Establishing an eco-industrial network for small to medium-sized enterprises in the Mid-West region

peer-reviewedA key feature of the Irish economy is the strong presence of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is estimated that SMEs are responsible for 70% of industrial pollution across the European Union (EU). This project aimed to enhance and improve the environmental performance of SMEs in the Mid-West Region of Ireland through the development of an ecoindustrial network (EIN). The establishment of such a network, through information and resource sharing, waste minimisation and reuse, water and energy conservation, shared transportation, centralised waste collection and treatment, as well as increasing the influence of SMEs within regional planning through better communications with policy makers and the local community, had a positive outcome for the companies involved, the environment and other stakeholders within the region

Application of an expanded sequestration estimate to the domestic energy footprint of the Republic of Ireland

peer-reviewedThe need for global comparability has led to the recent standardization of ecological footprint methods. The use of global averages and necessary methodological assumptions has questioned the ability of the ecological footprint to represent local or national specific concerns. This paper attempts to incorporate greater national relevancy by expanding the sequestration estimate used to calculate the annual carbon footprint of domestic Irish energy use. This includes expanding existing study boundaries to include additional carbon pools such as the litter, dead and soil pools. This generated an overall estimate of 4.38 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year (t C/ha/yr), resulting in an ecological footprint estimate of 0.49 hectares per capita (ha/cap) The method employed in this paper also incorporated the potential role of grassland as a carbon sink. The caveat that the resultant value is dependent on the choice of study boundary is discussed. Including the lateral movement of carbon embodied in farm products (effectively placing the boundary around the farm gate) reduces the estimate of grassland carbon sequestration by approximately 44% to 1.82 t C/ha/yr. When a footprint calculated using an overall sequestration estimate (based on the distribution of Irish grassland and forestry) is translated into global hectares (gha), the standardized value is reduced by 35%

Novel resource saving interventions: the case of modelling and storytelling

Climate Change communication to the Public is in general presented in a negative fashion and often depicts the resultant costs and impacts as distant. Its substantial gloom together with the less immediate consequences significantly weaken responses. Narratives and stories are potent arbiters of meaningful communication and are an important vehicle for communication in our information rich lives. Importantly, they reduce jargon, gather and translate information, provide insight, reframe evidence and engage audiences. It has been argued by many observers that stories are potentially useful in driving change; presenting a way to value what is gone, expressing emotions, and helping us assert our determination to salvage something and work towards the future. This paper details the methods utilised by the authors to generate stories and case studies in a community in Ireland over a 4 year research period. The aim of the work was to identify and assess the salience and potency of storytelling – as part of a ‘co-creation’ process – with regard to galvanising local action in the generation of sustainable models of lifestyle practice for residents. In this paper co-creation includes the planning phase of co-design and the implementation phase of co-production. The demonstration of these sustainable lifestyle practices were a strong driver for the sustainable transition of this community supporting the reduction of its ecological footprint by 28% over 4 years, evidence of which is highlighted in this paper

Quantitative evaluation of settlement sustainability policy (QESSP); forward planning for 26 Irish settlements

peer-reviewedUrban areas are increasingly associated with negative environmental impacts due to concentrated resource consumption; however urban areas also offer economies of scale in terms of service provision. There is no accepted mechanism to aid decision-makers in policy selection to determine where to promote population growth or how to select settlement specific policies to improve sustainability of urban areas. There is strong political desire for methods assessing policy implementation impact on overall sustainability targets, but this has proved challenging, as views on the meaning of sustainability vary, and methods developed satisfying scientists' needs for rigor are deemed too complex and inadequately transparent by decision-makers. Sustainability measurement is vital to check whether a new policy, decision or technical innovation is helpful in enhancing sustainability. By 2055 estimates indicate that 75 percent of the world population will live in urban areas, highlighting the importance of promoting low cost policy decisions providing greatest environmental benefit, with short implementation timescale. This paper describes an evidence-based method developed and piloted to address these drivers and provide a decision support system for planners and policy-makers developed for Irish settlements with population range 500-20,000, which may have application elsewhere.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe

