The National Transport Authority is taking actions to decarbonize public transport in Ireland through strategies, funding, and infrastructure projects. This includes electrifying rail services, investing in light rail and bus projects, and transitioning bus fleets to lower emission vehicles like electric and hybrid buses. The goal is to support a 51% reduction in transport emissions by 2030 while enabling more sustainable travel options. Challenges remain in fully closing the emissions gap, and demand management may be needed through policies like congestion charges.

2. Leadership in Action in the
Public Sector

3. John McLaughlin
Chair, Climate Action, Transport, Circular Economy, and Networks
Committee, CCMA

4. Maurice Buckley
Chairman, Office of Public Works

5. Leadership in Climate Action
Maurice Buckley
Chairman, OPW.

6. 6 Office of Public Works
The Office Portfolio
Dublin & Outside Dublin
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Dublin Outside
Dublin
Sq Metres (in 000's)
Owned Leased
0
50
100
150
200
250
Dublin Outside
Dublin
Number of Buildings
Owned Leased
55%
Owne
d
45…
Dublin
(Sq Metres in 000’s)
OpportunitiesforDeepRetrofitinOwnedEstate
LeasedProperties–Landlord RequirementsVsOPWRequirements
Theimpactsofblendedworkingandplanningforrationalisation
68%
Owne
d
32%
Lease
d
Regional
(Sq Metres in 000’s)

7. 7 Office of Public Works
Planning the future Portfolio
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
Today Known
Scenario Planning (Dublin) – Floor
Area (m²)
4th Generation
(2005 onwards)
3rd Generation
(1990's - 2005)
2nd Generation
(1975 - 1990's)
1st Generation
(1955 - 1975)
Georgian
Focus on reduction of 1st & 2nd Generation Building Stock

8. 8 Office of Public Works
OPW
Strategy
and
Organisation

9. 9 Office of Public Works
Building Scalable Model - TJH
Tom Johnson House (DECC) – Deep Retrofit
A2
85% Reduction in
Annual Energy
Consumption

10. 10 Office of Public Works
Building Scalable Model - Pathfinder
Ennis Government Offices (DSP) – Deep Retrofit
65
Reduction in CO2
Emissions

11. Paula Lyons
Assistant Secretary, Department of Social Protection

12. Paula Lyons
Assistant Secretary
Leadership in action in the Public Sector
Climate Action to 2030

13. • We are a strong and diverse team of 7,000 approx.
• Across some 200 Offices throughout the country.
• We are proud to serve a wide and diverse group of customers.
The last 2 years have been an exceptional time for the
Department of Social Protection.
In addition to Pandemic response during 2020 and 2021…
… more recently in 2022, Ukrainian response (allocation of
PPSNs, income support claims).
Source: Annual Statistics Report 2021

14. DSP Governance Structure

15. How we started…

16. Pathway to 2030
co
• Completion of Climate Action Roadmap
Energy Management:
 DSP on track for 2030 energy reduction target
 Optimal building management
 Upgrading to LED lighting, more efficient heating/cooling
systems
 Calibrating heating systems, lowering indoor temperatures,
etc.
 Continuing participation in Optimising Power @ Work
 Promotion of Reduce your Use campaign

17. Pathway to 2030
Decarbonisation:
• Assessing Gap to Target for 2030
• Identifying best options for deeper renovation
programme
• Pathfinder Planning (Ennis DSP Government Offices)
• Clarity on investment plan by OPW
• Retrofit Project Actions for Climate Action Roadmap

18. Orla O'Brien
Chief Executive, Irish Blood Transfusion Service

19. TOWARDS 2030
ORLA O’BRIEN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE

20. • Non-commercial state agency
responsible for collecting, testing,
and processing of blood and
blood-related products in Ireland
• Reliant on generosity of donors to
ensure consistent supply
• Only suppliers of blood to the Irish
healthcare system
ABOUTTHE IBTS

21. OUR ENERGY PROFILE
• Highly regulated organisation, with
very stringent rules around operating
parameters
o e.g. Tight constraints on storage
temperatures for blood and reagents
• Energy-intensive processes
o Significant refrigeration load
o High rates of air change in
labs/cleanrooms
o Significant building heating load
• c. 20 IBTS vehicles on the road
o Clinics, blood collections, deliveries to
hospitals
21

22. • Focus on energy efficiencies started 2007
• Board, Executive Team and EPO
committed to decarbonisation
• Focus on continuous improvement
projects:
o Upgraded Building Management System
o Implemented Energy Management System
o Regular evaluation of processes
• Reclassified main production lab
• Ended onsite waste sterilisation
o Upgrades of plant
o LED lighting
22
OUR JOURNEYTO 2020

