About
University College Cork (UCC) is Ireland’s leading university committed to a sustainable future. Over a decade ago, together with our students, we set an ambitious path to building a better world. Our Sustainability and Climate Action Plan 2023 - 2028 places UCC as a globally leading university in sustainability.
Our Green Campus Committee (GCC) and our Green Forum (GF) foster a culture of collaboartion between staff and students. The Office of Sustainability and Climate Action is continuing and supporting sustainability in UCC.
Where we're at
The Office of Sustainability and Climate Action sits within the President's Office at UCC. It is supported by the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. This plan was developed following extensive consultation with staff and students.
The office has overall responsibility for the implementation of the plan. This includes reporting and communicating its outputs. The office embeds an ethos of sustainability across the entire campus. This is achieved through coordinating a range of university wide initiatives and programmes.
UCC aims to achieve significant targets including becoming a zero waste campus by 2030 and a carbon neutral campus by 2040. In addition to our own targets we have a role in inspiring and leading change. Our goal is to inspire our peers in the higher education sector in the transition to a more sustainable future. UCC is a leader in sustainability. Our Sustainability Strategy 2016 was a first for an Irish HEI.
In 2018, UCC was the first university outside of North America to receive a STARS Gold rating. This was awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. We renewed this STARS Gold ranking in 2022. UCC is also consistently ranked by the Times Higher Education (THE) as a leading, global university in the area of sustainability. This recognition is testament to the work of our students and staff, but we are aware that much work remains to be done.
The Sustainability and Climate Action Office helps us to navigate this path. We will help shape and inspire a world that protects our environment and our society.
Meet the Team
Meet the team working in the Office of Sustainability and Climate Action
About the Green Campus Programme in UCC
UCC was 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 5 times.
The Green Campus Programme in UCC has evolved significantly since its inception. Support from the highest levels of the university has contributed to embedding sustainability across 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 Forum which takes its membership from across all functions within the University. The forum ensures continuity and strategic oversight throughout the academic cycle.
ULT Subcommittee for Sustainability and Climate Action
The purpose of the sub-committee is to support the university’s management of sustainability and climate action. It also monitors the implementation of the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. This is to ensure a whole-institution approach to sustainability and climate action at UCC. The committee meets every 2 months and is led by the President. It sits within the University Leadership Team (ULT).
Members
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| President / Chair | Professor and President John O'Halloran |
| Associate VP for Sustainability and Climate Action and Deputy Chair | Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir |
| Head of Sustainability & Climate Action Office | Dr Maria Kirrane |
| Deputy President and Registrar | Professor Stephen Byrne |
| Director Buildings and Estates and Green Forum Co-Chair | Mark Poland |
| Bursar & Chief Financial Officer | Diarmuid Collins |
| Representative of Head of College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences | Dr Ger Mullally |
| Representative of Head of College of Business & Law | Professor Aine Ryall |
| Representative of Head of College of Medicine & Health | Dr Janas Harrington |
| Head of College of Science, Engineering and Food Science | Professor Sarah Culloty |
| Sustainable Futures Programme Project Lead | Dr Marguerite Nyhan |
| Environmental Research Institute Manager | Dr Paul Bolger |
| Vice President for Research & Innovation | Professor John Cryan |
| Director Of Projects / Interim Advisor to the President | Dr Jennifer Murphy |
| Vice President for Global Engagement | Professor Ursula Kilkelly |
| Energy Manager | Pat Mehigan |
| Doctoral Student Representative | Niamh Guiry |
| Students Union Environmental Representative | Natasha Sutton |
Green Forum Members
The Green Forum draws its members from across the college community and includes staff and student representatives, and key personnel with responsibilities in relation to the sustainability strategy. Chaired by President John O’Halloran and Mark Poland (Director of Buildings and Estates), the forum meets twice annually to drive forward the Green Campus project and sustainability within UCC.
