Intel and the County Kildare Chamber are pleased to announce Ireland’s first ever climate action championship, Sustainable Kildare. The championship, which starts on the 19th of October, invites small and medium businesses in the county of Kildare to sign up to participate in an interactive environmental challenge. The three-week campaign will encourage staff to save as much CO₂ as possible by registering daily, eco-friendly activities and making small changes in their lifestyle. Over a 3-week campaign, participants will undertake an average take of 162 eco-friendly actions each, for example switching off unnecessary lights, taking shorter showers and using public transport in place of car journeys.
The project, which is sponsored by Intel, was launched this week by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar together with Martin Heydon, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Kildare South TD, Kildare Chamber Chief Executive Allan Shine and Intel’s External Relations Manager Lisa Harlow.
Speaking about the launch of this new project, Intel External Relations Manager Lisa Harlow said “Kildare has been our proud home here in Ireland for over 30 years and we are delighted to have the opportunity to work together with small and medium businesses from across the county on this new project. Our world is facing challenges unlike any we have seen before and the urgent need for action on issues like climate change calls for a new era of shared responsibility”.
A total of 300 companies will be invited to take part and the challenge will be delivered in phases over the next 10 months, with 75 companies participating in the first phase. The first challenge kicks off in October and runs for three weeks.
Participating companies will have access to interactive digital tools and a dedicated app to track emissions throughout the challenge. A number of educational workshops will be hosted in conjunction with the project to help employees and businesses better understand sustainability and climate action. The challenge is aligned to a number of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
For every company that participates in the challenge, there will be a number of trees planted in a specially chosen location in Kildare, which will ensure a lasting carbon legacy from the project.
Intel is the largest employer in the Kildare region and since establishing operations in Leixlip in 1989 has sought ways to partner with those in local areas on projects that strengthen community bonds and build on shared goals in areas such as environmental sustainability, volunteerism and education. Most recently, Intel sponsored a ‘Solar for Schools’ initiative that supported the installation of solar packages at schools in Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth.
“This project gives us an important opportunity to create a lasting environmental impact, not only in measurable carbon savings that will be achieved over the course of the challenge, but in the awareness that is raised and the behavioural changes that will ripple from the businesses and their staff into the wider community,” explains Lisa Harlow.
Kildare is home to more than 5500 small and medium businesses with thousands of employees. Companies operating in Kildare span a diverse array of areas from services to retail to agriculture and technology.
Allan Shine, CEO of County Kildare Chamber said “What you eat, what you wear and how you get about are all habits that businesses and their employees can adapt in order to live and work in a more sustainable way. If we choose more sustainable suppliers and products, we can shift the market to be more sustainable. Our vision is firstly to raise awareness for both businesses and their employees in order to reduce carbon emissions in Kildare. Through this programme, which includes a suite of workshops delivered by UN specialists, we hope that our members in Kildare will lead the climate challenge for Ireland”.
Businesses located in Kildare who would like to take part in the challenge can register online here.
This initiative is supported by the Local Enterprise Office Kildare.
