Maynooth Green Campus Charter
Maynooth Green Campus is a strategic coalition between Maynooth University (MU), St Patrick’s Pontifical University (SPPU) and Trócaire that seeks to promote environmental sustainability and climate justice.
Our vision centres on the global significance of local action to promote environmental sustainability in the context of teaching, research, public engagement and other activities on the campus. We promote a wide range of activities locally on campus and more widely under the themes of Biodiversity, Energy, Water, Waste, Transport & Travel, Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Justice, and the most recent addition, the Green Labs sub-theme.
We have a special emphasis on climate justice because the richest economies and the wealthiest social groups are most responsible for carbon emissions, while the poorest nations and disadvantaged social groups experience its worst impacts.
We promote the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, which link social and environmental objectives. We seek to empower local actors by linking local action to global issues, building upon smaller actions and short-term 'wins', consolidating changes in practice and anchoring new approaches in the culture of the Maynooth campus, and monitoring and communicating progress.
We initiate, encourage and support action by students and staff on campus, and we will work in alliance with the broader community of Maynooth, other universities and environmental organisations in association with An Taisce’s Green Campus Programme.