Eco Evolution Blog

Proposals to reintroduce domestic water charges, with new water meters being installed in every home in the State, are to be brought to Government in about two weeks.

The proposals – which were approved in principle as part of the Budget – will be brought forward by Minister for the Environment John Gormley.

However the Minister admitted today it is unlikely that water metering will be in place by June 2012 – which means domestic water charges will not be reintroduced before the next general election.

Mr Gormley acknowledged taht the insisting the charges would be politically unpopular but insisted they were necessary. “I think everybody who understands the environment … they know that this is an absolute necessity,” he said. “You just can’t go putting your head in the sand on these issues any longer. Water is a precious resource.

“All the evidence shows that when you actually charge for water people conserve it, people use it wisely.”

He would not be drawn on how much each of Ireland’s 1.1 million households would be charged but said a speculated figure of €400 per household was wide of the mark. He pointed to other EU countries as a possible indicator.

Mr Gormley revealed his plans as part of his announcement of a “reprioritising” of the €1.8 billion Water Services Investment Programme for the next three years.

The reprioritised programme will now give priority to projects which target environmental compliance issues, in a bid to avoid the imposition of fines by the European Commission, and achieve sustainable supplies.

The Minister stressed Ireland had not yet been fined by the EU for its confirmed breaches of the Water Framework Directive, a feature he said was as a result of the Government’s openness to take whatever remedial steps were necessary.

The programme will also target repairs to the water networks to eliminate waste and protect water basins. It is estimated that “lost” water ranges from 16 per cent to 58 per cent of supplies across the State. The programme provides €320 million over the three year period for remedial works.

A much greater emphasis on water conservation through the introduction of water metering and inducements for householders to cut down on usage, also forms a significant part of the new programme.

Mr Gormley told a press conference today he did not believe it made sense, from an economic or environmental perspective, “to invest in expanding water treatment capacity if there is a significant loss of treated water in damaged or aging networks”.

Mr Gormley said in January the Government intends to raise as much as €1 billion per annum from water metering charges when they are introduced.

Labour today welcomed the investment programme but said it was overdue. The party’s environment spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy said the Government’s approach to investment in water needs to change. “There needs to be a national water strategy rather than the piecemeal approach of the past,” she said.

“The priority of State investment has to reduce the amount of public treated water that is lost through leaks. The other priority has to be bringing waste water treatment facilities up to standard to ensure safe drinking water.

“It raises the question as to how, when the Government was spending up to €500 million per year on water infrastructure projects, our distribution was allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair,” Ms Tuffy said.

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0419/breaking42.html

Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) Press Release 21 February 2010

Figures released today (21 February 2010) from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) reveal that
over 100,000 Irish homes have had Building Energy Ratings (BERs) completed to date, the
majority of which were completed since January 2009, the first year for full
implementation of the BER scheme. Introduced in 2007 as part of a European Directive to
improve the energy performance of homes, the rate of BER publications has steadily
increased in 2009 , averaging 300 per day, and indicating an increasing awareness of, and
compliance with, the legislation.
Initially the scheme only applied to new homes, but since 1 January 2009 all homes being
sold or rented are also required to have a BER certificate that shows prospective buyers or
tenants the energy performance of the home. Research shows that landlords are the
group most aware of the need for a BER certificate, with awareness now at 76%. While
awareness is improving in most quarters, tenants looking to rent are the least aware of
their entitlement to get a BER cert with awareness only at 38%.
Commenting on the BER programme, Minister for Communications, Energy, and Natural
Resources, Eamon Ryan TD said: “The BER Scheme is a practical scheme which helps
current and prospective homeowners make informed choices when selecting or upgrading
a property. The success of the scheme last year shows that the energy performance and
efficiency of a property is becoming increasingly important for Irish homeowners. ”
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD said: “The
systems now in place and the increasing consumer awareness will be important factors in
the continuous improvement of the energy performance of our building stock. This will
help underpin future Building Regulation changes and efforts to upgrade existing
buildings. ”
Professor Owen Lewis, Chief Executive SEI, said: “Putting aside the difficult economic
conditions in 2009, the first year of full operation of the BER scheme has been a successful
one. However, there are many homes for sale or rent out there that have not yet been
assessed, and need to be, if they are not to fall foul of the regulations. SEI is calling on
people who are looking to buy or rent homes to insist upon receiving a BER certificate as
their right, so they are fully informed of the energy performance before finalising any
property transactions. ”

