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The Climate Action Mandate requires that leadership and governance structures for climate action are set up and that staff are engaged with climate action and have appropriate training. To this end the CSO has appointed an Energy Performance Officer and climate and sustainability champion on the Management Board, has an energy team who report to the EPO and has a green team.
The Climate and Sustainability Champion is Maria Hurley, who is the Assistant Director General for Corporate Affairs. Maria leads the Facilities Management and HR/Learning & Development functions, where much of the direct-action responsibility lies.
The main function of the Energy Performance Officer is:
Deirdre Mahony, who is the Assistance Director General for Environment, Ecosystems, Sustainability and Business will also act as a champion at Management Board level. Deirdre brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in this area.
There is an Energy Team within the Facilities Management area who manage the CSO energy consumption and focus on behavioural changes to ensure we maintain our progress. In conjunction with OPW and our SEAI partners, the Energy Team develop initiatives to reduce our consumption and run regular communications with all staff through Optimising Power @ Work and our “Reduce Your Use” campaign. We will also focus on reducing consumption through business-as-usual activities and plan for bigger projects with OPW to reach our 2030 targets.
The Staff Engagement & Innovation Committee (SEIC) have been given an additional role to engage and deliver on climate action with all staff. Existing staff who were part of Green Teams will join SEIC structures/groups, and all staff will be encouraged to become involved in personal and corporate actions. Members of Facilities Management energy team also sit on this group.
This group is now called the Climate Action Team (CAT)
| Climate Action Team Members | |||
| Swords Office | Rathmines Office | Cork Office | Field Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia Brady (Chair) | Deirdre Finegan | Anne Marie Ryan | Maureen Williams |
| Ross Farrell | Sinead Ryan | Gerard Brett | Oisin Kehoe |
| David White | Nova Sharkey | Michael Gaffney | |
| Sean De Claine | Louise Madden | Fiona Buckley | |
| Jennifer Evans | John Bennett | Maureen Delamere | |
| Rocco Cafolla | Jane Burmanje | Thomas Carroll | |
| Jack Kirk | Claire McVeigh | Alan Jones | |
| Garrett O’Brien | Aoife O’Neill | Angela Hickey | |
| Don Deane | |||
| David Long | |||
| Louise Dineen | |||
| Marina Durnin | |||
| Kerrie Lawton | |||
| Labhaoise Barrett | |||
Climate Awareness training has been rolled out for all staff in the CSO.
OneLearning/IPA has rolled out an eLearning course to give a high-level overview of Climate Action Awareness for the Civil and Public Service. This awareness training is available on OneLearning. The CSO will set this as mandatory training for all staff.
The recorded session covers the following:
Awareness about climate change.
Basic climate science and how climate change will impact Ireland.
Causes of and solutions to climate change.
Key climate action legislation and policy approaches taken by government.
Increased awareness of public sector responsibilities and the opportunities they present to make a positive impact as regards climate change.
Making informed decisions in relation to your work and climate change.
To date 654 staff have completed the training, with 64 staff in the process of completing it.
The CSO has engaged the IPA and started a Climate Action Leadership Programme to meet the requirement of the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate 2023 to "ensure all senior management (P.O. level or equivalent and above) complete a climate action leadership training course in 2023, similar to the Local Authority training course as delivered by the CAROs."
The aim of the Programme is to provide the Senior Leadership grades in the Departments with an awareness and understanding, or improved awareness and understanding, of Climate Change, Climate Action, Climate Governance and to introduce key Climate Leadership concepts to equip leaders to navigate and deliver on their role in climate action leadership effectively. To date all members of the Senior Management Group (SMG – PO/Senior Statistician level and above) have completed at least 50% of the course.
The Climate Action Team have completed bespoke training that provides them with the relevant knowledge and skills to brainstorm, educate, plan, and implement initiatives which support the roadmap and the CSO’s sustainability drive overall.
Facilities Management and other relevant management/staff have undertaken training/workshops in 2023 to understand better the concepts, targets, and actions in addressing emissions reductions. This training included Introduction to Carbon workshops, engaging with the SEAI concerning Reduce Your Use campaigns, etc., and other webinars.
Other higher-level programmes, such as the Climate Action and Sustainability Reporting Level 9 programme through the IPA, have been completed in 2024.
Facilities Management has also engaged with their Aramark partners, under the Optimising Power @Work initiative, to deliver training and webinars/workshops to staff members. Regular communications campaigns such as “Reduce your use” are undertaken to raise awareness amongst staff and Energy Clinics were hosted in all offices during 2023.