By Tori Lock
The University College Cork administration building – where green grass grows and the green flag flies. Photo by Tori Lock.
CORK, Ireland – A student-led initiative at University of Cork College, centered around the University’s Green Campus Project, incorporates the dining hall with other, already green, projects on campus, such as doubling the number of faculty and staff cycling to work and saving over 750,000 cubic meters of water since 2007.
Recycling has increased from 21% in 2007 to 80% in 2015 and has saved UCC 1,000,000 Euros in waste costs over the last 6 years.
At UCC Central, the campus main dining facility, things are served up a little bit differently than expected. While the menu, which changes daily, is enticing, it’s the management of waste that sets UCC apart. Students sort their own trash into compost-only, recyclable mix, and general waste every day when they are done eating, promoting personal responsibility. The Green Campus Project is promoted across campus with strategic and striking signage, among other initiatives.
In 2010, UCC was awarded the internationally recognized Green Flag for its leadership in environmental sustainability. The flag bestowed was one of the first worldwide.
Dining hall recycling banner at University College Cork. Photo by Tori Lock
Plated 