News and Events

Latest news and events from UCD Sustainability

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16Jul

Minister awards 13 UCD labs with sustainable laboratory certifications

Thirteen University College Dublin labs have today been awarded sustainability laboratory certifications by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD.

09Jul

Reduced mowing at UCD leads to wild orchid research

What happened when UCD Estate Services stopped mowing a patch of grass between the car park and the road behind the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science? Wildflowers bloomed, pollinators returned - and pyramidal orchids sprang up.

07Jul

Ash for Future citizen science event in UCD

Want to help rescue our beautiful native ash tree from dieback disease? Find out how you can contribute to saving Ireland’s native ash trees at our Ash for Future event in UCD.

07Jul

Cycle training workshops in UCD

UCD Sustainability recently funded cycle training workshops on campus, organised by UCD Smarter Travel Group and delivered by Colm Sevastopulo of Dublin Bay Cycling.

24Jun

Launch of 11th CITES European Regional Plants Meeting at UCD

Not many people have a job spec that includes “everything from snowdrops to elephants”. But Dr Noeleen Smyth’s role involves advising on and risk assessing the sustainability of “wild products” entering and leaving the country.

11Jun

Can you host a UCD event for SDG Week in September?

We are seeking expressions of interest from the entire UCD community (students, staff and beyond) to host an event as part of the official UCD SDG Week 2025 programme of events.

10Jun

Global Wind Day 2025: New UCD tool to optimise wind farm design

Global Wind Day is next Sunday so we want to tell you about the UCD Sustainability funded Omega project, which aims to make computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of wind turbines easier, faster, cheaper and more accessible.

09Jun

Sinead Burke at UCD Festival: “Climate change is a disability justice issue.”

Sinead Burke, writer, academic and disability activist, was in conversation with Roe McDermott at the UCD Festival on Saturday.

04Jun

World Oceans Day: nature-based and eco-engineered coastal protection solutions

It’s World Oceans Day this Sunday - so a good time to tell you about RECONCILE, the UCD Sustainability seed funded project looking at coastal protection.

29May

UCD joins UN-backed Race to Zero climate campaign

UCD has officially joined the Race to Zero, a United Nations-backed global campaign uniting institutions across the world in a shared mission to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

$From car park to wildlife haven: the story of UCD\'s Upper Lake$ 28May

From car park to wildlife haven: the story of UCD's Upper Lake

University College Dublin’s beautiful Upper Lake used to be a car park. In this video, UCD Estates Operations Manager Ciarán Bennett explains that the lake is not just a natural amenity teeming with wildlife, but a sustainable urban drainage system too.

12May

Easy steps to reduce your digital footprint

As UCD nears its digital storage limits, here are some simple tips for a digital declutter to reduce your carbon footprint.

$Students for Sustainability funded projects announced\n$ 30Apr

Students for Sustainability funded projects announced

We are delighted to announce the seven successful student-led projects selected in the first round of UCD’s Students for Sustainability awards.

22Apr

Earth Day with the River Detectives

On a recent sunny Sunday we went on a field trip to Wicklow with the River Detectives, a dedicated group of citizen scientists committed to monitoring and protecting the region's freshwater ecosystem

$UCD\'s Sustainability Dashboard a finalist in Esri Ireland Customer Success Awards$ 14Apr

UCD's Sustainability Dashboard a finalist in Esri Ireland Customer Success Awards

The UCD Sustainability Dashboard a finalist at the recent Esri Ireland Customer Success Awards in Dublin's College Green Hotel. The dashboard was nominated in both the Cartographic Design and Community Choice categories.

09Apr

UCD launches Sustainability Plan to 2030

University College Dublin today launched its Sustainability Plan to 2030, a bold roadmap for embedding sustainability across every dimension of university life — from research and education to campus operations and global partnerships.

01Apr

UCD students in action for the SDGs

We were delighted to see strong representation from University College Dublin at the recent Student Volunteer Ireland National Conference, held on Friday 14th March at Barretstown, Co. Kildare.

21Mar

UCD team wins second prize at Tri-Continental Sustainability Competition

What a gorgeous trophy, with the Irish, American and Kenyan colours intertwined! Congratulations to the UCD Nutribot team for winning second place at the Tri-continental Sustainability Competition in the University of Notre Dame this afternoon.

18Mar

Team UCD arrives in University of Notre Dame for Tri-Continental Innovation for Sustainability Competition

They've landed!
The University College Dublin team has arrived at the University of Notre Dame ahead of the Tri-Continental Student Innovation for Sustainability Competition taking place on Friday, March 21st.

05Mar

UCD SDGs Dashboard shortlisted in Esri Customer Success Awards

University College Dublin has been nominated in the Cartographic Design Award category of the Esri Ireland Customer Success Awards for the UCD SDGs Dashboard, an interactive and user-friendly online mapping tool developed by a multidisciplinary team of students and academics.

26Feb

Engaging with communities to improve transport in Irish towns

It's always fascinating when a research project completely changes direction following engagement with the local community.
For their sustainable mobility project Conundrum, Dr Rachel McArdle and Dr Dean Phelan of UCD School of Geography initially thought a technological solution like an app would help the town of Enniscorthy to meet its transport needs.

