News

  • 1 Million Disposable Coffee Cups Saved by you since 1st January 2023!!

    23 Oct 2023
    1 Million Disposable Coffee Cups Saved by you since 1st January 2023!!

    At UCC we are focused on continuous improvement for sustainability across our activities and became Plastic Free UCC’  from the beginning of 2023. UCC eliminated all single-use plastic in its operations throughout on campus dining, shops and vending machines. 

    We are thrilled to have reached the 1 million mark of saved disposable coffee cups as a result of this initiative. Your coffee doesn't have to cost the earth, bring your own cup!

     

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  • UCC moves up to sixth place in global environmental ranking

    05 Dec 2023
    UCC moves up to sixth place in global environmental ranking

    University College Cork (UCC) is ranked today as one of the most environmentally friendly universities in the world, according to an assessment of 1183 third-level institutions, across 85 countries.

    UCC has been placed 6th in the world in the UI Greenmetric World University Ranking which was announced today at COP28 in Dubai.

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  • Climate Action Week, 16-19 October, 2023

    11 Oct 2023
    Climate Action Week, 16-19 October, 2023

    Climate Action Week is nearly here! To mark the significance of Ireland’s 7th Climate Action Week, a schedule jam-packed with events will take place from the 16th-19th of October. This was a labour of love between:

    UCC’s Greenshoots Coordinator, STAND, UCC Enactus Society, UCC Students Union, Fáilte Refugees Soc., Enviromental Soc., Vegan Soc., Folklore Soc., Scribble Soc., Engineers Without Boarders Soc., Music Soc., FASHforward, Climate Ambassadors Ireland, Dúlchas, UCC Sustainable Futures Lab, UCC Folklore Academics, UCC Office of Climate Action and Sustainability and multiple wonderful UCC staff!

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  • Green Campus MTG - 27th Sept, 1-2pm, Aras na Laoi, G19

    25 Sep 2023
    Green Campus MTG - 27th Sept, 1-2pm, Aras na Laoi, G19

    Colleagues,  UCC Green Campus' first meeting of the semester is being held on Wednesday 27th Sept @ 1pm in Room G19, Aras na Laoi. All staff and students are welcome. 

     

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  • UCC named Global Sustainability Institution of the Year

    18 Jul 2023
    UCC named Global Sustainability Institution of the Year
    • The award recognises exceptional sustainability initiatives at UCC, encouraging the entire community to take action on sustainability.
    • The award was announced as part of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
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  • Greenshoots Update: UCC Community Garden Pitch-in Day

    03 Aug 2023
    Greenshoots Update: UCC Community Garden Pitch-in Day

    On Wednesday the 12th of July, a "pitch-in" day was held in UCC Community Garden.

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  • The Language of Trees

    05 Jul 2023
    The Language of Trees
    UCC Library presents a conversation between Katie Holten and Dr Maria Kirrane about The Language of Trees.

    This in-person event is open to everyone. It is free of charge but registration is essential. Registration closes 24 hours before the event. The Creative Zone is on the ground floor of the Boole Library.

    Register Here

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  • UCC Community Garden Open to All

    27 Apr 2023
    UCC Community Garden Open to All

    The UCC Community Garden is embracing Spring, with hard work being done by garden volunteers. Irene Ní Shúilleabháin, UCC’s Greenshoots Coordinator, organised an Introduction to Permaculture workshop at the garden in March. This was led by Dónal Chambers of Kinsale College, who provided a vast amount of knowledge and enthusiasm for workshop attendees.

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  • UCC's Sustainability and Climate Action Plan 2023-2028 will be launched on 30th June 23.

    22 Jun 2023
    UCC's Sustainability and Climate Action Plan 2023-2028 will be launched on 30th June 23.

    Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath TD will launch the University College Cork’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan 2023-2028 on Friday, 30 June 2023 at 9am in the Dr Dora Allman Room, the Hub. 

    The Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (2023-28) builds on the successes of UCC’s Sustainability Strategy (2016) and sets out how UCC will continue to embed sustainability goals and targets across all aspects of the University’s educational, research, ancillary operations, infrastructural developments and interactions with the community.

     

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  • UCC joins UMASS Lowell for round table in Dublin

    28 Jun 2023
    UCC joins UMASS Lowell for round table in Dublin

    UCC joins UMassLowell and university presidents from Massachusetts and Ireland to talk about growing our climate research at the Climate Tech, Energy and Sustainability higher Round table held in Dublin. 

