Kinsale College wins the Green Campus Award
Written by Donal Chambers
Kinsale College has just received the Green Campus Award for sustainability. We had our flag raising ceremony in December. This initiative follows on from the green school’s program which is run through An Taisce that most people are aware of. In 2016, we started building on the vision of the Permaculture / Practical Sustainability course that started in 2001. Now we are the first Further Education college in Munster to achieve the green flag.
The main themes we worked on were biodiversity enhancements and waste reduction. Other work has been carried out on reducing water demand and energy usage. We focused on re-wilding certain areas of the college so to not disturb the natural cycles of insects in particular. Every year we plant more trees and shrubs in the college which creates more habitat for wildlife, with fruit and nut trees planted. We do not use any chemicals or fertilisers either, relying on natural cycling of fertility and compost made on site. We carry out an annual bird survey and at quieter times of the day there is an abundance of our avian friends on the campus. Planting native Irish wildflower meadows is also critical to support nearby insects, bats and birds; also as a general reduction of grassy areas is carried out each year. Bird boxes and insect hotels have also been constructed and placed around the site.
In terms of waste, we have reduced the general waste generated onsite by half through greater separation of waste with 3 bins in each room and a large increase in composting onsite with 9 composting bays & bins now producing important organic matter, which is funnelled into the vegetable growing areas. Lots of students are involved in the project, either leading it as chair or organising workshops and green days / green weeks, bringing an element of fun to the proceedings and ultimately leading projects in their own communities to save our precious ecosystem. The Green Campus is an excellent initiative with a great structure that achieves measurable results for the environment. The Green Campus needs to be replicated across all education institutions in Ireland.
Re-wilding at Kinsale College