This may be a little out of order, but the next topic discussion I’ll go over is sustainability practices that can be found in Ireland. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term sustainability, it basically means living in an environmentally sound manner. There is also a large focus on conservation of both natural resources and energy. In the United States, sustainability has been making some really good strides with the developing “green wave” that’s been recently taking over. One of the biggest steps we have taken to promote green practices is through the U.S. Green Building Council, and their establishment of LEED certification. This rates buildings on how “green” they are, and this is determined through a series of aspects and qualifications. 

This is the Millenium Science Complex at Penn State. It is a LEED certified building with five extensive green roofs for storm water management. It also has an intensive green roof which is what's being shown in the photo above.

This is the Millenium Science Complex at Penn State. It is a LEED certified building with five extensive green roofs for storm water management. It also has an intensive green roof which is what's being shown in the photo above.

 

So with that being said, what is Ireland doing?

Well, after looking around, it became rather obvious that Ireland is definitely active with sustainability. There actually is an organization by the name of Sustainable Ireland that focuses solely on the education of green practices. Some of their programs involve a better building conference, discussion of climate change, and Building Energy Rating Assessment. 

This is one of the workshops that Sustainable Ireland has set up that give people hands on construction experience.

This is a renovation project that is part of the better building conference.

There’s also another non-profit group, called the Natural Step. This group has actually been in existence for about twenty years, and operates in eleven other countries aside from just Ireland. They focus on working with businesses, governments, and academic institutions to develop new and innovative sustainable practices. They have been quite successful in the fact that the group has received several awards in their years of existence and operation.


Currently, Natural Step is working with the Dublin City Council, or DCC. Dublin was a very crucial location due to the fact that a third of Ireland’s population lives in the greater Dublin area. The DCC originally made large investments in energy efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and sustainable urban development. Natural Step is now working with this scenario and the DCC to develop everything properly and to the best it can. What they plan to eventually have is a city workshop that would once again educate in the subject of sustainability, and this would be part of a bigger two year project, Sustainable Dublin. Two current flagship projects include the St. Patrick’s Day project and the building management project. The St. Patrick’s Day project is aimed at taking the week-long celebration, and run it as a sustainable event. I’m really interested to see how that all turns out.

Sources

"Sustainable Dublin, Ireland | The Natural Step." The Natural Step. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.naturalstep.org/en/sustainable-dublin>.

"Sustainable Ireland | Cultivate Living & Learning." Sustainable Ireland | Cultivate Living & Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.sustainable.ie/>.