Technological University Dublin
EN-5: Civic Engagement

Employee Community Groups (Ref1): These are voluntary, employee-led groups formed to provide support, networking, and development opportunities for employees who share common characteristics, interests, or experiences. They foster a sense of community and encourage participation in various initiatives. 
Community Gardens (ref2): TU Dublin maintains community gardens where staff can engage in gardening and sustainability activities. These gardens serve as spaces for employees to meet, share skills, and reconnect with nature, contributing to community development. 

URL References:
Ref1: https://www.tudublin.ie/intranet/people-organisation-culture/employee-engagement/belonging-inclusion/employee-community-groups/ 
Ref2: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/societal-engagement/community-gardens/ 

TU Dublin supports employee volunteering during regular work hours, including participation in sustainability and biodiversity initiatives. Notable events include:

Biodiversity Action on the Tallaght Campus (Ref1): TU Dublin students and staff led a tree-planting event on the Tallaght campus to promote biodiversity. This event aligned with the "Active Citizenship" module, developed as part of the HEA-funded Transform EDU project. The project aims to integrate sustainability into the university experience by involving students and staff in practical environmental stewardship.

Planting Stepping Stone Forests (Ref2): In partnership with Stepping Stone Forests, TU Dublin organized tree-planting events across its campuses, creating mini-forests with native trees and shrubs. This initiative supports urban reforestation and is part of TU Dublin's commitment to environmental sustainability.

URL References:
Ref1: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/about/news-and-events/tu-dublin-students-and-staff-lead-action-for-biodiversity-on-the-tallaght-campus.php 
Ref2: https://steppingstoneforests.org/school-tree-planting/ 

Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy, project lead in TU Dublin Sustainability Office, helped develop the following local and regional policies on Sustainable Transport:
- Lorraine is a member of the Irish Physical Activity Research Collaboration (I-PARC) project (Ref1) that contributes to the update of the National Physical Activity Plan (Ref2)
- Lorraine worked with the Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) to develop an evaluation framework to define what data needs to be collected for monitoring and analysis used for the "Moving Together" strategy "A Strategic Approach to the Improved Efficiency of the Transport System in Ireland" from the Department of Transport (Ref3)
- Lorraine contributes to the Local Area Plans (LAPs) for the National Development Plan (NDP) (Ref4). TU Dublin Sustainability Office, Estates and Campus Planning members work daily with the Grangegroman Development Agency for the sustainabile development of the Grangegorman campus that is a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).
- Lorraine was a speaker at the launch of the "Climate Neutral Dublin 2030" Climate Action Plan (CAP); (Ref5)
- One of Lorraine D'Arcy project is also one of the founders of Campuses Role as Actors in Walkable and Livable Communities (CRAWL). CRAWL is funded under the Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) National Challenge Fund Sustainable Communities Challenge and supported by the Office of the Planning Regulator as our Societal Impact Champion. CRAWL aims to engage TU Dublin’s community and campus stakeholders in order to understand barriers and provide opportunities to make campuses and their surrounding neighbourhoods more walkable and liveable (Ref6). CRAWL organises think-in with communities for the development of local policies (Ref7).

Dr. Sarah Rock and David O’Connor in TU Dublin worked with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in this Coastal Mobility Project. Phase 1 of the study focused on an interim mobility-based analysis of the Coastal Mobility Route (CMR) only (as well as a socio-economic study of Blackrock Village) and did not include a wider socio-economic or environmental analysis of the CMR. Phase 2 of the research is intended to include a wider socio-economic review of the CMR, of which this study is a component part. The wider assessment, will feed into a developing knowledge base of the impacts of urban cycleways/greenways within Ireland; as well as temporary active travel interventions (Ref8). The CMR was designed and implemented as a rapid-build and temporary intervention in the summer of 2020 as part of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s (DLR’s) ‘Covid-19 Mobility & Public Realm Works’ project. The project was as an immediate response to some of the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic brought to local economies/villages and the transport network.

Dr. Michelle Giltrap (Ref9) research on climate action, particularly within the context of sustainable seafood and pollution related practices, has been influential in shaping environmental policies. Her published reports have contributed to those developed by the Marine Institute for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Her innovative approaches to reducing carbon emissions have earned her recognition as a leader in climate action, ecotoxicology and in the biological effects of chemical pollutants, nanomaterials and microplastics  on the environment. She is co-Chair of the International Council for Exploration of the Sea working group on biological effects of contaminants. 

URL References:
Ref1: https://i-parc.ie/i-parc-team/ 
Ref2: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/bed30-review-of-the-national-physical-activity-plan/ 
Ref3: https://assets.gov.ie/290392/2f64c07e-5eb2-4a7c-a5f8-78d1d9ce3ede.pdf 
Ref4: https://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/2023-02/Final%20Vol%201%20Written%20Statement.pdf 
Ref5: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lorraine-d-arcy-61449917_agree-hans-zomer-its-wonderful-that-dublin-activity-7173647994238451714-Hoc5/ 
Ref6: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/strategic-projects/action-research/crawl/ 
Ref7: https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2024/02/11/students-with-long-commutes-its-stressful-and-i-feel-tired-but-there-is-no-alternative-for-me/ 
Ref8: https://www.tudublin.ie/media/TU_Ph2a_CovidMob_BusinessCMR_IssDLR0223Fl.pdf 
Ref9: https://researchprofiles.tudublin.ie/en/persons/michelle-giltrap-2 

