Greening the university campus at Maynooth
The rapid growth of NUI Maynooth has led to an increase in on-site waste generation as well as an increase in on-site energy usage and water usage: NUI Maynooth and St. Patrick’s College currently spend approximately €1 million annually on utilities such as electricity, gas, oil and water, and on waste disposal.
In order to minimise the environmental impact of their on-site operations, and reduce the cost of overheads, both institutions have begun to develop and implement a holistic, campus-wide environmental management programme.
A recent pilot project carried out in selected campus buildings has shown that it is possible to reduce total annual waste disposal to landfill by 134 tonnes. In addition, energy savings equivalent of 674 MWhe/385 tonnes of CO2, and savings of 331 m3 water were achieved as a result of implementing cleaner, greener practices.
To date, the implementation of the Cleaner Greener Production Programme (CGPP) has resulted in significant cost savings. Projected annual savings have been calculated at more than €100,000.
The measures identified will now be incorporated into the university buildings and estates ‘cleaner greener production’ policy, and will be implemented as part of a five year strategic plan. It is expected that savings will be considerable when these measures are applied throughout the campus in the coming years.
For further details, download the NUI Maynooth PDF.