     

     

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  • UCC Green Week 2023

    14 Mar 2023
    UCC Green Week 2023

    Dr Maria Kirrane, Head of Sustainability & Climate Action Office, invites the UCC community to come together to call for a better and more sustainable future. 

    Foraging workshops, biodiversity walks, debates and discussions are among the events for staff and students taking place as part of UCC Green Week which occurs all this week. It is a week of climate activism designed to raise awareness and spark conversations.

    Held annually, UCC Green Week invites our staff, students and wider community to celebrate innovative research and initiatives underway whilst inspiring us all to take further action to protect and restore our environment for future generations.

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  • UCC GREEN WEEK SYMPOSIUM

    06 Mar 2023
    UCC GREEN WEEK SYMPOSIUM

    As part of UCC Green Week Niamh Guiry is hosting a symposium in The Shtepps in The Hub building on Monday the 13th of March at 5:30 pm. 

    To download the programme click UCC Green Week Programme

    You can download the full book of abstracts GwS Book of Abstracts

     

     

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  • Irene Ní Shúilleabháin is UCC Green Campus Greenshoots Coordinator

    03 Mar 2023
    Irene Ní Shúilleabháin is UCC Green Campus Greenshoots Coordinator

    The Greenshoots programme focuses on student engagement with green spaces on campus, in addition to climate action and sustainability, for the benefit of students' wellbeing and the environment of which they are a part. Irene will collaborate with students to encourage greater awareness of the benefits of green spaces amongst the student community. It is hoped that the Greenshoots programme will lead to an increase in the number of students using campus green spaces to improve their wellbeing, in addition to adopting and championing pro-environmental behaviours (highlighting issues such as sustainable food production, biodiversity conservation and holistic solutions to environmental problems).

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  • UCC and Queen’s University establish first all-island sustainability network

    23 Feb 2023
    UCC and Queen’s University establish first all-island sustainability network

    University College Cork (UCC) and Queen’s University Belfast (Queen’s) have established Ireland’s first all-island network dedicated to delivering on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Sustainable Development Solutions Network Ireland (SDSN Ireland) launched today at an event in Dublin, will work with local authorities, NGOs, civil society organisations and policymakers to bring the latest research and best practice to bear on producing solutions for the SDGs. It is the first time a university in Northern Ireland and in Ireland have formed a partnership to develop an all-island approach to sustainable development goals.

     

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  • Registration is now open for the UW0005 University Wide Module in Sustainability

    10 Jan 2023
    Registration is now open for the UW0005 University Wide Module in Sustainability

    Registration is now open for UW0005 University Wide Module in Sustainability, a recent recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Sessions will take place online on Thursdays from 6-8pm, commencing Thursday 26th January. The theme of the module is “Putting Sustainability in its place, putting yourself in the picture” and it is open to students, staff and the general public.  The module can be taken for additional credit (5 Credits), Digital Badge, or Interest Only. 

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  • 2022

    20 Dec 2022
    2022

    Here's a glance at some of UCC's sustainable highlights and achievements in 2022, covering topics such as energy, digital badges, Plastic Free UCC, community and awards. 

     

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  • UCC ranked as one of the most ‘sustainable universities’ in the world

    13 Dec 2022
    UCC ranked as one of the most ‘sustainable universities’ in the world

    An international ranking which examines sustainability practices in universities across the world, has ranked University College Cork (UCC) today at seventh, the only Irish university to make the top 10 of the ‘greenest universities’ in the world.

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  • University College Cork to go plastic free

    06 Dec 2022
    University College Cork to go plastic free
    • ‘Plastic Free UCC’ will save more than 140,000 plastic bottles and 370,000 coffee cups per year.
    • It will save 560,000 plastic bottles and 1.4 million coffee cups during a graduate’s four-year degree.
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  • UCC maps research to UN SDGs

    30 Nov 2022
    UCC maps research to UN SDGs

    University College Cork (UCC) has launched a report highlighting the action researchers are taking to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges.  

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  • University College Cork wins Times Higher Education Award for sustainability

    18 Nov 2022
    University College Cork wins Times Higher Education Award for sustainability

    University College Cork (UCC) won the THE DataPoints Merit Award at the 18th annual Times Higher Education (THE) awards last night.

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  • UCC named sustainability institution of the year at Green Gown Awards

    10 Nov 2022
    UCC named sustainability institution of the year at Green Gown Awards

    University College Cork (UCC) has been recognised as the top university for sustainability at a prestigious awards ceremony celebrating sustainability in higher education.

