The School of Natural Sciences is set to launch two initiatives to improve energy usage and to reduce carbon footprint within the School. A group has been established to assess the School’s current position on these issues, and to formulate a plan to improve energy use and to reduce its carbon footprint. Secondly, for this academic year the School is to launch a scheme whereby each department within the School will compete against each other in a bid to become the most energy and carbon efficient.
John Parnell, Head of the School of Natural Sciences, is responsible for the introduction of the two initiatives and sees it as necessary that the School sets a campus-wide example on the issues of energy and carbon efficiency and climate change. “I believe that our School should, almost by definition, be the leading School in the university on these issues. It is clear that carbon neutrality and energy saving will be of increasing concern to the Irish Government, private institutions, the university and to many staff and students.” Mr. Parnell also spoke of the responsibility that Trinity has to the general public – “As an institution largely financed by Government, Trinity will be required to take action.”
The assessment group comprising of Professor Mike Jones and Nick Gray from the Department of Botany, Professor David Taylor from the Department of Geography and Professor Geoffrey Clayton from the Department of Geology will co-operate with the Director of Buildings Office to make a submission to the School Executive before July 2009 on how to make the School more carbon and energy efficient. There is no direct student involvement in the group although submissions from students on the issue are welcome and Mr Parnell said he was “hopeful” that students would help.
More directly involving the students, albeit only those within the School of Natural Sciences, is the proposal of a competition between departments in the School to formulate plans to make their department the most carbon and energy efficient. A proportion of each department’s budget will be held and allocated based on a presentation made by each department on carbon mitigation to the School’s Executive. A prize will be awarded to the best plan. Mr. Parnell hopes this will foster student initiative to formulate ideas of their own; “at the executive I asked that discipline based students are involved along with all staff in formulation of the plan”.