19Feb

Green Week panel with Prof Jennie Stephens

To transform society toward a more healthy, just and stable future, universities play a critical role - but is higher education structured to engage with systemic and structural change?
Talk/panel with Jennie C. Stephens, professor of climate justice at Maynooth University and author of Climate Justice and the University.

17Feb

UCD Green Week 2025, March 3 - 6: talks, walks, workshops and more

This year’s packed programme of 24 events includes talks by Prof. Jennie Stephens on climate justice and the university, by award-winning journalist Sally Hayden on the human impacts of climate change, and by former Green Party spokesman Aiden Corkery on what’s next for the Greens. There are opportunities for students and staff to plant trees, attend bike repair workshops, find out where UCD’s waste ends up - and much more.

$Conference in UCD\'s O\'Reilly Hall marks tenth anniversary of iCRAG$ 10Feb

Conference in UCD's O'Reilly Hall marks tenth anniversary of iCRAG

Can geoscience help save humankind? Just one of the keynote questions at a day-long event in UCD's O’Reilly Hall this Thursday, February 13th, marking the tenth anniversary of iCRAG Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences.

10Feb

First global conference in ICT for Sustainability slated for June in UCD

The first global conference on Information and Communication Technology for Sustainability (ICT4S) takes place in UCD, June 9th - 13th. The ICT4S 2025 conference intends to be carbon neutral, with hubs on all seven continents (including Antarctica) providing remote access via Zoom to the main conference at UCD.

04Feb

UCD launches carpooling app

Keen to reduce the carbon footprint of your daily commute? UCD Estate Services has launched a carpooling app for students and staff in partnership with Kinto Join.

29Jan

UCD launches Sustainability Toolkit for students

There was a fantastic turnout of staff and students and today's official launch of the UCD Sustainability Toolkit, a resource made by students for students to address climate anxiety, promote sustainability and support behavioural change on and off campus.

15Jan

8th Sustainable and Impact Investments International Conference underway in UCD

Today is Day 2 of the 8th Sustainable and Impact Investments International Conference at UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business. In this video, organising partner Dr Fabiola Schneider gives a flavour of what happens at the conference and what it hopes to achieve.

23Dec

Vet School sustainability seminar explores ‘quick wins’ and best practices

What are the environmental impacts of UCD’s vet school activities? What steps can be taken to address or minimise any of these? Just two of the questions explored in the recent Vet School sustainability seminar.

18Dec

UCD’s first UN Millennium Fellows graduate

Nine UCD students recently graduated from the 2024 class of the Millennium Fellowship, a global leadership programme jointly organised by the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI).

10Dec

QS Rankings 2025

UCD is the most sustainable university in Ireland - and in the top 50 worldwide. The latest QS World University Rankings for Sustainability sees UCD ranked 49th overall, a rise of one place from 50 in 2024. UCD remains ranked No. 1 in Ireland for the second consecutive year.

09Dec

International Day of Veterinary Medicine

Couch stuffings, bicycle tyres, out-of-date hospital equipment. The Clinical Skills Centre in UCD School of Veterinary Medicine takes pride in its recycled, reused and sustainable classroom materials.

03Dec

Sustainable Christmas Workshop

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Especially if you can save money - and the environment - by making your own cards, wrapping paper and decorations. Today a Sustainable Christmas Workshop took place in UCD to encourage staff and students to get creative.

27Nov

UCD Global Big Zero students graduate

The first students to complete the UCD Global Big Zero programme were yesterday presented with their carbon literacy certificates, accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project. This co-curricular was a collaboration with the organisation Big Zero and supported by UCD Sustainability seed funding.

27Nov

UCD Sustainable Food Fest

What is a sustainable diet? How can we make food choices that lower our carbon footprint while maintaining balanced nutrition? UCD Sustainable Food Fest gives “practical takeaways” on eating more sustainably

19Nov

New UCD community swap shop trials

A community swap shop, seed funded by UCD Sustainability, is up and running in UCD Student Centre as part of Wellness Wednesday, from 12 - 2pm, until the end of November.

$\'Foram\' event blends art, science and disability$ 19Nov

'Foram' event blends art, science and disability

What happened when neurodivergent artist Alan James Burns spent a month at sea on an arctic research expedition with climate historian Dr Audrey Morley and her team?

18Nov

UCD Bike Library wins SEAI Award

The UCD Bike Library has won the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation.

11Nov

Two 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.

05Nov

Tri-continental sustainability competition

At the Innovation Academy hackathon, 10 students were chosen to represent UCD in a tri-continental sustainability competition in Notre Dame next March.

31Oct

The community impacts of coastal erosion

At an Earth Institute seminar in the Museum of Literature Ireland, Dr Tomas Buitendijk speaks about his research exploring the community impacts of coastal erosion in Ireland, in places like Wicklow and Louth.

16Oct

SDG Dashboard launched

An interactive SDG Dashboard has been launched alongside the UCD Sustainability website. Led by Ainhoa Gonzalez del Campo of UCD School of Geography, it allows users to explore sustainable initiatives and features across campus.