23. 23
OUR JOURNEY TO 2020
Energy Efficiency saving of 42%
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Energy
Performance
Indicator
Year
IBTS - Progress achieved to 2020

24. • External Drivers
• Government’s Climate Action Plan
• Public Sector Mandate 2022
• Corporate & ESG obligations on Board
members
• Internal
• Commitment of Board and Executive
• Staff awareness
• Energy costs
24
TOWARDS 2030
2030 targets will be more challenging

25. 25
TOWARDS 2030

26. 26
• We leverage external expertise when needed
o Engaging with SEAI and others to increase our knowledge
o Willing to be a pathfinder project if we can get expertise and advisory supports
o IBTS Climate Action Plan
• Top-down actions
o Climate action workshops in Q2 as part of Learning & Development
o Developing numerical reduction targets where possible for high internal energy users
o Provide funding for energy reducing projects, even when payback period longer than usual
• Bottom-up actions
o Establish and resource Green Teams to drive ideas from all areas and functions
o Develop Sustainability Strategy Q2
o Make energy / carbon targets part of everybody’s job
TOWARDS 2030

27. 27
• Get Board and top management commitment so that decarbonisation
becomes part of everyday business
• Get a detailed energy audit carried out to allow you understand your
emissions sources so that the correct decarbonisation projects are
selected, and are aligned to climate action mandate
• Plan now but take decisions with the long term in mind
oParticularly in relation to bigger capital projects and replacements
oUsing this to support our gas boiler decision
• No silver bullet – this is a journey of continuous improvement
MY RECOMMENDATIONS

28. WWW.GIVEBLOOD.IE
THANKYOU
2
8

29. Stephen Mulvany
Acting CEO, Health Service Executive

30. Prof John O'Halloran
President, University College Cork

31. Leadership in Action at University College Cork
Professor John O’Halloran,
President, UCC

32. UCC Sustainability Journey
2000
UCC
Environmental
Research
Institute
established
2007
Students raise
concerns re
waste
management on
campus
Green Campus
Pilot launched
2010
First Green Flag
awarded
UI Green Metric
#2
ISO 500001
2013
Green Forum
established
Green Campus
academic
outputs begin
2016
Sustainability
Strategy
launched
University Wide
Module
Sustainability
piloted
2017
Sustainability
officer role
created
Love our Library
launched
2018
AASHE STARS
Gold
Plastic free UCC
Academic
Strategy
2019
THE Impact
Ranking
“Living
Laboratory”
launched
2020
10 Years of
Green Campus
Sustainable
Futures
SDG Toolkit
project
2021
Official observer
status at COP26
THE Impact #8
2022
UCC Futures
Sustainability
Office of
Sustainability
and Climate
Action

33. Strategy and Reporting
• New Office of Sustainability and Climate Action
and Associate VP for Sustainability and Climate
Action.
• Action Plan (2023-28) covers 9 key areas and
supports University Strategy 2023 -28
– Research
– Learning and Teaching
– Sustainability Citizenship
– Climate Action
– Food Health and Wellbeing
– Waste Reduction and Resource Efficiency
– Landscape and Natural Resources
– Procurement and Contracts
– Commuting and Business Travel

34. A Learning Organisation: STARS
2018 SCORE 2022 SCORE

36. 2030 51% Decarbonisation Target
36
Source – SEAI Gap to Target Model for UCC

37. Infrastructure projects
• Pathfinder funding for retrofit of (1990’s)
O’Rahilly Building to reduce emissions by
40%.
• Pathfinder funding for deep retrofit of
North Mall campus (1980’s), aimed at 50%
emission reduction.
• Tyndall phase 3 project delivers oldest
building in Ireland to achieve A-Rating for
energy.

39. Behavioural Change: The Saver
Saves scheme
• Harnesses individual action to
drive institutional
transformation.
• Green Energy Teams formed in
most energy intensive buildings.
• Support from Energy Manager
to assess how the opportunities
for improvement.
• Monetary savings remain with
the department/building:
Revolving Fund.
• Devolves power and decision
making.
• 51% improvement in efficiency.
• 21% absolute reduction in
energy consumption

40. Sustainability in
Procurement
• Sustainability is one of 6 Principles of UCC
Procurement Strategy.
• Now included in:
– Technical Specifications
– Selection Criteria/Exclusion Criteria
– Award Criteria
• University works with awarded contractors
to develop projects.
• Key to many of the bigger “impact”
projects e.g.
– Farm to Fork, Single Use Plastic free
– Chemical Free and Waterless cleaning
– Refurbished printers and sustainable print
management policy.

