TU Dublin showcases innovation at first Green Campus Open Call Gathering event
TU Dublin hosted its first Green Campus Living Lab orchestration event yesterday at East Quad, bringing together students, staff and external stakeholders to highlight innovative sustainability projects developed through Green Campus Open Calls 2024 and 2025.
The event featured 17 projects and welcomed over 25 attendees, including Alan Sherry, Climate Action Senior Executive Officer at Dublin City Council, and Gary Tyrrell, Climate Action Officer at South Dublin County Council, alongside key university stakeholders from TU Dublin Student’s Union, Student Volunteering, Campus & Estates, Campus Decarbonisation, and members of the Green-Campus Committee.
During her opening remarks, Jennifer Boyer, Vice President for Sustainability said:
The projects presented here today are a testament to the commitment of the Green Campus Network, and to the role that a university can play as an agent of positive environmental, social and economic change.
The event featured lightning presentations of completed projects that described the challenge addressed, solutions developed and impact achieved to date.
The 17 projects presented spanned all five campus locations and addressed a wide range of sustainability themes, including waste reduction, circular economy, energy efficiency, climate action, climate justice, biodiversity, and health and wellbeing.
Contributors included students, academic and operations staff who shared achievements and practical challenges encountered during project implementation.
| Green Campus Open Call 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Project | Project Lead |
| The Forest Bathing Garden | Gerard Ryder, School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Apprenticeships |
|
Soil Sense Eco-Acoustics |
Gerard Ryder, School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Apprenticeships |
|
Smart Energy Monitoring at TU Dublin Lab |
Damien Doheny, School of Electrical and Electronical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Apprenticeships |
|
Eco-High Performance Computing |
Tania Malik, School of Informatics and Cybersecurity, Faculty of Computing Digital and Data. |
| Materials Intelligence Lab - Exploring Material Narratives in Design Practice | Ceri Almrott, School of Art and Design, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
|
The Little Free Library |
Hilda Burton, School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business |
|
Greener Bakery practices - Reducing Food and Packaging Waste |
Sheona Foley, School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Re-Turn Heroes | Aleksander Biegalski, Cosmin Clopotaru and Alex Siedlok, students at the School of Mechanical Engineering |
| Green Campus Open Call 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Project | Project Lead |
|
The TU Dublin Bioblitz and Photo Competition |
Gerard Ryder, School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Apprenticeships |
|
Reconnect the Disconnected - outdoor micro-garden at Aungier St |
Lucia Walsh, Sustainability Education, Sustainability |
|
Reconnect the Disconnected - biodiversity awareness & appreciation |
Lucia Walsh, Sustainability Education, Sustainability |
| Sustainability Charters for Student Societies | Charlie Beaudelot, Student Union PTO Sustainability, TU Dublin Students' Union |
|
Inside Disposable Tech: Exploring Material Circularity |
Ceri Almrott, School of Art and Design, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
|
re:model |
Laura Carroll, School of Architecture, Building and the Environment, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Apprenticeships |
| Reusable Packaging for Bakery Students | Sheona Foley, School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Clean Campus Challenge | Hilda Burton, School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business |
| Veganuary | Mina Eusebio, VP for City, TU Dublin Students' Union |
Head of Societal Engagement, Helena Fitzgerald, highlighted:
The project teams have explored challenges, co-created solutions, and tested and evaluated these in the real-world, bringing together different disciplines and engaging internal and external stakeholders. They are a great example of community-initiated innovation.
In a panel discussion, Alan Sherry, Climate Action Senior Executive Officer at Dublin City Council, and Gary Tyrrell, Climate Action Officer at South Dublin County Council, highlighted the potential for aligning green campus solutions with broader city-level sustainability goals, particularly in areas such as urban resilience, climate action, and community mobilisation.
The inaugural orchestration event marks a significant step in strengthening TU Dublin’s Green Campus Living Lab by creating an opportunity for knowledge exchange, collaboration and living lab evaluation. Through the Green Campus Living Lab, TU Dublin is fostering a growing network of students and staff engaged in collaborative innovation to address sustainability challenges.