Chancellor Mary Robinson praised students for their efforts to promote environmental causes as she opened this year’s College’s Green Week.
Before the official launch, Robinson spoke to students about climate change in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) run by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and the College.
Speaking at the launch, Robinson said: “I’m really proud of what Trinity has been doing.”
“I’m really glad that it was decided to link this year’s Green Week with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals”, she said. “They don’t portray gender equality as somehow separate from climate action or ocean pollution.”
Robinson went on: “The fact that the goals are indivisible and interrelated makes them very relevant to our world because we live in a complex world.”
She commended students’ campaigns: “The great thing about what’s happening in this university is students are being very active. I loved the campaign on divestment. I supported it.”
“I’m also impressed with what the faculty are doing in more than 40 directly related research projects, together forming the Sustainable Development Goal hub. This is leadership in a university”, she said of Trinity’s new research.
Introducing Robinson, Senator David Norris said: “We should take great pride in Mary Robinson.”
“As long as there are people like Mary Robinson taking on the challenges of climate change, yes we are doing something”, Norris said.
This year’s Green Week is the 18th that Norris has been involved with.
The Registar, Paula Murphy, also spoke at the launch of the event. On the steps of the Exam Hall, Murphy said of Green Week: “It is educational and it’s fun and it reinforces the curricula need to engage in the fight in our time.”
After officially opening Green Week, Robinson was gifted a plant from Trinity’s Botanic Gardens in Halls. She was also given a small pot of honey made from Trinity’s bees.
A cheque €4,750 raised through the College’s print cartridge recycling scheme was presented to Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin at the launch.
In a press statement, Michele Hallahan, Trinity’s Sustainability Advisor, said: “Trinity has made great gains in the field of sustainability in recent years, including a 45% reduction in water consumption and a 26% improvement in our energy efficiency. We have also halved the amount of paper that we consume, and we have an active Disposable Plastic Plan to reduce single use plastics on campus. In addition, we have introduced training in basic sustainability habits to all new staff and students, and our Green Campus Committee serves as a dynamic group to spread this information”.
In a press statement, Provost Patrick Prendergast said: “Trinity Green week is a time to celebrate all the changes we in Trinity are making to benefit the environment, and to educate ourselves about what more we can do. Human beings need to become more aware of how to live sustainably and ethically. I hope you will avail of the 20+ events throughout Green Week which will serve to educate, entertain and enlighten out community.”
In an email statement to The University Times, TCDSU President Shane De Rís said that the union was “delighted” to host Robinson, who, he said, is “one of Trinity’s most awe-inspiring graduates”.
During the week, a range of sustainable-themed events will be held, including a walking exploration of sea life at the UN Biosphere Reserve in Dublin Bay. A bird walk will be held this week on campus to explore Trinity’s native birds.
Robinson recently launched Climate Justice, a book consisting of 12 first-hand accounts of the devastating effects of climate change and extreme weather on various communities. Robinson also co-hosts a popular podcast, Mothers of Invention, which focuses on women around the world driving solutions to climate change.
Robinson has served as Chancellor of the university for around 10 years. She will officiate her last graduation ceremony this spring and a new chancellor will be elected to replace her.
Robinson recently hit out at media coverage of her comments about Dubai princess Sheikha Latif. Robinson came under fire for comments she made about the daughter of the city-state’s leader following a meeting with the family.
Robinson called Latifa a “troubled young woman” after photos of the pair were released by the princess’s family.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Robinson said that Latifa – who disappeared in March after recording a video in which she accused her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, of torture and imprisonment – “now regrets” the video and is “receiving psychiatric care”.
Latifa, who is 32, instructed her friends to release the video if her attempted escape from Dubai failed. She successfully boarded a yacht in the Indian Ocean but it was intercepted and she was taken back to Dubai.