41. Leading by Committing • All of UCC Grounds are
managed for biodiversity,
with no or low-mow regimes
across campus.
• We have fully divested of
fossil fuels and signed the
Principles of Responsible
Investment
• We have signed the UNFCCC
Race to Zero campaign.
• We have invested in a fleet
of e-bikes which are loaned
out to staff to trial e –bikes in
their commute.

42. Sustainability in the
Curriculum
• Sustainability one of 6 themes within UCC’s
Connected Curriculum.
• University Wide Module in Sustainability open
to staff, students and the general public.
• Open-source SDG teaching toolkit developed
for staff.
• Digital Badge “Learning and Teaching with the
SDGs”.
• Sustainable Futures Human Capital Initiative
programme led by UCC and including
Maynooth University and Atlantic
Technological University
• Delivering PG Cert, HDip, MSc. and
Leadership courses for industry.

45. UCC Futures:
Sustainability

46. SDSN Ireland is a North-South cooperative network
focused on developing context-specific solutions and
mobilising local action for the SDGs. Engaging
universities, research centres, local authorities, NGOs,
civil society organisations and policymakers, the
Network will bring the latest research to bear on
producing solutions for the SDGs and seek to empower
individuals and organisations to achieve impact
through education and engagement.

47. Top-Down
Sustainability Strategy
Green Forum
Biodiversity Action Plan
ISO50001
Procurement Strategy
National Strategy on
Education for
Sustainable
Development
Government Climate
Action Plan
National SDG
Implementation
Plan
Green Flag Programme
UI Green Metric
AASHE STARS
Bottom-Up
Green Campus Committee
Clubs and Societies
Fridays for Future
“Plastic-free” movement
Community Garden
Middle-Out
Green Teams
University Wide Module
An Institutional Sustainability
Ecosystem
• Top-down and bottom-up approaches
• All stakeholders on campus represented
– Horizontal and vertical.
• “Middle-out” phenomenon (Parag,
2013).
• Continually evolving.
• Coordination increases impact.

48. Conclusion
• Universities are at the forefront of research aimed at solving
the climate crisis
• The pathfinder programme enables the campus to act as a
genuine “Living Laboratory”, a test bed to assess
environmental and economic impact, but also behavioural
and social aspects.
• Universities must be leaders in taking brave steps towards
change for a better future.
• Collaboration within and between campuses can help scale
ambition
• IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (2022): we have the tools and
the know how, what’s needed is immediate and extensive
social change.

50. Laura Burke
Director General, Environmental Protection Agency

51. Greening the EPA
Leadership in Action
Laura Burke, 9th February 2023

52.  ISO 14001 certification in 2010
 Greenhouse Gas Protocol Reporting in 2022
 EPA Green Team chaired by a Director, embedded into business structures & reporting directly
to the Board of Directors
Leadership in action – “Mobilisation”
 EPA Strategic Plan 2016 to 2020
 “Develop and implement, an improved, environmentally sustainable, and consistent approach to
the delivery of facilities management in all locations.”
 EPA Strategic Plan 2022 to 2026
 “We will have reduced the EPA’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 per cent on our
transition to climate neutrality.”
Delivery Mechanism

53. Leadership in action – “Achievements””
• 50% reduction in energy since 2009
• 54% reduction in water since 2010
• 10% HQ Electricity from SolarPV
since 2009
• Excellent control over our waste
• Strong re-use principles
Greening the EPA

54. Reducing our emissions- Further Plans
Our buildings
 3 year rolling plan (output from detailed energy audits)
 Energy efficient lighting
 Improve the fabric of our buildings
 SolarPV on all EPA buildings
 Electrify our heating systems (heat pumps)
 Actively manage our energy use
Our transport
 Electrifying our fleet (18% fully electric by end of 2023)
Our procurement
 Strong commitment to Green Public Procurement

55. Lessons Learnt
 Strong commitment from the Board and Senior Management is essential
 Plan for Net Zero and deliver early on 2030 targets
 Avoid the quick fixes - Improving Building Fabric is as important as Installing
Technology (SolarPV, Electric heat pumps)
 It takes time to develop a rigorous and complete inventory of GHG emissions, start
now, knowledge will improve with experience. Publish GHG report and be transparent
about the limitations

56. Anne Graham
Chief Executive, National Transport Authority

57. Anne Graham, CEO
National Transport Authority
Feb 2023
Decarbonising Public
Transport

58. Addressing transport emissions

59. National Strategies

60. National Transport Strategy
• Strategic framework to 2030 for active
travel & public transport journeys
• Aims to deliver:
 at least 500,000 additional daily
active travel and public transport
journeys by 2030 and
 a 10% reduction in the number of
kilometres driven by fossil fuelled
cars;

