Trinity’s Green Flag is a silent landmark. On a good day it seems to be absorbed into the surrounding atmosphere of evening social drinkers, who recline on the grass that matches the flag’s own similarly coloured boldness. The flag, which has flown outside the Pav since 2013, has been one of the few very noticeable and concrete representations of Trinity’s place as a leader in activism and aspiring to change the country and the world for the better. It is a humble landmark that speaks loudly to those who stop to contemplate its message.
The problem, though, is that the flag may not be around to speak forever. Its display is contingent on Trinity’s commitment to environmental stewardship, from staff and students alike. College had to face this truth recently after it was reported that An Taisce, the environmental charity tasked with safeguarding Ireland’s natural heritage, warned that a lack of campus wide engagement with environmental issues would cost us the honour.
Trinity was the first university in the capital city to receive the Green Flag, which is subject to an annual review and a further overall reassessment once every three years. Arguably, losing this prestige would let down our entire college community. Activism and awareness of social problems touches every aspect of Trinity life, so something to show for that engagement is of unquestionable merit.
A Green Campus committee examines where changes can be made to improve the college’s rating and secure commendation. Among them are transport, waste, water, biodiversity, education and communication.
To get a grasp of what Trinity needs to do to avoid losing face in its pursuit of social responsibility, it is important to consider the standard set for us. What makes a Green Campus in the first place? An Taisce sets the bar for who gets to fly the Green Flag, organised through their Green Campus sub-organisation. They set out eight headings, under each of which a Green Campus committee examines where changes can be made to improve the college’s rating and secure commendation. Among them are transport, waste, water, biodiversity, education and communication.
In terms of specific measures taken to work on these, it has mainly been a case of taking group discussion and channeling it into concrete activism, be it through demonstrations, distributing information or working on policy. Simon Benson, the Green Campus committee liaison for Trinity’s Environmental Society, explains via a Facebook conversation, the progress being made in light of the upcoming renewal: “Overall we have been working towards our targets steadily, as per our strategic plan”. He continues: “Of course we are doing better in some areas than others, but overall we have been on track”.
For the award, great importance is placed on engaging with students and inviting them onto the campaigning bandwagon. Normally this isn’t one of Trinity students’ weak spots. Illustrating this particularly well is the fact that Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has ample contingents of well-informed class reps to enlist for its campaigns. Engaging with the student population on environmental issues hasn’t always been easy, as Benson explains: “This year we have really been active, in particular because one area that we were lacking in our targets was student participation. However, the Environmental Society have really rallied a group of students who, while not exorbitantly big, are all very enthusiastic and passionate about helping change Trinity for the better, by adding their voices and ideas at the Green Campus meetings.”
One step towards maintaining focus on green issues has been the recruitment of a part time Environmental Officer for the students’ union. The election of this position did not come without controversy: debate as to whether one should even be appointed gripped the first student council meeting of the year. In particular, concerns were raised that the role would overlap with similar tasks of the Citizenship Officer, rendering it a potentially redundant experiment.
Kieran McNulty, Citizenship Officer of TCDSU, has been busy enough. Coordinating November’s party debate with President Lynn Ruane, as well as several other union campaigns and initiatives, it’s easy to imagine that were environmental issues loaded onto an already-full portfolio, they wouldn’t get the same care and attention that an officer dedicated fully to the cause would offer. And he agrees, telling The University Times in a Facebook conversation that it was “the best thing” that needed to be done to get environmental issues off the ground among students.
It seems odd that a campus that now more than ever derives great pride from social action finds one of its most emblematic credentials in activism to be in precarity
He continues: “While my role also includes the remit [of the environment], there are a lot of areas assigned to my role and the decision to designate a specific officer for the environment was voted on before I took the role”. He adds that environmental issues didn’t feature heavily as a priority for the union last year – an observation which, in retrospect, cannot be isolated from the lack of an Environmental Officer.
This year, Karen McCord holds the position. Since her election at the first council meeting, she has been working at the core of the operations to keep the flag flying. “We mainly focused on getting as much student involvement as possible throughout the college on environmental issues this semester, as that was one of the key aspects of actually getting the green flag again”, she tells The University Times via Facebook, again touching on worries that student engagement wasn’t at its prime.
It seems odd that a campus that now more than ever derives great pride from social action finds one of its most emblematic credentials in activism to be in precarity. Is the vocality of the Green Flag issue getting drowned out by other social concerns beating it to the megaphone of the relevant authorities? The upcoming general election, the worrying prospect of reintroduced tuition fees, repealing the eighth amendment and continuing support for mental health tend to dominate the discourse. It’s something that organisers like Benson have had to work around: “Of course it’d be wonderful to get more staff and societies involved in making our campus greener, [but] it can be very difficult to get word out there, and we are often compete with events and groups that might have more immediate appeal to people”.
Environmental issues are creeping into the mainstream campus psyche again, as students prepare to campaign on the potentially high profile issue of divestment from fossil fuels. The climate change march on November 29th enjoyed the presence of a TCDSU team, and Kieran McNulty tells The University Times that Ruane has already been speaking to Provost Patrick Prendergast about the findings of the College Green Campus Committee. If anything, a new sense of life and urgency could be injected into campus discussions of environmental stewardship.
And it is not the case that engagement with students on the issue has fallen flat. TCDSU co-hosted a town hall meeting with the Environmental Society, encouraging students to bring ideas to each of those eight Green Flag headings. “We got quite a few practical ideas on how to improve the college in terms of being greener in very practical ways that some students just happened to notice during their daily routines”, says Benson with clear optimism.
Societies also have a role to play. “I suggested that the Central Societies Committee compile a report of what societies are doing”, says McNulty on this possible endeavour. “Besides EnviroSoc, a lot of societies host events relating to the environment, and this displays student involvement and engagement just as thoroughly as SU engagement does.”
If we can take the same initiative with environmental stewardship that we are in advancing human rights and civic responsibility, imagine the added after-effects.
Are those involved optimistic about safeguarding Trinity’s environmental credentials? For now, with a reasonably solid plan of action in tow, it seems so. “We are, however, optimistic that together, as a college, we will grow our green side and our green interest not only by the end of the year, but also in the coming years, when all current people involved may have moved on to other places”, says Benson from the Environmental Society. McNulty is similarly enthusiastic, and lauded the “comprehensive” Green Flag renewal application that those involved signed off on.
Trinity is a leader in social action, and if we can take the same initiative with environmental stewardship that we are in advancing human rights and civic responsibility, imagine the added after-effects. We could not only secure our Green Flag for years to come, but we could be a key player in proving Ireland’s place as a pioneer of a new wave of socially-led environmental activism.
