Green Gown Awards 2017 - University College Cork - Finalist

University College Cork (UCC) plays an international leadership role in sustainability through its student-lead, research-informed, practice-focussed mission. John has been key to this success.

John initiated a range of projects and activities across academic disciplines, and provided strong university leadership enabling others to participate, contribute and to develop a sustainability strategy for UCC. He has pioneered novel approaches to teaching and learning around climate action and sustainability, incorporating a transdisciplinary approach. He played a lead role in securing a UN Programme Global Environmental Monitoring System for Water - Capacity Development Centre at UCC.

John has been central to UCC’s successes in being the first university in the world awarded the Green Flag which it subsequently retained. He has provided leadership in cultivating sustainability citizenship by developing and embedding an awareness of climate action and sustainability in UCC’s curriculum and across and beyond the university to business, the USA and Colombia.

Top 3 learnings:

1Top Management support is needed to deliver on vison and enable change. 

2 Dedicated student activities and projects – particularly those that take risks.  

3 Be student-led, research informed and practice focussed – and cascading this philosophy through and beyond the campus. 

Videos

• John O’Halloran (click to hide)