In 2015 at COP21 in Paris, it was agreed and became a part of the remit for many governments, that for the next 30 years there HAS to be a reduction in global carbon emissions.
For this to come to fruition in the future, we cannot only introduce higher rates of carbon tax, invest in public transport or simply upgrade our energy extractions to renewables.
Imagine for a moment if you will, an Ireland in the year 2040… Our government has embedded Environmental Education into our school’s curriculum - from primary school right through to adult education, and this has been ongoing since 2021.
The basic principles of environmental sustainability are now second nature to the...
Part of many government’s remit for the next 30 years is a reduction of Carbon emissions, as agreed in 2015 at COP21 in Paris.
Yes of course, all those actions will result on a greener economy, but there is one component to achieve true Environmental Sustainability that is missing, and that is to provide EDUCATION to all members of society.
After our government has embedded Environmental Education into our Schools curriculum, from Primary schools through to adult education since 2020. The basic principles of Environmental Sustainability, are now second nature to the current workforce. We all know how to calculate and reduce our life’s carbon emissions, we all know how the daily decisions we make affect the environment, and most of us, are committed to lessen our impact on the...
We have often heard of the spread of invasive species, plant species like Japanese knotweed in Ireland, for instance. We come up with measures to remove them, so they do not wreak havoc on the local plant species and land. Yet we have not really considered the most destructive and invasive species of them all.
We are exhausting our freshwater supply, filling our environment with waste, exploiting natural resources to extract oil, gas and raw materials.
A recent article in the Guardian said that the source of the world’s food, it’s seeds, are in the control of just four companies. It also highlighted, for instance,...
As defined by the European Parliament;
“The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.”
The drive towards a circular economy has recently seen a huge push as it is in line with governments reaching their net zero targets. We are hearing it more and more in sound bites and headlines as for the most part, globally, there is an acknowledgement that our current linear economy is simply not sustainable.
Digging a little deeper into waste management plans and objectives, the Netherlands popped up several times so I decided to have a look into their overall ambitions and targets. For example, their government strategy has very clearly outlined that by 2050 the transition to the circular economy...
It is a place many of us love to be on a sunny day, or on our holidays – by the sea. Looking out on that beautiful, vast horizon I normally find my problems become minute, but how often does it enter our minds that it is being overwhelmed with plastic pollution? I fear this problem is very much “out of sight, out of mind”.
It is estimated that 10 million tonnes of litter enter the world’s oceans each year. Plastic makes up 80% of this “marine litter” (IUCN, 2018). Think about that figure for a moment, 10 million tonnes of waste equates to more than 1 garbage truck load of rubbish, entering the ocean every minute. That is staggering.
Beach clean ups are great initiatives, bringing communities together, creating awareness and keeping local coastal areas clean. But it is not enough. they are not a solution to this problem, it is like putting a band aid on to a broken leg.
Inequality amongst the human race is something that has caused a lot of pain and suffering over the centuries, and unfortunately, injustice continues in present times.
Slavery, being one of the most insidious, with its first peak in ancient Egypt and the Roman empire. One might think that in modern times slavery does not exist anymore, but unfortunately, in 2019 approximately 40 million people, of whom 26 percent were children, were enslaved throughout the world, despite it being illegal.
It is shocking to me that slavery is still happening in our society. For many people across the globe the term “slavery” is something of the past, historic. It is hard to grasp this concept because we don’t see it with our own eyes, but it is a plight of our time.
So how does slavery...
The pandemic saw something we never thought we would witness in our lifetime, where industry and businesses grounded to a halt, forcing workers to remain within the confines of their homes.
Following the government’s recent announcement to ease restrictions on returning to the workplace from September 20th, we are going to see a large percentage of the workforce leave this familiar space. For some this will be a positive progression, others not so much.
Recently, one of my team members was on his way to Dublin city and rang me to say how abysmal the traffic difference was in the city centre compared to even the past weeks. The dreaded commute and traffic has finally returned.
Those who are eager to get back to socialising with work colleagues and separating their professional and...
Firstly, when is my waste company going to let me know about these changes and what I need to do to segregate properly by their guidelines?
Can I start segregating soft plastic in my home bins today?
Also, how is it now possible and how is this plastic going to be used?
Whilst I welcome the news, I fear that it may now be used as a license to keep using plastic rather than reducing our dependence on it.
In 2018 data showed that Ireland generated approximately 264,000 tonnes of...
Lockdown life was and is tough. People do what they can to get through it and one such thing for me, was watching TV in the evening. Escapism was easy and I am privileged to have access to free TV and films.
Daily actions such as purchasing a takeaway coffee - how often do you see the character bring a keep cup? The storyline doesn’t have to revolve around this but for me, it should be normalised behaviour at the very least. Do they have a keep water bottle when working out on screen? Or is it a plastic bottle? Do they segregate waste as they discuss the latest local love affair in the kitchen?
As an online company a significant amount of our carbon emissions are created “online”. The internet contributes to between 2% and 3.7% of global emissions (ClimateCare),(wholegraindigital.com). A report by Gartner, estimates that PCs and monitors account for around 0.8 percent of global CO2 emissions (the Guardian).
The difficulty for many businesses now operating online with staff working remotely, is how to effectively calculate their digital carbon emissions. The carbon emission figures for our digital footprint vary - in some cases drastically.
This is largely due to what emissions are taken into consideration when doing the figures: direct or indirect, and whether they are under the company’s control.
Scope 1 and 2 of emission calculations are such things as; our own company facilities, vehicles, electricity and heating used. For IT or consulting companies Scope 1 and 2 could be quite low, while most of their emissions fall within...
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