Source: http://www.sei.ie/News_Events/Press_Releases/100,000_BERs_issued.html

University College Cork (UCC) today(February 19th, 2010) became the first 3rd level educational institution in the world to be accredited with the prestigious international ‘Green Flag’ award. The award, presented by Minister John Gormley, on behalf of An Taisce, to UCC President Dr Michael Murphy, is a direct result of the Green-Campus programme, a student-led initiative undertaken by UCC students and staff over the last 3 years.

The Green-Campus programme, operated in Ireland by An Taisce, has seen the University save €300,000 in waste management costs, reduce waste to landfill by nearly 400 tonnes and improve recycling from 21% to 60%. Furthermore, UCC has conserved almost enough water this year to fill the equivalent of the Lough of Cork.

The first step was for the students to establish a Green-Campus Committee, in conjunction with the Buildings & Estates Department and academic staff. An environmental review followed. “There were absolutely no recycling facilities for students walking on the campus”, recalls Maria Kirrane, a student representative on the committee. “In fact, our very first action was to put on overalls and literally dive into the skips to see exactly what types of waste were being disposed of!”

In addition to staff recycling systems that previously existed, new recycling facilities for students are now available in front of the lecture halls, and in the canteens, where the staff is trained in minimising waste. Students in lecture theatres and laboratories are alerted to turn off lights and electrical equipment. College maintenance vehicles are now running on biodiesel. Carpooling has been introduced to facilitate lifts to and from campus. Enhanced Park & Ride and bike parking areas are designed to encourage more sustainable travel. Each year the Students Union holds a Green Awareness Week on campus, where real actions are supplemented by academic talks on environmental sustainability.

“It is quite a leap, transforming the Green-Schools programme, geared for the typical school of a few hundred students, to a complex campus of 130 acres, 16,000 students and almost 3,000 staff,” explained Dr Michael John O’Mahony of An Taisce. “In population terms UCC is bigger than your average Irish town, so bringing together all the necessary parties and practices to develop it into a sustainable Green-Campus was a real challenge.”

UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy said it is a source of great pride to the university, its staff and its students, that UCC has become the first third level institution in the world to be awarded the designation. “It is a wonderful achievement to have innovative thinkers among the staff and students in UCC all working towards the same objective.

“It was these students, who had been part of the Green Flag programme at secondary school level, who believed from the outset that the concept could be transferred successfully to an institution of UCC’s size and that by raising awareness throughout the university, we could, together, make a real difference.”

Mark Poland, Director of Building and Estates, added: “This initiative has provided a great forum for environmentally-conscious members of staff and students to assist in how we tackle our environmental responsibilities as a university community.”

An Taisce, on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), granted the international accreditation after a rigorous assessment by an expert panel. UCC is now looking to build on the award. “We’d like to make it easier for students to cycle to college, possibly through a bike purchase scheme”, says Maria Kirrane. “Also, while UCC is a beautiful campus, many of the plants here are non-native. We’re looking to address biodiversity on campus.” In addition a programme to convert the college food waste into compost has commenced.

“There is a wide of range of environmental management programmes that a third level college could undertake. However, the Green Campus programme is unique because it is student-led and they are the key decision makers,” says Jan Eriksen, President of FEE. A number of other 3rd level institutions in Ireland will be applying for a Green-Flag shortly.

“This is about more than making a campus green”, continues Michael John. “Over the past 14 years, hundreds of thousands of students in Ireland have been brought up with Green-Schools, sometimes starting at pre-school, through primary schools and then second level. It is critical that the chain not be broken once they complete the Leaving Cert. It needs to continue into 3rd level, and from there into their professional as well as their personal lives so that they become life-long educators and ambassadors of sustainable living.”

Source:UCC Media and Communications - http://www.ucc.ie/en/mandc/news/fullstory,95898,en.html