Sustainability in business has too often been reduced to a checklist, recycling bins, LED lighting, low-flow taps… Yet, what truly drives meaningful change isn’t the hardware; it’s the people. That’s the premise behind the Leaf Mark™ Certification, Ireland’s new sustainability accreditation created by Fifty Shades Greener.

Earlier this month, the Mespil Hotel in Dublin became the first organisation in the country to achieve the top-tier ‘Three Leaves’ status under this programme. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, not just for the hotel, but for what it signals about the future of corporate responsibility in Ireland.

A Certification that Starts with People

Unlike traditional environmental certifications that assess systems and infrastructure, the Leaf Mark™ puts people front and centre. It recognises businesses that invest in sustainability education for their teams, embedding knowledge, awareness, and accountability into the fabric of daily operations.

As Fifty Shades Greene...

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Sustainability in travel should be more than a badge. Despite global initiatives like Travalyst and sustainability filters on Booking.com, many credible certifiers and truly sustainable accommodations are being left out. The result? A system that rewards surface-level compliance while sidelining real impact. It's time for transparency, inclusion, and urgent action in sustainable tourism.

When sustainability becomes more about appearance than action.

In a time when sustainability is the buzzword across every travel platform, the promises made by global giants like Booking.com and initiatives like Travalyst ought to mean something. But for those of us actually doing the ground work, and trying to follow the rules they themselves have created, things don’t always match the headlines.

In recent years, the travel industry has made attempts in presenting a greener face to the world. Central to this shift has been Travalyst, a coalition of travel giants formed to promote susta...

We have to face it, global warming isn’t just a distant threat for our children’s children to worry about. It’s here and accelerating. Despite vague (half-hearted at best) efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the climate is shifting already. That means that climate adaptation, alongside mitigation, is now absolutely essential.

Take May 2025 for example. It is now officially the second-warmest May globally, 0.53 °C above the 1991–2020 average and 1.4 °C above pre-industrial levels. Fires erupted on Chios, Greece, forcing village evacuations and emergency responses, reminding us (once again) that fire season now runs all year long. All across Europe – Iceland, Italy, Spain, and France saw heatwave records break one after another.

Ireland’s Storm Éowyn: A Wake-Up Call

On 24 January 2025, Storm Éowyn unleashed record-breaking winds (gusts up to 184 km/h), downing trees, cancelling flights, and leaving nearly one-third of homes without power. Tragically, a man died when a fallen tree st...

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• Big companies are backing away from corporate climate targets

• Employee-led Green Teams keep sustainability efforts on track

• Green Teams reduce waste, energy use, and operational costs

• Learn how to start and lead a successful sustainability team

• Real examples show measurable impact without big budgets

Introduction: When Corporate Climate Promises Disappear

If you’ve been paying attention (or even if you haven’t), you might have noticed something unsettling—some of the world’s biggest companies are quietly walking back their sustainability commitments. UBS, HSBC, and Standard Chartered, once big, bold champions of climate action are now reducing or delaying their climate targets. Oil and gas giants like Shell are slowing down renewable investments. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing was supposed to be the future of responsible business, but now, a lot of people are starting to question it.

The message is clear: corporate climate pr...

TL;DR: Recycling Isn’t the Hero We Thought It Was

• Recycling has been marketed as the silver bullet for sustainability, but it’s often a distraction from the real issues: overproduction, corporate irresponsibility, and lack of proper infrastructure.

• Companies like Tetra Pak, Coca-Cola, and BP have used slick marketing to shift the blame onto consumers while continuing unsustainable practices.

• Tetra Paks, despite their eco-friendly image, are rarely recycled and often end up in landfill or downcycled into short-lived products.

• The solution? Focus on reducing, reusing, and holding corporations accountable—not just tossing things into the “right” bin.

• Let’s stop treating recycling as our first move and start redesigning the system from the ground up.

💡 Want to cut through the greenwashing and make real change? Our sustainability training helps individuals and businesses move beyond the myths and into action.