If you wish to be a representative for a particular group/area please contact us: greencampus@ucc.ie
Members
| Name | Position | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| President and Professor John O'Halloran | President and Green Forum Co-Chair | president@ucc.ie |
| Mark Poland | Director Buildings and Estates and Green Forum Co-Chair | markpoland@ucc.ie |
| Maria Kirrane | Head of Sustainability and Climate Action Office | m.kirrane@ucc.ie |
| Colm Foley | UCC SU President | president@uccsu.ie |
| Dearbhla Richardson | Green Campus Committee Co-Chair/Students Union Environmental and Sustainability Representative. | enviromental@uccsocieties.ie |
| Hayley O'Connell Vaughan | Green Campus Committee Co-Chair/Students Union Communications and Engagement Officer. | engagement@uccsu.ie |
| Paul Prendergast | Buildings Officer | pprendergast@ucc.ie |
| Michelle McCarthy | PA to Buildings Officer | michelle.mccarthy@ucc.ie |
| Pat Mehigan | Energy and Utilities Manager | p.mehigan@ucc.ie |
| Oliver Cunningham | Energy and Utilities Administrator | oliver.cunningham@ucc.ie |
| Dr Dean Venables | Department of Chemistry | d.venables@ucc.ie |
| Stephan Koch | Commuter Plan Manager | s.koch@ucc.ie |
| Imelda Sheehan | Commuter Plan Administrator | i.sheehan@ucc.ie |
| Barrie Curley | Grounds Maintenance B&E | b.curley@ucc.ie |
| Aidan O'Dwyer | Services Co-ordinator B&E | a.odwyer@ucc.ie |
| Tim Cronin | Capital Projects, Buildings and Estates | tim.cronin@ucc.ie |
| Niamh McGettrick | Administrative Manager, B&E | n.mcgettrick@ucc.ie |
| Professor Fiona Kearney | Director, Lewis Glucksman Gallery | f.kearney@ucc.ie |
| Professor Hannah Daly | Sustainable Energy, School of Engineering | h.daly@ucc.ie |
| Dr Avril Hutch | Director, EDI | ahutch@ucc.ie |
| Professor John Cryan | VP for Research & Innovation | j.cryan@ucc.ie |
| Professor Aine Ryall | Centre for Law & The Environment | a.ryall@ucc.ie |
| Dr Marguerite Nyhan | Sustainable Futures Lab, School of Engineering | marguerite.nyhan@ucc.ie |
| Dara Fitzpatrick | Department of Chemistry | d.fitzpatrick@ucc.ie |
| Dr Michael Byrne | Student Health | m.byrne@ucc.ie |
| Brendan O'Sullivan | Department of Geography | brendan.osullivan@ucc.ie |
| Professor Edmond Byrne | Department of Engineering | e.byrne@ucc.ie |
| Dr Catherine O'Mahony | CIRTL | catherine.omahony@ucc.ie |
| Dr Christie Godsmark | Public Health + ERI + CATCH Project | christie.godsmark@ucc.ie |
| Dr Annalisa Setti | Cork NeuroScience CNS Centre | a.setti@ucc.ie |
| Jason McMahon | Student Accommodation/Castlewhite Manager | cwmanager@ucc.ie |
| Cillian Cashman | Hospitalty Manager, Kylemore Services Group | ucchospitality@ksg.ie |
| Terry Brennan | Students Centre | t.brennan@ucc.ie |
| Fiona Thomson | Procurement Manager | fiona.thomson@ucc.ie |
| Katarzyna Sroka | Bidvest Noonan | katarzyna.sroka@bidvestnoonan.com |
| Dr Niall Dunphy | CPPU | n.dunphy@ucc.ie |
| Dr Paul Bolger | ERI | p.bolger@ucc.ie |
| Dr Eoin Lettice | School of BEES | e.lettice@ucc.ie |
| Professor Brian O'Gallachoir | Department of Engineering | b.ogallachoir@ucc.ie |
| Dr Ger Mullally | Department of Sociology & Criminology | g.mullally@ucc.ie |
| JP Quinn | Office of Marketing and Brand Impact | jp.quinn@ucc.ie |
| Donna O'Driscoll | Office of Marketing and Brand Impact | donnaodriscoll@ucc.ie |
| Dr Claire O'Neill | Management and Marketing | claireoneill@ucc.ie |
| Gemma McConigly | Societies Officer | gmcconigly@ucc.ie |
| Chloe Boland | Societies President | president@uccsocieties.ie |
| Dr Ruth Hally | CIRTL | ruth.hally@ucc.ie |