UCC aiming to 'lead the change' by becoming zero-waste campus

UCC is already lauded as a world leader in sustainability, taking actions years earlier than most others.

University College Cork (UCC) is aiming to better Ireland's overall climate ambitions by going beyond the 51% emissions reduction target in key areas by the end of the decade, including becoming a zero-waste campus.

The university set out its five-year plan on Friday to achieve its zero waste ambition, as well as becoming carbon neutral by 2040. UCC is already lauded as a world leader in sustainability, taking actions years earlier than most others.

It is currently ranked at seventh in the globally-recognised Universitas Indonesia GreenMetric university ranking, while it is 46th in the world for sustainability in the QS World University Rankings that measures 1,500 third-level institutions in 104 locations.

However, more needs to be done by UCC and others, according to president Professor John O'Halloran.

"We have set an ambitious target as time is simply running out. We need to work harder and faster for the future of this planet and our students. The higher education sector must act to inspire change, and through our research and learning and teaching, we will work to help lead that change," he said.

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Some 62 key actions are laid out in the five-year plan in areas such as transport, waste, food, and contract procurement. UCC has undertaken carbon footprint analysis of its emissions four times in the last decade, while earlier this year it went plastic-free on campus, eliminating the waste of 300,000 paper cups.

As well as its direct emissions, student commuting and construction form the most significant part of its indirect emissions, with staff commuting in third place, it found.

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In a bid to go beyond the Government's 51% emissions reduction target by 2050, UCC will transition the gas-fed heating system to electricity and expand onsite renewable generation, among other measures, it said in the plan.

In relation to food, measures include establishing a vegan restaurant, developing community growing projects on UCC-owned land, and investigating the impact of advertising this footprint on consumer preferences.

The plan outlines new campus walkways and greenways to ensure the accessibility of its green space, as well as promoting wild areas, green space, and food-growing initiatives.

It will undertake a more detailed analysis of single-car journeys to UCC and determine geographical locations with highest impact on commuting emissions, among other transport measures.