TU Dublin helped develop national or international public policies that address sustainability challenges by:
- hosting the World Health Organisation (WHO) Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) meeting that is the first and only international programme designed to integrate environmental and health aspects into transport, mobility and urban planning policies (Ref1)
- TU Dublin works with Ireland's Minister/Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority on the development of a National Sustainable Mobility Policy. A National Sustainability Mobility Forum has been organised in May 2024 with TU Dublin speakers Jordana Corrigan and David O'Connor (Ref2). STARS can contact TU Dublin STARS coordinator to request evidence files "EN 5.3_NSMF 2024 Event Report_20240628.docs" and "EN 5.3_Department of Transport_TU Dublin to lead NSMF.pdf"
- The Department of Transport and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications also invited Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy to talk to the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the European Commission (TAIEX-EIR) workshop on measures to reduce air pollution in transport and residential energy (Ref3). STARS can contact TU Dublin STARS coordinator to request evidence files  "EN 5.3_TAIEX-EIR workshop agenda_20240516.docs" and "EN 5.3_DECC invitation to present at TAIEX-EIR.pdf"
- TU Dublin (Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy) contributed to the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan (DCCPT): Ref4
- TU Dublin (Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy) presented data on Gender and Transport at the European Parliament: Ref5
- TU Dublin (Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy) collaborated with Transport for Ireland (TFI) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to conduct a survey for commuting to Universities (Ref6) which contributed to the National Demand Mangement Strategy (Ref7)
- TU Dublin's first of it's kind borehole project was the first of its kind in Ireland and provided evidence for the potential of deep borehole renewable energy for Ireland as detailed in the Notes section of Minister Ryan's Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy (Ref8 to Ref10).

URL References:
Ref1: https://www.who.int/europe/initiatives/transport-health-and-environment-pan-european-programme-(the-pep) 
Ref2: https://assets.gov.ie/298531/f2405ad1-a787-44a4-93fa-1a883d0fdfbd.pdf 
Ref3: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/TMSWebRestrict/resources/js/app/#/library/detail/85767 
Ref4: https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=44968 
Ref5: https://www.tudublin.ie/research-innovation/news/tu-dublin-lecturer-presents-data-on-gender-and-transport-at-european-parliament.html 
Ref6: https://www.tudublin.ie/media/website/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/documents/TU-Dublin-Travel-Survey-2022.pdf 
Ref7: https://assets.gov.ie/290306/8485fcb6-c3ed-4878-aefc-6a61b6634404.pdf 
Ref8: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/95d6c-minister-ryan-publishes-policy-statement-on-geothermal-energy-for-a-circular-economy/ 
Ref9: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/about/news-and-events/geothermal-energy-could-halve-greenhouse-gas-emissions-at-the-tu-dublin-grangegorman-campus.php 
Ref10: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/news/geothermal-energy-breaks-ground-at-tu-dublins-grangegorman-campus.html 

In Addition to TU Dublin advocating for public policies to advance sustainability by suporting individuals (listed in the previous question and below), on the National stage, TU Dublin hosted the Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit (Ref1) where the Minister Ossian Smyth TD, Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications addressed the group highlighting the crucial need to support the development of solution-orientated skills and competencies among graduates, as well as implementing effective policies to accelerate the transition towards a carbon neutral society. The Summit also addressed the lessons learned and questions raised during the Climate Action Leadership Training, which has been rolled out across the Higher Education sector as set out in the Public Sector Mandate. On the International stage, TU Dublin also established a strategic partnership with United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) (Ref2) to  undertake a varied programme of activity in learning, teaching, and research related to Sustainable Development, making TU Dublin the Irish University to partner with the UN Specialised Training and Education Agency on a Sustainability Education programme.

- TU Dublin works with Ireland's Minister/Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority on the development of a National Sustainable Mobility Policy. A National Sustainability Mobility Forum has been organised in May 2024 with TU Dublin speakers Jordana Corrigan and David O'Connor (Ref3). STARS can contact TU Dublin STARS coordinator to request evidence files "EN 5.3_NSMF 2024 Event Report_20240628.docs" and "EN 5.3_Department of Transport_TU Dublin to lead NSMF.pdf"
- The Department of Transport and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications also invited Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy to talk to the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the European Commission (TAIEX-EIR) workshop on measures to reduce air pollution in transport and residential energy (Ref4). STARS can contact TU Dublin STARS coordinator to request evidence files "EN 5.3_TAIEX-EIR workshop agenda_20240516.docs" and "EN 5.3_DECC invitation to present at TAIEX-EIR.pdf".
- TU Dublin (Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy) contributed to the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan (DCCPT): Ref5
- TU Dublin (Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy) presented data on Gender and Trasnport at the European Parliament: Ref6
- TU Dublin (Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy) collaborated with Transport for Ireland (TFI) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to conduct a survey for commuting to Universities (Ref7) which contributed to the National Demand Mangement Strategy (Ref8)

URL References:
Ref1: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/news/higher-education-climate-leadership-summit-2024.html 
Ref2: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/about/news-and-events/tu-dublin-and-unitar-establish-strategic-partnership-.php 
Ref3: https://assets.gov.ie/298531/f2405ad1-a787-44a4-93fa-1a883d0fdfbd.pdf 
Ref4: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/TMSWebRestrict/resources/js/app/#/library/detail/85767 
Ref5: https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=44968 
Ref6: https://www.tudublin.ie/research-innovation/news/tu-dublin-lecturer-presents-data-on-gender-and-transport-at-european-parliament.html 
Ref7: https://www.tudublin.ie/media/website/explore/about-the-university/sustainability/documents/TU-Dublin-Travel-Survey-2022.pdf 
Ref8: https://assets.gov.ie/290306/8485fcb6-c3ed-4878-aefc-6a61b6634404.pdf