Eamonn Sayers, Guinness Enterprise Centre; Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment & Climate; Michael O’Hara, Techies Go Green; and Dr Mary O’Riordan, HaPPE Earth

Guinness Enterprise Centre invests €500K in sustainability cluster

Sustainability@GEC seeks more members keen to embrace green business practices
Trade
Eamonn Sayers, Guinness Enterprise Centre; Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment & Climate; Michael O’Hara, Techies Go Green; and Dr Mary O’Riordan, HaPPE Earth

24 February 2023

The Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC)has unviled plans to build out its sustainability cluster at its hub in Dublin.

The cluster will host Techies Go Green, a movement of more than 300 IT and tech-oriented companies which are committed to decarbonising their businesses. Techies Go Green will use the facility as its base of operations, as well as for educational events for signatories.

Furthermore, the GEC is investing €500,000 in making its premises more sustainable. The majority of the funding – made available through an Enterprise Ireland Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme (RETS) grant – has already gone towards numerous upgrades across the building including more heat-efficient windows, a new heat pump system and sensor-controlled LED light fittings.

The upgrades will also cover the installation of electric vehicle, e-bike and e-scooter chargers. The GEC plans to create a changing room facility to encourage workers to travel by foot or bike and is exploring a major solar panel installation on the roof – which is currently home to 18,000 bees in 15 beehives, encouraging biodiversity in the heart of Dublin city. 

Michael O’Hara, Co-Founder of Techies Go Green and managing director of DataSolutions, said: “We are thrilled to partner with an organisation that is internationally recognised as one of the best new business incubators in the world, and one that has sustainability as one of its core objectives. We see the GEC as a key partner and sustainability evangelist. The actions it has taken to date, together with the actions it has planned over the next 24 months, will position the GEC as a sustainability leader and role model for the innovative start-up businesses based there.

“Techies Go Green partnering with the GEC provides access to more skills that will help businesses identify and achieve tangible results when it comes to being sustainable and reducing the impact of climate change. It’s a shared passion and one that requires people and businesses to collaborate and innovate.”

Eamonn Sayers, Manager, GEC, added: “Together, the GEC and Techies Go Green want to lead the sea change towards a more sustainable and greener future. We want to be at the forefront of the circular economy and create a space where like-minded companies can work and grow in tandem.

“That means broadening our own climate agenda and placing sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Education is the first step, followed by action. Through Techies Go Green, we will be able to bring the best in global sustainability thinking to our 160 client companies, and through the sustainability cluster, we will give companies more access to networks, knowledge, collaboration and empower change and innovation. In turn, this will help Ireland to meet its goals and create a better world.”

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