About The Green Campus Programme in UCC

In March 2020, University College Cork celebrated 10 years since becoming the first University in the world to be awarded a Green Flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education.  Green Campus involves a seven-step programme and a cycle of continual improvement. Campuses are fully reassessed, by a panel of external experts, every 3 years. UCC has successfully renewed it’s Green Flag five times. 

The Green Campus Programme in UCC has evolved significantly since its inception. Strong commitment and support from the highest levels in the university has contributed to embedding sustainability across our operations, teaching, research and outreach. The student-led Green Campus Committee, chaired by the Student’s Union Deputy President, meets regularly to discuss ideas and campaigns to improve our campus. These meetings feed into biannual meetings of the  Green Campus Forum, which takes its membership from across all functions within the University.  The forum ensures continuity and strategic oversight throughout the academic cycle. 

In 2016, UCC launched its Sustainability Strategy, which is framed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and, in 2018, began to publish Annual Sustainability Reports. 

UCC is  now ranked 8th in the world for impact as measured by TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION World University Impact Rankings 2021 

UCC is ranked 9th globally in the UI Green Metric World University Ranking of sustainable universities and was the first higher education institution in the world to achieve ISO 50001 certification for energy management.

In 2018, UCC was the first university outside of North America to be awarded a Gold Star from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. For further information please follow this link STARS.