Recycling: The Great Green Illusion?

Right off...

TL;DR: What SMEs Need to Know About the CSRD

• The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will impact over 50,000 companies, including many SMEs indirectly via supply chain requirements.

• SMEs are not legally required to report—yet—but larger clients will expect ESG data, making reporting crucial for future-proofing your business.

• Opportunities include stronger investor appeal, cost savings, market differentiation, and resilience to regulation.

• Get started by measuring Scopes 1 & 2 emissions, training your team, and building a phased sustainability strategy.

• Top challenges include cost, data collection, and fear of greenwashing—addressed by starting simple and using verifiable metrics.

• CSRD is more than a regulation—it’s a chance to lead with transparency, align with evolving consumer values, and contribute to a more sustainable economy.

🟢 Ready to act? Our SustainAbility Reporting Course helps SMEs simplify ESG reporting and turn sustaina

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Brewing Sustainability, One Cup at a Time

Let’s talk about coffee. Not just any coffee, the kind that works towards restoring the planet while simultaneously caffeinating your mornings. Meet Watermark Coffee, a progressive Irish coffee company blending exceptional taste with environmental action. They’re the coffee experts who turn your daily brew into a sustainable action plan.

A Bean of Inspiration

The story of Watermark Coffee begins under the sea. Founder and lifelong scuba diver, David Lawlor, has spent 25 years witnessing the ocean’s decline; bleached coral reefs, shrinking biodiversity, and dwindling marine abundance. This personal connection to the natural world is what fueled a mission: to transform a coffee business into a force for environmental good.

Fast-forward eight years, and that mission has blossomed into a thriving enterprise. Watermark Coffee is now a leader in sustainability, operating with certifications like Rainforest Alliance and Guaranteed Irish. They even...

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• 2024 was the hottest year on record, surpassing the 1.5°C global warming threshold

• Climate change impacts are intensifying globally: heatwaves, floods, droughts, and biodiversity loss

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is key to climate action and resilience

• ESD empowers individuals with green skills and practical tools for change

• Businesses can drive impact by embedding sustainability training and ESG practices

• ESD supports multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate action, responsible consumption, and quality education

• Everyone has a role to play — from educators and students to business leaders

Introduction: A Milestone We Didn’t Particularly Want to Hit

Congratulations, Earth, you’ve done it again. Another record-breaking year! 2024 has claimed the title of the hottest year on record, tipping over the critical 1.5°C global temperature threshold. While this may sound like the Earth’s equivalent of a fe...

Sustainable development is key to the continued survival of humans and the planet as we know it. Without sustainability, there will be no future generations to meet nor teach.

Educators all over the world hold the enormous responsibility to educate our future world leaders, business owners and civil society.

If all educators begin to transfer sustainability awareness and teach green skills, we can inspire collective action on a much larger scale, forming tomorrow’s leaders to ensure we can achieve sustainable development

What are Sustainable Teaching Practices?

In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with huge amounts of information at a pace never seen before. This requires constant development, adaptation, and analysis of the world around us and our place within it.

Sustainable practices enhance the quality of life for all, addressing issues like health, education, and equal opportunity. Pollution and poor water &air quality are all threats to human health.

“Global citize...

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• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) equips learners with knowledge, skills, and values to address climate and social challenges

• ESD is essential for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 4 (Quality Education)

• Despite its importance, ESD is not yet mainstream — UNESCO urges full integration into national curricula by 2030

• The “Just Transition” highlights the need for reskilling as we shift to a green economy — education plays a critical role

• Teachers are central to embedding ESD in schools, universities, and communities through “greening” efforts

• The SustainABILITY Educators Academy empowers educators to confidently deliver green skills across all subjects and education levels

• Action-based, curriculum-aligned training helps institutions meet global sustainability goals and inspire the next generation

Who wouldn't want to live in a world where poverty has been eradicated, the planet and all its species...