Sustainability

The Coca-Cola Zero Dublinbikes scheme has today hit the 50,000 annual subscriber mark. According to Dublin City Council, the scheme experienced its busiest ever day this month with members taking over 15,000 journeys on 2 October. It said that since the bike scheme launched five years ago over 8 million journeys have been made and it is recognised as one of the most successful bike share schemes in the world. The recent partnership with Coca-Cola Zero and the expansion of the scheme, which has seen the number of bikes on the city streets almost treble to 1,500 and the number of stations more than double to 100, have made the…

Today, on World Mental Health Day organisations across the globe are coming together to bring attention to mental illness. But, while the focus remains on breaking down stigma and encouraging people in difficult situations to seek help, waiting lists for mental health professionals in the public sector can be as long as 12 months, while in the private sector, therapist fees can be as much €150 per hour. MyMind, an award-winning social enterprise, relies on self-referral and fees based on ability to pay to bridge this gap, striving to make mental healthcare as normal as a GP visit. Social entrepreneur Krystian Fikert, CEO of MyMind, and Colin Edwards, general manger…

Health care professionals must make better use of community-based self-help groups for patients with mental health issues, according to the mental health organisation Grow. Figures from Grow indicate that only 37pc of people attending its services have been referred by GPs, psychiatrist and other mental health professionals. According to Grow Ireland CEO, Michele Kerrigan, poor integration between professional services and community support group networks means many patients are being denied a very effective resource. “The mental health services are under continued pressure,” she said. “In January of this year, one in four people were waiting more than three months to be seen by a community mental health team. By July…

U2 and Ireland Funds’ philanthropic initiative set to become long-term and lasting part of Ireland’s national music education landscapePictured (L–R): Conor Wallace, Gill Macnamara, The Edge and Laura Duff Music Generation, the music education programme initiated by Music Network following a €7m philanthropic donation by U2 and The Ireland Funds, is set to become a long-term and lasting part of the national music education landscape from July as the Department of Education and Skills commences phased co-funding of the programme with Local Music Education Partnerships. Music Generation provides young people with access to subsidised vocal and instrumental tuition in their local area. Since its foundation in 2009 the programme has…

Boyne Valley Group and AIB have introduced the first rooftop apiary on a commercial building in Ireland in an attempt to help increase the country’s bee population. The initiative will see over 200,000 honeybees located on the sixth story roof of AIB Bankcentre in Ballsbridge. It is expected the bees will pollinate flowers and trees within a five kilometre radius of the hives and produce an average of 20 jars of honey per hive by the end of the summer. In total, the apiary has four hives. Boyne Valley Group has been a customer of AIB for 58 years during which time it has grown to produce more than 2,000…

Ireland has launched a Global Green Asset Management Network at the Ireland Day Summit in the New York Stock Exchange. The move comes after green assets under management in Ireland doubled in the last year and tripled in the past four. Ireland now manages or services more than $10bn in green assets. The Green IFSC’s Global Green Asset Management Network aims to accelerate the growth of Ireland’s green asset management cluster by developing a forum for all market practitioners in the industry through which a consensus on regulatory, legislative and educational needs can be addressed through engagement with government, state bodies and other industry groups both nationally and internationally. “Irish…

An Post and Renault Ireland are joining forces in Ireland’s first ever on-the-road trial of electrically powered post vans. The detailed like-for-like study will compare the energy/fuel efficiency, maintenance costs and overall performance of the Renault Kangoo ZE (electric) mini van against its traditional diesel counterpart over designated city postal routes in Dublin, Cork and Galway over the next 12 months. An Post operates one of Ireland’s largest fleets with over 2,700 vehicles ranging from smaller vans to large articulated vehicles.  The company uses more than 7.5 million litres of diesel annually and in 2011, the company’s fleet-related fuel costs were in the region of €10m. An Post chief executive,…

Ford has pledged to reduce the amount of water used to make each of its vehicles by 30pc globally by 2015, compared with the amount used in 2009. The company is also developing year-over-year efficiency targets as part of its annual environmental business planning process and has established a cross-functional team spanning several divisions to review water usage more holistically. “Water remains one of our top environmental priorities and our aggressive reduction target helps ensure continued focus on this critical resource,” said Sue Cischke, group vice president, sustainability, environment and safety engineering. The company said its latest water reduction initiatives are designed to build on the success the company has…