from a wide range of groups both within and external to UL including:

• UL Environmental Committee
• Limerick Riverpath Volunteers
• Limerick Academy & Scouts Kayaking Club
• UL Student Life
• UL Kayaking Club
• UL Environmental Society
• UL Buildings and Estates
• UL Green Campus
• UL Staff
• UL Students
• Team Limerick Cleanup

Volunteers from the Limerick Academy & Scouts Kayaking Club

Some of the people who cleaned the Riverbank on foot…

It was a family friendly event with many people showing up with their kids:

 

The usual mix of unusual waste was collected including election posters, car bumpers and unidentified WEEE.

 

UL’s own UL Kayaking Club also turned up in force to clean the islands and along the riverbank.

At the end of the 2 hour cleanup this much waste was collected! [tonnage will be inserted at a later date once it its known]