On 25th October 2011 the European Commission has published a fully revised version of Buying Green! – A Handbook on green public procurement

The handbook is a concrete tool to help public authorities to buy goods and services with a lower environmental impact. It is also a useful reference for policy makers and businesses responding to green tenders.

The second version of the Handbook includes:

• Guidance on how environmental considerations can be included at each stage of the procurement process
• Examples drawn from contracting authorities across EU Member States
• Sector-specific GPP approaches for buildings, food and catering services, electricity and timber

At the same time a shortened version of the handbook – A summary – has been prepared.

Both versions are available in PDF format:
Buying Green! Handbook
Buying Green! Summary

The first edition from 2004 (in all official languages of the EU) is available in the archive.

Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on 28 September, announced funding for local environmental initiatives by communities, individuals and non-profit groups and organisations.  The Minister has allocated funding of €395,000 to local authorities to fund projects under the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Environmental Partnership Fund 2011. Matching funding by local authorities will bring shared potential partnership funding to €790,000.  The Fund promotes sustainable development by assisting small scale, non-profit environmental projects at local level. Eligible projects are those that will support and complement, at a local level, national environmental policies such as those on Waste, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Air, Water and Sustainable Development.

Announcing the scheme Minister Hogan stated “I am delighted to announce the Local Agenda 21 Partnership Fund for 2011.  This €395,000 Fund provides valuable assistance to local groups. It supports, at the grass roots level, efforts to improve the environment, to make our communities more sustainable and to increase general awareness of environmental issues. Local authorities provide additional funding to the local groups as well as essential support.  The projects also attract funding from businesses and other organisations.  All of this helps to facilitate a partnership approach within local communities.”

The LA21 Environmental Partnership Fund has operated since 1997.  A total of 448 projects were funded in 2010; including community gardens and allotments, biodiversity projects, environmental education programmes, waste reduction initiatives, and local environmental planning. Groups seeking funding for eligible projects are invited to make an application to their local authority (application forms are available from the local authorities).

Completed application forms should be returned to the relevant local authority at the latest by 19 October 2011.

Application forms, local authority contacts, and further information on the LA21 Environmental Partnership Fund can be obtained from the Department’s website: www.environ.ie

Waterford County Council is implementing Green Procurement Procedures as part of a broader move towards sustainable development across its policies. This includes a focus on the well-being and health of citizens, infrastructure for transport, water, waste and wastewater management, increased use of ICT and sustainable production and consumption of energy and food.

Using the open procedure, tenders were invited for the supply of a total of approximately 6,600 MWh per annum of electricity to Waterford County and City Councils.

The energy supplier appointed has confirmed that 100% of the energy supplied is from renewable sources. As a result of this tender and changes to Waterford’s energy management, its metered bill reduced from €1.54m in 2008 to €1.24m in 2009, a saving of €300,000. Due to increased energy prices in 2010, the annual electrical bill increased to €1.35m, but a benchmarking exercise with the prices of the previous (non-renewable) supplier revealed savings of €80,000. Additional savings resulted from energy efficiency measures.

Waterford County and City Councils have reduced the Maximum Import Capacity (MIC) at larger installations to match peak demand.  In addition, the Councils have worked with the energy supplier to implement tariff audit processes, whereby each tariff was reviewed and, where appropriate, tariffs were restructured to yield cost savings.

To see full details of the Waterford County Council Case Study Click Here

To see other great examples of Green Public Procurement Click Here

The Environmental Protection Agency’s National Waste Prevention Programme’s conference ResourceWise 2011 was held on Wednesday 1 June 2011 at the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel in Dublin.

The event highlighted the wide range of work underway in Ireland in several sectors of society to minimise and prevent waste and encourage resource efficiency, and thereby reduce operational overheads for organisations.

A wide range of presentations were given to highlight the work being done in this field. Click on the links to download each presentation:

Final conference programme, 382kb

Evening briefing – Jonathan Derham, 3,661kb

1 Karolina Fras – DG Environment, 2,505kb

2 Rory O’Donnell – NESC, 221kb

3 Neil Walker – IBEC, 1,008kb

4 Richard Hogan – Glanbia Consumer Foods, 343kb

5 Karl Dalton – Connolly Hospital, 2,039kb

6 Caitriona McGroary – St. Helen’s Hotel, 915kb

7 Brian Motherway – SEAI, 569kb

8 Colm Moran – Thomond Park, 1,200kb

9 Colum Gibson – Stop Food Waste, 3,482kb

10 James Preston – Noonan, 951kb

11 Ger Scriven – Origin Electronics + Manufacturing, 613kb

Date for your diaries: Wednesday 1 June 2011

ResourceWise 2011- National Waste Prevention Programme conference

The EPA-led National Waste Prevention Programme is organising a conference looking at the challenges and opportunities in becoming more resource efficient, exploring ways of producing more value with fewer inputs, lessening our impact on the environment and consuming in a more intelligent fashion.

The conference will address the challenges of resource depletion and scarcities, raising awareness of the environmental impact of excess consumption and waste and showcase waste prevention and resource efficiency initiatives by organisations contributing to the shift towards a resource-efficient economy.

