UCD Sustainability

UCD aims to be a thought and action leader of transformational change for sustainability. Through its education, research and innovation, its campuses, its community and its partnerships and wider engagement, UCD will maximise its contribution to achieving sustainability at local, national and global levels.

UCD SDG Dashboard

This interactive dashboard is for you to explore, learn about, and engage with sustainability actions and initiatives on the UCD campus based around the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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News and events

UCD academics to advise Irish government on Nature Restoration

The Irish government has named Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin Chair of the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) on Nature Restoration. The six member committee also includes Prof Tasman Crowe, VP for Sustainability at UCD.

Community impacts of coastal erosion

At an Earth Institute event, Dr Tomas Buitendijk speaks about his research exploring the community impacts of coastal erosion in Louth and Wicklow.

Launch of LIFE project

UCD will lead the ecological aspects of a new €25m initiative focused on conserving and restoring the biodiversity of Ireland’s marine ecosystems.

UCD library wins Green Library Award

UCD James Joyce Library wins prestigious Green Library Award from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Upcycling workshops in UCD

UCD Sustainability collaborates with community-based clothing reuse hub Change Clothes to run mending and upcycling workshops on campus.

UCD at Summit of the Future

UCD is sending a delegation to the Summit of the Future, taking place at UN Headquarters, New York, during SDG Week (September 20-29).

Sustainability seed funding launch

UCD Sustainability has launched 17 projects funded under our seed funding programme. These cover a huge range of topics.

$Economist and \'Doughnut Economics\' author Kate Raworth is conferred with an honorary doctorate in economic sciences.$ Kate Raworth in UCD

Economist and 'Doughnut Economics' author Kate Raworth is conferred with an honorary doctorate in economic sciences.

$During her UCD visit, Kate Raworth participates in a \'step into the doughnut\' workshop, organised by the Irish Doughnut Economics Network.$ 'Step into the doughnut'

During her UCD visit, Kate Raworth participates in a 'step into the doughnut' workshop, organised by the Irish Doughnut Economics Network.

SDG Champion

University College Dublin has been appointed one of Ireland’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Champions for 2024-2025.

UCD Bike Library launch showing people with bikes at UCD Belfield next to the main lake

Bike Week 2024

The pilot UCD Bike Library scheme, brainchild of UCD's Professor Francesco Pilla, was highlighted for Bike Week 2024.

UCD awarded Gold level Smarter Travel Mark

UCD awarded a gold level Smarter Travel Mark from the National Transport Authority (NTA) for its efforts to support active and sustainable travel to and from its campuses.

Goals for sustainability

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs while living within planetary boundaries. Sustainability is enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), devised through a participatory process and adopted in 2016 to end hunger and extreme poverty, fight inequality and address climate change and biodiversity loss.

Addressing the SDGs is an extremely complex challenge that requires transformative change. Universities have a unique opportunity and a strong responsibility to create and inform future-thinking strategies while leading by example in real time.

UCD chosen as 2024-2025 SDG Champion

UCD is committed to action for sustainability

Sustainability is woven through UCD’s ecosystem, through innovative education, such as in the BSc in Sustainability, the MSc in Sustainable Development and (opens in a new window)the offerings of the UCD Innovation Academy, through student societies such as (opens in a new window)SUS SOC and the (opens in a new window)One Health Society which aim to raise awareness and increase action on key sustainability issues, and through our research institutes and major research centres such as the Earth Institute, the Energy Institute, (opens in a new window)BiOrbic and (opens in a new window)iCRAG, right through to start-ups and spin-outs supported by NovaUCD.

UCD's campuses are serving as living labs for research and its application in areas such as creating more sustainable cities, reducing (opens in a new window)air pollution and designing effective interventions for waste management and recycling. UCD is strongly engaged with enterprise, policy and action on sustainability.

UCD is contributing to sustainability in many ways, but recognises that much more is required and is committed to further action.

Recent Achievements

QS Rankings

UCD has been named in the top 50 in the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability in 2024, achieving the highest result in Ireland and ranking 24th in Europe.

SDG Champion

UCD has been appointed one of 20 organisations across Ireland chosen to help drive forward progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Smarter Travel Gold Mark

UCD has been awarded a gold level Smarter Travel Mark from the National Transport Authority (NTA) for its efforts to support active and sustainable travel to and from its campuses.

CANIE Accord

UCD has become the first Higher Education Institution in Ireland to sign the CANIE Accord which aims to create a carbon-neutral and climate-aware international education sector by 2030.

Sustainability Research

UCD researchers are informing policy, developing innovative technologies and participating in key advisory bodies, all with the aim of driving positive global change.