61. Transport Strategies
 Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area
2022 - 2042
 Galway Transport Strategy – review to commence
in 2023
 Cork Transport Strategy completed
 Limerick & Shannon Strategy completed
 Waterford Metropolitan Area Strategy completed
 Impact of Climate Action Plan now being
included in strategies
 Framework for investment

63. Climate Action Management
51% reduction in CO2 emissions over the period to
2030, relative to a baseline of 2018 required.
If all infrastructure delivered there will be a gap in
CO2 emissions. Additional demand management
measures will need to be put in place which could
be a combination of:
• parking restraint
• zonal charging,
• additional tolling / road pricing
• further vehicle electrification

64. National
Development Plan
2021 - 2030

65. €0
€100
€200
€300
€400
€500
€600
€700
€800
€900
€1,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Budget
CAPITAL FUNDING PROFILE BY MODE 2010-2022
(€M'S)
Heavy Rail Light Rail Bus Programme Active Travel

66. Electrification of rail

68. DART+ Update
• Preliminary business case approved by
government;
• Two orders now placed for new
electric/battery electric DART – total 180
carriages;
• Fleet order allows us to electrify services
without relying on full electrification of lines;
• Planning application for DART+ West has
been lodged with DART+ South West to be
lodged early next year

69. BusConnects programme

71. Pathway to zero for urban PSO fleet

72. Lower Emission Vehicles
• 280 diesel electric plug-in hybrid double deck
buses for urban services have been delivered
and now in operation (operating in Dublin &
Galway city)
• First orders are being delivered for fully
electric single deck (34) and double deck bus
fleet(100) – commence operation in 2023
• NTA purchased three hydrogen fuelled
double deck buses for trial commencing in
2021

73. Active Travel
Investment

74. Active Travel Investment 2015 to 2022
38.05 33.93 23.04 34.07 39.62
108.2
183.9
289
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
€
million
Year

75. Leadership Actions
• Helps to have supportive government & departmental
policy
• Include carbon reduction in all strategies
• Build actions into programmes
• Learn from others
• Start small and test technologies but be in a position to
ramp up quickly
• Advocate and engage as much as possible

76. Niall Gleeson
CEO, Uisce Éireann

77. Delivering Sustainable
Water Services for Ireland
Niall Gleeson, Chief Executive Officer
09/02/2023, SEAI Public Sector Energy Conference

78. A national, publicly
owned water
services utility
78

79. Uisce Éireann is moving forward with a clear Purpose and Vision
79
Who we are
We are Uisce Éireann.
What we do
We are responsible for
the delivery of secure, safe,
and sustainable water
services for the people
of Ireland.
Our Purpose
We rise to the challenge
of delivering transformative
water services that enable
communities to thrive.
Our 2035 Vision
A sustainable Ireland where
water is respected and
protected, for the planet and
all the lives it supports.

80. A national strategic outlook delivered locally
80
Protecting public health Enhancing the environment
Economic & social growth
& development

81. Our sustainability Commitments
• Net Zero Carbon by 2040
• 51% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030
• 50% improvement in energy efficiency
by 2030
• 40% energy demand met by installed
renewables by 2035
81

82. • Largest consumer of electricity in
public sector c 21%
• To become an energy efficient, low
carbon, sustainable water utility
• Energy Efficient Design for all new
and upgraded assets
• Energy retrofit upgrades
• Water conservation
• Renewable energy
• Transport
• Process Optimisation.
We’ve made strong progress on
our sustainable energy journey
82
Sustainable
Energy Strategy
Energy
Action Plans
Achieved
• 34.5% energy efficiency savings
• Strong position to meet 50% by
2030 and Net zero by 2040

83. As an organisation and as a sector we face many shared challenges
• Climate Crisis & Sustainability
• Rising base energy demand
• On retrofits
• On regulation
• Sustained funding
• Inflation & Supply Chain
83

84. Rising to challenge – Sustainable Energy Strategy
84
Capital Energy Efficiency
Operational Energy
Efficiency
Renewable Energy
Innovation and Energy
Transition
Energy
Management

85. Irish Water Pathway to 2030 [SEAI Model]
85
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pathways & targets* | Irish Water

86. Rising to challenge – SEAI Collaboration/Energy Efficient Design
• Embedding EED as BAU
• Electricity – 83% of
energy consumption
• SEAI Strategic Partnership
86

87. Rising to challenge – Nature Based Solutions
87

88. A sustainable Ireland where
water is respected and
protected, for the planet and
all the lives it supports.
88
Our Vision

89. Thank you.