Story By Donal Magner, Rotary Ireland Environment Team Lead

Transitioning to a net-zero world is regarded by the United Nations as one of the ​greatest challenges facing humankind.

To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, emissions of greenhouse gasses ​(GHG) need to be reduced to net zero by 2050. This is one of the reasons Rotary ​International added the environment as an area of focus in 2020.

This was an important step by Rotary, but areas such as climate change have ​featured prominently in its programme for several years. For example, Rotary ​International had allocated more than $18 million in Foundation global grant ​funding to environment related projects during the five years up to 2020.

When I was appointed Rotary Ireland’s Environment Team Lead in 2021, our ​clubs had been involved in environment projects for years mainly at community ​level. One of the projects I wished Rotary to support was an Environment Award ​at a national level aimed at third level colleges throughout Ireland – north and ​south.

My own area of interest is forestry and related sectors such as wood in ​sustainable construction and design, so I looked at Ireland's Climate Action Plan ​(ICAP) to see how forestry and wood fares in the plan.

ICAP outlines a major role for forestry in helping Ireland to halve “greenhouse ​gas emissions by the end of the decade” and become “carbon neutral by 2050”.

ICAP acknowledges afforestation as “one of the largest land-based, long-term ​climate change mitigation measures available to Ireland”. It also advocates using ​wood and wood-based products for construction as a sustainable substitute for ​conventional carbon-heavy construction products, such as concrete, brick and ​steel.

With this in mind, we approached several colleges in 2021 to gauge interest in a ​forestry and wood-related environment award aimed at students and their ​lecturers. Five third level colleges agreed to take part in a pilot award which was ​supported by the Rotary clubs of Wicklow and Dublin-Fingal, Rotary Ireland and ​the Forest Service in Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Five colleges entered the inaugural competition, titled “Rotary Ireland Student ​Environment Award 2022 – Achieving Net Zero with Forests and Wood”. The ​awards were presented at a gala even in Farmleigh House, Dublin in November ​2022 along with the national Wood Awards Ireland.

The winning project went to a group entry by 19 Technological University of ​Dublin students for designing and constructing 12 seats in the Devil's Glen Forest ​in honour of the Irish poet and Nobel Prize winner, Seamus Heaney.

Ciaran O'Connor, State Architect said in his citation: "This is a great example of ​improving the environment, facilitating access to nature, and enhancing student ​learning on their ability to impact the environment in their choice of materials."

The project was a collaboration between Rotary, Coillte The Irish Forestry Board ​who manage the forest, local community, Pat Staunton Sawmill and the Heaney ​family.

Luke O'Connor, Atlantic Technological University was joint runner-up for his ​guide to estimate the carbon footprint of furniture using life cycle assessment. ​He shared the award with Laura O'Toole for her project focused on timber in ​construction to reduce environmental impact. There were also commendations ​for students from the University of Limerick and University College Dublin.

The 2024 award awards were rolled out to 20 third level colleges last November ​to encourage third level students to submit projects on how woodlands, forests ​and wood products can contribute to achieving net zero or carbon neutrality.

While the pilot scheme concentrated on architectural and forestry students, the ​2024 awards is designed to attract students from a wider range of disciplines ​including, ecology, engineering, science, horticulture, design, agriculture, land ​management, bioenergy, product development, wood working and landscape ​architecture.

The challenge is to research and submit a project on any element of forestry ​from the forest ecosystem to sustainable wood products with the aim of ​contributing to net zero by 2050.

Projects can explore the interaction between forestry and other land uses ​including agriculture, while outside the forest, there are opportunities to feature ​innovative wood in design and decarbonisation.

An independent judging panel, comprising architects, foresters, engineers and ​ecologists is currently assessing the 26-strong longlist to produce a shortlist of ​approximately nine who were due to be announced at the Rotary Ireland ​Conference in Dún Laoghaire in September.

The prize fund is €4,000 (£3,400), Rotary Ireland award medal and certificates of ​merit for commended projects. A selection of students' works will also be ​featured alongside works of Ireland's leading architects and designer at an ​exhibition in the nearby Lexcicon Library.