16Oct

UCD Sustainability website launched

Yesterday we had the joint launch of the UCD Sustainability website and the UCD Sustainability Dashboard. The website is a one-stop-shop for all things sustainability at UCD.

09Oct

UCD Earth Institute welcomes new journalist-in-residence

The latest journalist to take up her residency in UCD Earth Institute is Lauren Boland, a reporter for The Journal with a focus on climate. Yesterday she outlined her plans for this residency, which include making a podcast series on climate anxiety and guilt.

08Oct

UCD becomes first Irish university to sign CANIE Accord

UCD recently became the first Higher Education Institution in Ireland to sign the CANIE Accord, marking a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainability.

02Oct

UCD Estates finalists in SEAI Awards 2024

UCD Estate Services are finalists in the Energy in Buildings category of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Awards 2024, for their application titled, ‘University College Dublin’.

01Oct

Kate Raworth lecture: Doughnut Economics - from concept to practice

Video of Kate Raworth's public lecture in UCD, in which she explains how last century's economic theories were not designed for contemporary problems like climate change.

30Sep

UCD Library wins prestigious IFLA Green Library Award

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

25Sep

Co-founders of Sustainability Society win UCD College of Science Award in Recognition of Student Achievement

This honour reflects several students' contribution to founding the Sustainability Society (Sus Soc) in UCD in 2023, which already has over 450 members across the university.

25Sep

Upcycling workshops in UCD

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

16Sep

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).

23Sep

Sustainability seed funding launch

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

04Sep

Kate Raworth in UCD

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

$\'Step into the Doughnut\'$ 09Sep

'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.

14Aug

UCD 'Bean Around' team finalists in prestigious Hult Prize

A team of UCD business students showcased their sustainable exfoliating soaps and body scrubs made from 100% repurposed coffee grinds at a global accelerator round of the Hult Prize.

06Aug

Second Generation Glas programme launched in UCD by Richard Bruton TD

On Tuesday the second Generation Glas programme was officially launched in University College Dublin by Richard Bruton TD, Fine Gael spokesman for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

SDG Champions Programme 2024-2025 launch

27Jun

UCD chosen as SDG Champion 2024-2025

University College Dublin has been appointed one of Ireland’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Champions for 2024-2025. The programme was launched yesterday by Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD.

$Organic chemistry app wins NovaUCD \'One to Watch\' prize$ 21Jun

Organic chemistry app wins NovaUCD 'One to Watch' prize

Did you know that 68% of pre-med drop-outs listed Organic Chemistry as the primary reason? This is the inspiration behind Orgo, a mobile app that offers a gamified learning experience with bite sized lectures and revision questions to support students learning this challenging subject.

20Jun

Med tech start-up Clia wins NovaUCD Sustainability Prize

Our latest UCD Sustainability Future Leaders are physiotherapists and UCD research masters students Rory Lambe and Ben O'Grady, whose med-tech start-up Clia is developing software-as-a-service which plugs into existing cardiac rehabilitation services.

12Jun

Are there mosquitoes in Ireland? UCD Earth citizen science talk explores insect vectors

UCD Earth Institute invited members of NetVec (the network of insect vectors in Ireland) to talk about their work, as part of the UCD citizen science community of practice.

$World Oceans Day 2024: protecting Ireland\'s salt marshes$ 06Jun

World Oceans Day 2024: protecting Ireland's salt marshes

Is it true that coastal wetlands are more effective than tropical forests at fighting climate change? Can the public explore Ireland's salt marshes - or should we just leave them be? Ahead of World Oceans Day on Saturday, we speak to coastal wetland ecologist Dr Grace Cott on the UCD Sustainability podcast.

24May

UCD team places third in NTA Smarter Travel Student Awards

A UCD team's idea to top up leap cards on reverse vending machines - rather than receiving money for recycling bottles and cans - wins them third place in the recent Engineering and Innovation National Transport Authority Smarter Travel Student Awards.

23May

UCD Landscape Architecture End of Year Show 2023/2024

AI depictions of future Irish coastlines, a 3D model of a renewable powered college campus, unused peatlands reimagined as multifunctional ecosystems - UCD Landscape Architecture End of Year Show 2023/24 was as inspiring as it was innovative.

$Bike Week 2024: UCD\'s pilot bike library scheme$ 13May

Bike Week 2024: UCD's pilot bike library scheme

It's National Bike Week (May 11 - 19) so we decided to learn more about the pilot UCD Bike Library scheme, brainchild of Professor Francesco Pilla at University College Dublin.

10May

World Migratory Bird Day 2024 highlights interdependence of insects and birds

Ahead of World Migratory Bird Day, Dr Adam Kane speaks to the UCD Sustainability podcast about this year’s theme, ‘Protect Insects, Protect Birds.’

01May

University College Dublin roof garden fosters sense of community

The Tierney Building roof garden in University College Dublin has come to fruition with an abundance of salad and herbs now being picked, eaten and enjoyed by those involved in the project.

18Apr

Gold level Smarter Travel Mark awarded to University College Dublin

University College Dublin 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.

UCD Sustainability

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

E: vpsustainability@ucd.ie

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