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  • Learning & Teaching With The SDGs

    01 Jun 2022
    Learning & Teaching With The SDGs

     

    On May 30th 2022, members of the UCC Community gathered on the Shteppes in the Student Hub for the launch of UCC’s brand-new Digital Badge course, Learning & Teaching With The SDGs. The event consisted of a speech by UCC President John O’Halloran who officially launched the Digital Badge, followed by presentation to attendees which outlined the rationale behind the course and provided an overview of the course contents.

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  • A Freshers Guide To Sustainability

    13 Sep 2022
    A Freshers Guide To Sustainability

    We the Green Campus Team would like to welcome our students and staff as we embark on a new Academic Year. We've compiled a some ideas to help kickstart your Green journey while at UCC. Read on for ways to reduce your waste and carbon footprint and ideas to take your activism even further. 

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  • UCC scoops four awards at the Education Awards 2021!

    31 May 2021
    UCC scoops four awards at the Education Awards 2021!

    UCC wins Best Student Experience, Best Student Campus, Best Green Campus and Overall Excellence in Education at the 2021 Education Awards!!

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  • UCC is first in Europe to achieve gold STAR rating from AASHE

    13 Feb 2019
    UCC is first in Europe to achieve gold STAR rating from AASHE

    University College Cork has become the first institution outside of North America to achieve a gold star rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

    UCC now joins Princeton, Cornell and UC Berkeley in receiving the highest standard, Gold ‘Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System’ (STARS) for excellence in sustainability.

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  • UCC ranks in world’s top ten “green” universities

    17 Feb 2018
    UCC ranks in world’s top ten “green” universities

    UCC’s position as a globally leading “green” university has once again been recognised with a top ten position in the UI Green Metric World University Ranking.  Achieving an impressively creditable 9th out of a total of 619 universities worldwide, UCC’s position in the UI Green Metric represents a global ranking of sustainability activities across operations, research, education and engagement.  The result reflects both the commitment and action in UCC to advance sustainability across the entire university. In addition, UCC was again the top ranked Irish university for the 7th year in a row, endorsing our reputation as Ireland’s “green” university.

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  • UCC Hosts UI Green Metric International Workshop

    17 Apr 2019
    UCC Hosts UI Green Metric International Workshop

    UCC played host to the 2019 Annual International Workshop on UI GreenMetrics which addressed the theme of “Sustainable University in a Changing World: Lessons, Challenges and Opportunities.”

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  • A Fourth Green Flag for UCC

    13 Mar 2019
    A Fourth Green Flag for UCC

    Read more about how UCC recieved it's 4th Green Flag.

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  • 2nd Place for UCC in UI Green Metric University Rankings

    12 May 2015
    2nd Place for UCC in UI Green Metric University Rankings

    UCC retains 2nd place in University of Indonesia Green Metric University Rankings 2015

    UCC’s efforts in the area of sustainability have resulted in the Universitas Indonesia (UI) Greenmetric World University Ranking awarding a second in the world ranking for the second year in a row.

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  • UCC Sustainability Strategy Launch

    17 Feb 2016
    UCC Sustainability Strategy Launch

    On Friday 17th June, President Michael Murphy launched the 2016 UCC Sustainability Strategy.  UCC is regarded as Ireland’s ‘Green University’ and in combination with the University’s Strategic Plan 2013-2017 the implementation of this Sustainabilty Strategy will further enhance this reputation and performance.

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  • UCC Green Campus Greenshoots Programme is looking for Greenshoots Interns

    06 Apr 2023
    UCC Green Campus Greenshoots Programme is looking for Greenshoots Interns

    UCC Green Campus Greenshoots Programme is looking for Greenshoots Interns. These paid roles are available to current UCC students (undergraduate and postgraduate) and graduates of up to one year. The roles on offer are Greenshoots Garden Intern and Greenshoots Communications Intern.

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  • UCC Sustainability Research Seminar

    22 May 2023
    UCC Sustainability Research Seminar

    We’re delighted to bring you the UCC Sustainability Research Seminar as part of our ongoing research event series with the Environmental Research Institute.

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Office of Sustainability and Climate Action

An Oifig um Inbhuanaitheacht agus Gníomhú ar son na hAeráide

G.08 North Wing, Main Quadrangle, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork T12 K8AF,

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