The Shannon Region has no shortage of both greenery and green initiatives.
Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau is constantly striving to work with our members to innovate and improve on new ways to be greener than before, pushing to bring sustainability to the forefront of the industry and at the heart of what we do.
European Green Leaf Awarded to Limerick
Limerick has been awarded the European Green Leaf for 2020. The announcement was made following adjudication by a panel of international experts at an event in Oslo, Norway who holds the European Green Capital title for 2019.
Limerick, was commended for its ongoing investments leading to improved air quality and noise levels in the city. Limerick is currently transforming itself into Ireland’s first digital city, integrating several public services, creating smart homes and buildings, energy districts and smart neighbourhoods
Click here for more information
Global Destination Sustainability Index
At the end of 2018, The Shannon Region was delighted to make its first entry onto the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). The GDS-Index is a collaborative business initiative created to help Destinations, Convention Bureaux, Event Planners and Suppliers drive the adoption and recognition of sustainable practices in their regions and in the global events industry.
It aims to bring destinations together to benchmark and improve the social and environmental performance of their respective meetings industries by highlighting best practice and promoting responsible business tourism.
We are extremely proud to now be ranked alongside key global MICE destinations including Dublin, Houston, Sydney, Kyoto, Barcelona, Geneva, Helsinki, Stockholm and Frankfurt.
A typical five-day conference with 2,500 attendees consumes up to…
Sustainable Destination Policy
Working closely in partnership with the National Tourist Development Body; Fáilte Ireland, we share the same mandate, mission, values and vision when it comes to sustainability. SRCSB wants to work with our suppliers and community to make The Shannon Region a sustainable destination for MICE events and tourism as a whole.
Click here for Failte Ireland & Meet In Ireland toolkit to running green meetings and events
Further information on our Destination Sustainability strategy can be obtained by emailing karen@conferenceandsportsbureau.com
Green Procurement Policy
Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau Green Procurement Policy is a process where we seek to source goods, services or works with a reduced environmental impact. We commit to promoting green procurement, in order to support our Sustainable Destination strategy and to align with both Ireland’s environmental and wider sustainable development objectives and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We endeavour to minimise the environmental ‘footprints’ of our procurement activities by purchasing products and services that cause minimal adverse environmental impacts while offering high quality products and services at competitive prices.
Keeping It Green Initiatives
Here are some key ‘Keep It Green’ initiatives, practical suggestions and a handy event checklist to consider employing when planning your meeting in the Shannon Region:
Support the Local Community
Leftover Food
Food Cloud will take donations of excess food from events, who will collect the food on site at no extra cost and arrange for distribution to appropriate charities.
Surplus Stock
Have something that could potentially be a raw material for another business such as cardboard boxes, wooden pallets etc? Liaise with the venue for assistance to connect with local organisations who could reuse it, helping to reduce landfill waste and further a circular economy.
Purchasing & Waste
✓ Think Reduce-Reuse-Recycle for event materials and communications
✓ Keep it digital where you can; electronic invitations, registration, follow ups etc
✓ Do not promote single use items like takeaway cups, promote keep cups instead
✓ Do not provide individual paper and pens, have them on a side table so only people that really need them can access them
✓ Where possible ensure all sugar, tea and coffee is not individually packaged. Flasks of tea and coffee are best and do not produce waste
Food & Drink
✓ Vegetarian and vegan options are more environmentally friendly and often tend to be cheaper, so make sure to incorporate some meat free options into your menu.
✓ Tap water is a sustainable choice with no transportation or waste packaging. Use glasses and water jugs over single use plastic bottles.
✓ Opt for local, seasonal and organic produce.
✓ Choose ethical, eco and fair-trade options
✓ Select local catering companies that have environmental credentials
Energy
✓ Compile a list of your lighting and equipment, can the lighting be changed to LED?
✓ Make sure all equipment is turned off when not needed?
