Staff and students at MIC Thurles are putting their ‘green’ foot forward as they take part in a number of events this week as part of this year’s Climate Action Week.
The MIC St Patrick’s Campus, based in the heart of Thurles, was this year awarded the Green Flag in recognition of their commitment to embracing environmentally friendly practices by dramatically reducing waste on campus, increasing recycling and raising sustainability issues amongst its staff and student community. Their involvement this week in Climate Action Week, an annual awareness campaign on climate action which highlights how climate change is impacting Ireland, is a continuation of their dedication to continuing to underline the importance of environmental awareness.
As part of the week-long campaign, the campus will be awash with informational material along corridors and in lecture rooms to showcase some of the different actions you can take as part of this action. They key takeaway from the campaign is to show that while the actions we can take seem small, when students, staff and the whole campus carry out the actions together they become massive.
According to Ruth Talbot, Librarian at MIC Thurles and member of MIC Green Campus Thurles: “We’re delighted and proud to be taking part in Climate Action Week. Achieving our Green Flag last year was just the beginning; we are determined to continue making our college a more sustainable campus, as well as raising awareness of environmental and sustainability issues. We’ve been encouraged by the commitment from staff and students to make their climate pledges and support climate action week. After a year and a half away from the campus, it has been wonderful to see the continued enthusiasm and dedication to making our campus an even better and ‘greener’ place to study.”
Speaking on the importance of getting involved in campaigns like Climate Action Week was Nathan Kelly, Fourth Year BA in Education, Gaeilge and Religious Studies student and member of MIC Green Campus Thurles: “It’s great to get the whole campus involved in this important awareness week to encourage both staff and students to reflect on if they’re living sustainably or if they could do more to lessen their impact on the environment. This can be as simple as students here bringing a reusable coffee cup or water flask, or walking or cycling to campus where possible. These small changes, reflected across the wider student and staff body, can lead to a major change. This is especially true as students who are studying to become post-primary teachers and who can bring this newfound knowledge to schools and communities at every corner of the country.”
For further information on some of the virtual events taking part this week as part of Climate Action Week, click here.