Backcasting to identify food waste prevention and mitigation opportunities for infant feeding in the maternity services

peer-reviewedFood waste in hospitals is of major concern for two reasons: first, healthcare needs to move toward preventative and demand led models for sustainability and second, food system sustainability needs to seek preventative measures such as diet adaptation and waste prevention. The impact of breast-milk substitute use on health services is well established in literature in terms of healthcare implications, cost and resourcing, however as a food demand and waste management issue little has been published to date. This paper presents the use of a desk based backcasting method to analyse food waste prevention, mitigation and management options within the Irish Maternity Service. Best practice in healthcare provision and waste management regulations are used to frame solutions. Strategic problem orientation revealed that 61% of the volume of ready to use breast-milk substitutes purchased by maternity services remains unconsumed and ends up as waste. Thirteen viable strategies to prevent and manage this waste were identified. Significant opportunities exist to prevent waste and also decrease food demand leading to both positive health and environmental outcomes. Backcasting methods display great promise in delivering food waste management strategies in healthcare settings, especially where evidenced best practice policies exist to inform solution forming processes. In terms of food waste prevention and management, difficulties arise in distinguishing between demand reduction, waste prevention and waste reduction measures under the current Waste Management Hierarchy definitions. Ultimately demand reduction at source requires prioritisation, a strategy which is complimentary to health policy on infant feeding

Embedding education for sustainable development in healthcare: opportunities for long range environmental impact mitigation from the maternity service to the home

Paper presented at Global Cleaner Production & Sustainable Consumption Conference, http://www.cleanerproductionconference.com/Significant environmental degradation and pollution effects can be attributed to healthcare. Improving the environmental performance of both hospital facilities and wider healthcare services requires healthcare professionals to respond to both challenging and changing environments. It is increasingly evident that regulation is unlikely to succeed in greening healthcare, due, in part, to differences across nations and speed at which new products and processes are developed. Within maternity services, infant feeding actions contribute to resource inefficiency, liquid, solid and electronic wastes such as single use bottles, composite material teats and collars, and breast-pumps. Given that the importance of breastfeeding is well established it should not be assumed that breastfeeding does not incur environmental impacts, as the use of breast-pumps and sterilising equipment has increased over time. The birth of a child, a significant life event, provides opportunities to influence long term behaviour and choices with respect to wider environmental considerations when raising children. Correlations between information provided by healthcare professionals and infant feeding actions among parents reveals the potential extension of this key relationship to drive change. The visibility of environmental initiatives and best practice within maternity services may serve as living laboratories for families to witness and adopt environmentally beneficial measures. Environmental education resources, for new parents and healthcare staff, have potential to deliver both wide and far reaching impacts. This paper identifies opportunities for environmental education within maternity services, assesses delivery modes using case studies, and evaluates potential impacts for both health and environmental sustainability

Trends, over 14 years, in the ground cover on an unimproved western hill grazed by sheep, and associated trends in animal performance

peer-reviewedThe frequency of individual plant species at ground level and the species composition of the unimproved vegetation on a western hill farm, stocked with Scottish Blackface sheep, were monitored from 1995 to 2008. Performance criteria of the flock that relied totally, or almost totally, on this vegetation for sustenance from 1994 to 2011 were evaluated. The frequency of vegetation increased over time (from 65% to 82% of the surface area; P 60% better, depending on the variable, than similar flocks in the National Farm Survey at comparable stocking rates. A well-defined rational management system can sustain a productive sheep enterprise on unimproved hill land without negative consequences for the frequency or composition of the vegetation.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe

A geospatial assessment of the rooftop decarbonisation potential of industrial and commercial zoned buildings: an example of Irish cities and regions

peer-reviewedThis paper describes a framework for estimating the effectiveness of photovoltaic and rainwater harvesting technology deployment on industrial and commercial zoned buildings to facilitate reducing national GHG emissions. Decarbonisation technologies pathways were investigated which may aid in meeting national decarbonisation targets, and their potential role at local administrative area scale evaluated. A finding arising from application of this method was that a small number of larger industrial and commercial buildings, representing only 4% of the sectors buildings, were found to account for 38% of its decarbonisation potential. Future carbon emission scenarios identified that electricity demand may be expected to increase for the industrial and commercial sector up to 2030, and that the technological potential for current photovoltaics systems have the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 4% more than currently planned Irish grid-scale decarbonisation trajectories. The method may be adopted at European scale, using local data on climate and building attributes, and is applicable at national, regional and local scales. The paper concludes with a review of technologies which may aid further decarbonisation studies, which include improved data availability for 3D building generation, and enabling technologies such as machine learning algorithms applied to satellite imagery.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe