TCD GREEN FLAG APPLICATION

Trinity College Dublin is recognised internationally as Ireland’s premier university and as one of the top universities in the world. Founded in 1592, it is the oldest university in Ireland. Today the College has a vibrant community of 16,837 students representing every county in Ireland, 122 nationalities, and a wide range of social backgrounds and age-groups. Some of the most famous people in Irish history have been educated at Trinity College; writers like Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett; scientists like William Rowan Hamilton and E.T.S. Walton, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the atom, as well as two Irish presidents and many industry leaders.

The following is a summary of the information to be submitted for TCD’s Green Flag application on behalf of the College Recycling and Environment Committee (CREC). If you would like to provide any input or comments on the information provided, please email Joseph.Borza@trinitySSI.com.

Closing date for acceptance of information is 5pm, Wednesday 29th February 2012.

Further information can be found on the www.tcd.ie/greenpages website.

All information contained in this document is draft in nature and in no way obligates the College to accept the proposals put forward.

SCOPE & EXCLUSIONS

The scope of the TCD green flag application is comprehensive. All information for buildings and grounds controlled or operated by TCD are by default included in the Sustainability Management System (SMS) for the College. Where buildings or data are excluded from the scope of the system, this will be clearly indicated in the review documents.

The following is a summary of the areas covered by the TCD SMS:

Main Campus Island School of Nursing & Midwifery

(D’Olier Street) College Green/Foster Place South Dunlop Oriel House Goldsmith Hall Westland Square Offices 6-9 Leinster St Offices Biomedical Sciences Institute

(Pearse Street)

Trinity Technology & Enterprise Centre

Santry Playing fields & Book Repository

TCD Islandbridge Boat House Trinity Education Centre, St

James’s Hospital Trinity Centre, AMNCH Tallaght

Hospital Trinity Hall (Dartry )

TCD SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY

TCD is an important part of third level education and research in Ireland and abroad. College properties comprise a significant and integral part of the Dublin conurbation. As an educational institution it has a role in and a responsibility to society to promote sustainable development1 throughout its activities. This means that teaching, research, services and administrative operations should be conducted in a manner that protects and enhances the environment, conserves natural resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and supports the community and society as a whole. This policy applies across all parts of the College.

Within the resources available to the College from time to time TCD is committed to:

• Balanced development with regard to the environment, economy and society

• Managing its campuses in a manner that protects and enhances the local and global environment by establishing quantitative goals for environmental performance

• Developing its buildings and services with due consideration for the environment using life cycle analysis2

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

• Promoting intelligent resource use, namely sustainable transport use, minimisation and reuse of products, environmentally preferable procurement, recycling of waste streams, energy management and water conservation

• Incorporating the principle of sustainable development into the teaching, training and research activities of the College as far as possible

• Continuous environmental improvement and pollution prevention throughout its activities

This policy will be actively communicated and promoted to staff and students, and progress and implementation reviewed on an ongoing basis. The policy should be subject to a comprehensive review at least every five years.

1 Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland G (ed) Our Common Future: The World Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford University Press, 1987).

2 Life cycle analysis is a technique for assessing the impact on health, environment, and resources of a product throughout its whole life cycle. The objective of a life cycle analysis is to assist in optimising the value of a construction project over its lifetime, having regard to all the direct and indirect project costs.

TCD ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

1. Energy, Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2. Waste Management, Recycling & Litter Reduction

3. Water and Wastewater

4. Sustainable Transport

5. Resource Use & Sustainable Food

6. Biodiversity & Trees

7. Green Procurement

8. Education & Research

9. Communication, Student Involvement & Transparency

1. ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE & GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Objective 1.1. Use Energy Efficiently

Objective 1.2. Increase Renewable Energy Use (Onsite & Offsite)

Objective 1.3. Reduce GHG Emissions (Direct & Indirect)

Objective 1.4. Increase Energy Security

Objective 1.5. Prepare for Climate Change (Mitigation & Adaptation)

2. WASTE MANAGEMENT, RECYCLING & LITTER REDUCTION

Objective 2.1. Reduce Waste Generation

Objective 2.2. Increase Recycling

Objective 2.3. Reduce Waste to Landfill

Objective 2.4. Zero Litter on Grounds

Objective 2.5. Eliminate Hazardous Waste

3. WATER AND WASTEWATER

Objective 3.1. Reduce Water Use

Objective 3.2. Increase Onsite Water Use

Objective 3.3. Increase Water Reuse & Recycling

Objective 3.4. Decrease Wastewater Generation

4. SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Objective 4.1. Increase Use of Sustainable Transport

Objective 4.2. Increase Renewable Energy Use in College Transport

Objective 4.3. Reduce Car Use

Objective 4.4. Promote Cycling

5. RESOURCE USE & SUSTAINABLE FOOD

Objective 5.1. Reduce Paper Use

Objective 5.2. Increase Sustainable Food Use

Objective 5.3. Reduce Bottled Water Use

Objective 5.4. Reduce Disposable Materials Use

6. BIODIVERSITY & TREES

Objective 6.1. Increase Tree Numbers

Objective 6.2. Increase Green Areas

Objective 6.3. Increase Biodiversity

7. GREEN PROCUREMENT

Objective 7.1. Increase Environmental Awareness of Suppliers

Objective 7.2. Increase Green Criteria in Tender Marking

8. EDUCATION & RESEARCH

Objective 8.1. Induct all College Users into Green Campus

Objective 8.2. Increase Sustainability Focus in Courses

Objective 8.3. Increase the Research Funds for Sustainability Research

Objective 8.4. Increase Number of PhD with Green Element

9. COMMUNICATION, STUDENT INVOLVEMENT & TRANSPARENCY

Objective 9.1. Increase the Number of Green Events on Campus

Objective 9.2. Increase the Number of Societies with Green Element

Objective 9.3. Meet all Requests for Access to Information on the Environment

Objective 9.4. Report on all Environmental Aspects

Objective 9.5. Increase the Use of TCD Green Pages Website