The event will offer an opportunity for debate and exchanges of experience and best practice being demonstrated by participants in the National Waste Prevention Programme and explore practical ways to minimise and prevent waste, so as to break the link between economic growth and the environmental impacts associated with the generation of waste.

The conference will take place on Wednesday 1 June 2011 at the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel in Dublin.

Please note this date for your diaries and pass to any colleagues you may think relevant. Further details on registration etc. to follow.

Three LAPN related initiatives have been nominated for environmental awards, giving due recognition to the great work being done in the programme.

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Thomond Park Stadium has been shortlisted as a finalist for a Green Awards 2011 in the Entertainment and Leisure Category.

They have also launched their Community Fund which will include sponsorship of local environmental and waste prevention awards. They also took part in Earth Hour 2011.

Well done Thomond Park!

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Galway County Council has been shortlisted in the Local Authority category of the 2011 Green Awards.

This is in recognition of all the great work being done in Galway over the years to protect the local environment.

For example, click here to see the environmental guide for business that Galway County Council has produced Changing Behaviour – Saving Resources

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The Limerick Clare Kerry Regional Waste Management Office organised a Batucamob to be held at the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare on Saturday November 20th 2010.

This was part of the European Waste Reduction Week (EWWR) initiatve and the event was nominated as a finalist (out of over 4,000 initiatives) for a 2011 EWWR Award where it won a special commendation.

Well done indeed!

Click here to see the Batucamob video on YouTube

The Limerick Clare Kerry region participated alongside other European regions with a local “BatucaMob” at the iconic Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare. The Cliffs of Moher are project partners with the LCK region on the local authority prevention network.

Right across Europe the “BatucaMob” event was a symbolic and unified action of people coming together to announce the arrival of the European week for Waste Reduction throughout Europe by making noise with empty waste containers.

To see the BatucaMob at the cliffs go to the youtube link below:

Carlow Local Authorities have supported the 2nd European Week for Waste Reduction.

There were two main events/initiatives in Carlow for EWWR, focussing mainly on food waste prevention.

A Community Composting Workshop with Nuala Madigan (IPCC) 22nd November 2010 at 7.30 in the Council Chambers, County Hall.

A full page advertisement and and competition in the Carlow People and a press release to other newspapers.

“Carlow County Council welcomes the opportunity to take part in this week and to highlight the work being done by ourselves and businesses throughout the county in their efforts to reduce waste and money”, explained Fionnghuala Ryan, Environmental Awarenes Officer. “Preventing waste can help all of us to save money in all aspects of our lives.”

Ireland is gearing up for the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) with many different projects and events in several parts of the country.

EWWR is a 3 year project supported by the LIFE+ Programme of the European Commission until 2011. In 2010, the Week will take place from the 20th to the 28th November 2010.  To learn more about EWWR click here.

EWWR was set up to raise awareness about EU waste reduction strategies and policies; to promote sustainable waste reduction actions across Europe; to highlight the work accomplished by various actors, through concrete examples of waste reduction and to encourage changes in the behaviour of Europeans’ consumption and production in everyday life.

Who is involved?
EWWR mainly involves national and local authorities, NGOs, educational establishments and also businesses. In Ireland it is being led by the EPA, with many different local authorities involved. Also involved are An Taisce, REPAK, Clean Technology Centre, Green Hospitality Programme, Celtic Anglian Water and others.

What’s being done in Ireland?
A lot is planned in Ireland for 2010, including media events; radio and press material being published; waste prevention promotion with communities, businesses, schools; seminars; displays in public areas; competitions etc. – all over Ireland!

To see full details of planned events click here.

What happened in 2009?
In 2009 Ireland was very active for the Waste Reduction Week and it was a great success.

For full details of Irish events in 2009 click here.

To see some pictures from the 2009 event in Cork Institute of Technology click here

The National Waste Prevention Programme has organised a workshop on Community Based Social Marketing for all those involved in NWPP programmes and projects and other proponents of sustainability in Ireland. This was held in the GHA gold award winner St. Helen’s Radisson Hotel Stillorgan, Dublin on October 18th and 19th, 2010.

The two day workshop was presented by a world leader in this field, the Canadian, Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr. For over twenty years Dr McKenzie-Mohr, an environmental psychologist, has been incorporating and delivery of community programs. He is the founder of community-based social marketing — an approach to delivering environmental behavioural change programs that is used throughout the world.

The workshop was very well attended by many of the sustainability practitioners in Ireland from a wide spread of programmes, organizations and affiliations such as:  Local Authority Prevention Network; Local Authority Environmental Awareness Officers; Green Business Programme; €concertive;  Green Hospitality Programme;  An Taisce; Packaging Prevention Programme;  Green Healthcare Programme;  Environmental Protection Agency – Resource Use Unit;  Comhar – Sustainable Development Council; Dingle Corca Dhuibhne Glas Project; Clean Technology Centre; Department of Environment Heritage & Local Government; Enterprise Ireland; rx3 – rethink, recycle, remake; Freetrade Ireland website; Green Communities Network; Ballynagran Zero Carbon Community Project; Cleaner Greener Production Programme et alia.

To learn more about Community Based Social Marketing click here

To see some photos from the event click here to go to our Flickr Site.