Venue & Accommodation
✓ Encourage delegates to stay in close proximity to the event venue
✓ Choose accommodation providers that have an environmental certification
✓ Choose an event venue that has an environmental certification
✓ Ensure that accommodation options are within walking distance to the event or have good public transportation links
Transport
Walk or take public transport. Limerick City is compact enough to tour on foot, and many visitors hire bicycles to assist in getting around. Public buses, there two companies currently running city bus services in Limerick City.
Bus Eireann
A state-owned company, and part of the CIÉ group, Bus Éireann run city-bus services in most other areas of the city, and across major towns and cities in Ireland as well as nearby Shannon and Ireland West Airports.
Wheelchair Accessibility
As we continue to invest in new fleet, the overall percentage of wheelchair-accessible vehicles continues to grow. At present, Bus Éireann’s City and Town services are 100% wheelchair accessible, with Commuter and Expressway services at 78%. Overall, 86% of Bus Éireann vehicles are accessible to wheelchair users.
Euro Bus
The routes service areas such as Raheen, Dooradoyle, Ballycummin, University of Limerick, O’Malley Park, Caherdavin and Castletroy.
Clarebus
Clarebus is a local transport company providing public bus services for Clare. All of the buses have low floors providing easy access for every passenger and the routes are flexible. Ennis is a great base from which to explore County Clare as it is a transport hub with the rail and train stations located beside each other.
Irish Rail
There are wheelchair spaces on each train, but spaces are limited so booking in advance is encouraged. Staff are available to assist, but 24 hours’ notice is required to ensure ramps can be set up at the appropriate stations. More information
Bike Hire
Many hotel properties offer complimentary bike hire and our destinations are extremely easy to navigate by bike.
ESB Charge Points
ESB owns, operates and maintains approximately 1,100 public charge points across the island of Ireland. To locate your nearest ESB charge point on the go, download the ecar connect app from the App Store and Google Play.
Finding accessible places to eat, sleep, and drink or things to do
✓Accessibility is important for everyone, that’s why Access Earth is building the world’s largest database of accessibility information. Finding accessible places to eat, sleep and drink or things to do has never been easier. Access Earth is a free platform that allows users to find and rate places that suit their own accessibility needs.
✓Further details can be found through the following link: https://www.access.earth/
Green Suppliers
If you’re looking for a venue that cares for the environment as much as you do, The Shannon Region has a range of venues with environmental and sustainability policies that will assist you to reduce your event’s carbon footprint.
Make an easy and well-informed choice with our list of Green Meeting suppliers who are as passionate about the environment and sustainability as you are.
Did you know?
✓ Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick do quarterly waste management training with all staff members to ensure they are recycling as much as they can. They work with their waste management company to maximise what they’re recycling, sending to landfill etc. Currently they recycle approx. 73% of their waste.
✓ University of Limerick holds a Green Flag Award from an Taisce (an independent Irish charity, which focuses on the preservation and protection of Ireland’s natural and built heritage). This award recognises their involvement in environmental education, management and action in enhancing sustainability on campus.
✓ Limerick Strand Hotel has a waste diversion rate of 80% from landfill as it stands. They are hoping to reach the 85% mark on this before 2020. Each guest bedroom has recycling cards, which encourage and show guests how to recycle in their bedrooms. All management and staff of each department are trained on recycling and are encouraged to practice this on a day-to-day basis.
✓ Adare Manor promotes Biodiversity – Development of park & woodlands. Many acres of land and thousands of trees support an abundance of flora and fauna right across the resort. They support Inland Fisheries Ireland with fish monitoring and river quality initiatives on the River Maigue which runs through the resort.
✓ Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa have an Electric Car Charger on site. By choosing to drive an EV you are helping to reduce harmful air pollution from exhaust emissions
✓ Falls Hotel & Spa is powering itself from the energy provided from the fast flowing river and cascades alongside it. The 220 kilowatt water turbine is providing the Falls Hotel with 100% of its power, when the river is at full flow. The hotel has greatly reduced it’s dependency on carbon fuels, being declared a carbon neutral property in March 2021 by Green Hospitality Ireland, reducing hugely it’s carbon footprint.
