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Communication, Student Involvement and Transparency

UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 is to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. UN Sustainable Development Goal 17 is to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

Did You Know? In 2016, a student-led movement called Fossil Free TCD resulted in Trinity pledging to divest its investment of €6.3 million in fossil fuel shares. Students self-organised into a group called TCD Plastic Solutions in September 2017, and raised a petition to lobby the university to eradicate single-use disposable plastics.  This petition of 3,800 signatures was handed to the Provost at the launch of Green Week in 2018 and resulted in the implementation of a ban on single-use plastics at catering facilities on campus. The SU and GSU each have a student Environmental Officer who can connect students into events, activities and groups around environmental issues. Contact environmental@tcdsu.org (for undergraduate students) or environment@tcdgsu.ie (for graduate students) to find out how you can get more involved, or to enlist support from these officers for something you want to see happen.

Our journey to sustainability depends on the entire college community working together on sustainability and environmental issues. 

Trinity's organisational structure makes it easy for all students, staff and faculty to get involved in sustainability activities and to reach out to others about these issues. The Green Campus Programme, our Sustainability Networks, and a variety of student societies ensure that Trinity's path to sustainability includes everyone and is fully transparent about its aims and progress. 

Our Objectives
Trinity has adopted four objectives that aim to mobilise the entire college community around environmental and sustainability issues:

1) Increase the number of green events on campus
2) Increase the number of green events run by societies by 10%
3) Report on the nine sustainability initiatives in the annual sustainability report
4) Increase the use of our Green Pages website by 5% (from 2015 baseline)

 

Our Sustainability Reports detail the progress that has been made in the implementation of these objectives. 

Data & Results

Getting Involved
Everyone can contribute to Trinity's transition towards a more environmentally conscious campus by adopting sustainable habits into their own lives, and by taking collective action through environmentally-themed groups.

• Our Sustainability Guides contain waste reduction tips, energy conservation measures, resource efficiency and sustainable transportation options that you can use daily!
• Our Staff and Student Sustainability Networks provide a forum for discussing ideas and sharing solutions to environmental issues.
• Student organisations such as TCD Plastic Solutions, EnviroSoc, the Botanical Society, the TCD Young Greens and the Zoological Society provide a space for students to learn about environmental issues, to take collective action, and to meet like-minded individuals.
• The Green Campus Programme is open to all campus members, both students and staff.
• The Trinity Green Week has been run every spring since 2004 and is an annual celebration of all things environmental and nature-based.  It provides a forum for staff and students to share innovative ideas on how to protect and rebuild the environment, both locally and globally.

Transparency
The European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 gives legal rights to those seeking access to environmental information from public authorities.

For further information click here.