‘Big rewards from little effort’
COMMITMENT, technical ability and a culture change are crucial when it comes to implementing Green Business practices in the workplace and community.
The second County Wexford Green Business Conference took place at county buildings against a backdrop of growing fears that Ireland is a long way from meeting its target of a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
The premise behind the conference was simple: more steps need to be taken in terms of energy efficiencies to help secure the future.
The Wexford conference was part of the Greensave Programme, a joint initiative of Wexford County Council’s Local Enterprise Office, the Environmental Protection Agency and Wexford Chamber which helps small businesses in the county to save money by reducing their energy, water and waste costs.
Around 60 delegates attended the conference which was held in association with Wexford-based environmental management company Econcertive, Kilkenny LEO and Kilkenny Chamber.
‘All business should focus on both green and sustainability,’ said Madeleine Quirke, CEO Wexford Chamber. ‘ There are very often considerable savings to be realised through looking at energy and water costs and ensuring good maintenance on equipment. Implementing strategies such as recycling and going paperless will also save on supply costs. Sustainability can make a big difference to your bottom line,’ she said.
Madeleine said that sustainability improvements are a collaborative effort.
‘When employees work together to identify and implement green and sustainable initiatives, it fosters a culture of teamwork and continuous improvement. Employees work harder when they are engaged and have a sense of pride in their company.’
Ms Quirke said that when the chamber offices moved to its new premises in Hill Street they had worked with the council and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to make the building more energy efficient.
She said that since they had moved into the premises a year ago they had saved 3,000kwh in electricity which represented ‘a huge saving to a small business like ours’.
She urged small businesses who are consid- ering doing upgrade works on their premises to work with Greensave and the SEAI adding ‘ there is so much help out there and our bottom line is hugely improved. There are great rewards to be had from very little effort’, she said.
Declan Meally of the SEAI said that while some work has been done in terms of green business more needed to be done. He also spoke about electric and hybrid cars which he said are getting more and more efficient.
‘ The Renault Zoe now gives 400km with one charge. The Tesla gives around 500km and they are in the region of €100,000 whereas you can buy a car like the Zoe or the Nissan Leaf for between €25,000 or €35,000. The cost of these cars are coming down but the ranges are going up. It is estimated that by 2020 ranges per charge will be around 600km.
‘ There are 25 different types of electric and hybrid cars on the market now at achievable prices.’
Mr Meally said that the key components needed to implement energy efficiencies were a commitment from those involved, a technical advisor - either inhouse or external - to advise on best practices and a culture change to get people to buy into the concept.
He said that when it came to building design it was easier to incorporate energy efficiencies from the start. ‘It might seem like an obvious thing’, he said ‘ but it is often forgotten.’
He said that there are many supports available to large, medium and small businesses who are keen to make energy savings while there is also a range of support for communities.
Mr Meally said the SEAI began working with small communities in 2012 and it has ‘supported 300 community energy efficiency projects over the last five years. As a result over 15,000 homes and hundreds of community, private and public buildings have received energy efficiency upgrades, supporting several hundred jobs each year.’
He said that the SEAI would love to see more communities from Wexford working with them to deliver a more energy efficient community.
Mr Meally said that in terms of businesses there are savings of least 20 per cent to be made, and that businesses which shunned a green energy policy were effectively ‘wasting money day after day’.
He said that whether it was implementing a green energy policy in the home, business or community the key to success is ‘partnership. It’s about getting to know the energy you use and then making efficiencies.’
Speakers at the conference included: Laura Burke, Director General of the EPA; Declan Meally, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland,Head of Department Emerging Sectors; Andrew Mullins, Bóard Bia (Origin Green), Sustainability Development Manager; John Carley, Wexford County Council, Director of Services; Phil Walker, Econcertive, Environmental Adviser; Brendan Ennis, Innovation Wexford, CEO; and Elaine Greenan, Waterford Institute of Technology/ Estates Manager.
Raoul Empey, Climate Reality Leader at Sustineo, who qualified under former US Vice President Al Gore, also hosted a workshop on ‘Climate Reality – Ireland’s opportunity’.
THERE ARE 25 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ELECTRIC AND HYBRID CARS ON THE MARKET NOWAT ACHIEVABLE PRICES – DECLAN MEALLY, SEAI