All events held in the hotel are also carbon neutral! They are on track to reduce their electricity consumption by 800,000kw of electricity, offsetting approximately 550 tonnes of carbon. This is the equivalent of offsetting three return trips to the moon by car!
✓ Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa are trailblazers when it comes to investing in environmental initiatives that reduce the resort’s carbon footprint. The resort has its own well and waste-water treatment plant on-site, which means it is entirely self-sufficient. An organic garden was created in the grounds of the hotel to supply the kitchen with the freshest and most natural ingredients possible.
Shortly after the land was converted into a certified organic farm, produce from Mary’s Organic Garden and the farm can be found on the breakfast table, in a host of dishes at Timmy Macs Bistro, as drink ingredients and garnishes served in Dicks Bar and as the inspiration behind Fielding’s of Adare. All food-waste is composted and used for Mary’s Organic Garden and the organic farm, both of which are home to trees planted as part of the resort’s carbon offset programme.
Generating Impact
If your organisation is looking to deliver legacy outcomes to your event and give something back, we have meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility activities and Social Impact Programmes on offer.
Humanli
Based in the Midwest, Humanli is one of Ireland’s first social impact specialists that help companies make a lasting positive impact on communities in need across Ireland.
Social impact has become an integral part of corporate business strategy, but this can sometimes be a challenge for companies – that’s where Humanli come in!
Humanli use a rigorous process to identify what causes best align with a company’s brand and pair them with a member of the Humanli Family, which is their membership network of charities and community groups. They then work with you to create a tailored social impact plan that aligns with your beliefs and values, maximising your social impact investment.
You can learn more about Humanli on their website or follow them on LinkedIn.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Shannon Region
Carbon Footprint
If you are organising a conference in the region and would like to explore the option of offsetting the conference’s carbon footprint then can do so here at Home Tree
Carbon Footprint is a tool that will help you calculate the carbon footprint of your conference
Carbon Footprint
If you are organising a conference in the region and would like to explore the option of offsetting the conference’s carbon footprint then can do so here at Home Tree
Carbon Footprint is a tool that will help you calculate the carbon footprint of your conference
Wild Flower and Tree Planting
Pick a tree or wildflower that represents your country, or something about your group, and leave a lasting legacy in the Shannon region, by planting it in an urban setting. This can help reduce the carbon footprint of your group’s trip.
Delegate numbers: Unlimited
What it is: Gardening
Who it supports: The environment
Time needed: A few hours
Who to contact: Karen Brosnahan
Wild Atlantic Way Coastal Clean Up
There are predictions that, by 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. You can play your part to help combat this global epidemic, while immersing yourself in Ireland’s extensive coastline.
The Clean Coasts Corporate Volunteering Programme is a great opportunity for your delegates to make a tangible and immediate improvement to the coastal environment. It is also a fantastic team-building and personal development opportunity, outside of the normal environment!
Delegate numbers: 10-30 (larger groups possible by request)
What it is: Cleaning local beaches
Who it supports: The environment and our ecosystem
Time needed: 3 – 5 hours
Who to contact: Karen Brosnahan
Wild Atlantic Way Coastal Clean Up
There are predictions that, by 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. You can play your part to help combat this global epidemic, while immersing yourself in Ireland’s extensive coastline.
The Clean Coasts Corporate Volunteering Programme is a great opportunity for your delegates to make a tangible and immediate improvement to the coastal environment. It is also a fantastic team-building and personal development opportunity, outside of the normal environment!
Delegate numbers: 10-30 (larger groups possible by request)
What it is: Cleaning local beaches
Who it supports: The environment and our ecosystem
Time needed: 3 – 5 hours
Who to contact: Karen Brosnahan