{"id":10392,"date":"2023-12-14T08:21:53","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T08:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=10392"},"modified":"2023-12-18T09:37:45","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T09:37:45","slug":"initiatives-that-are-making-a-sustainable-difference-to-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/winter-health\/initiatives-that-are-making-a-sustainable-difference-to-the-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Initiatives that are making a sustainable difference to the environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-10384\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210043\/Kieran-Holohan.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210043\/Kieran-Holohan.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210043\/Kieran-Holohan-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Kieran Holohan<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Managing Director, Isover Ireland<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box right round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-10385\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210043\/Fintan-Smyth-.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210043\/Fintan-Smyth-.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210043\/Fintan-Smyth--125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Fintan Smyth<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Building Physics Manager, Isover Ireland<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Companies in the construction industry can make a positive difference to the planet by improving the sustainability of their products and manufacturing operations.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>These days, companies make big announcements about their commitment to sustainability. \u201cThe thing is, the public is a lot more switched-on about this topic now,\u201d says Kieran Holohan, Managing Director of insulation solutions provider, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isover.ie\/technical-academy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Isover Ireland<\/a>. \u201cIf a business can\u2019t back up its words with actual initiatives, then it won\u2019t count for a whole lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"healt-977705377\"><div class=\"healt-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div id=\"healt-1103176852\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.isover.ie\/technical-academy\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Isover 2 desk\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210024\/Isover-2-desk.jpg\" alt=\"\"  width=\"750\" height=\"250\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-range-of-sustainability-measures-in-construction\"><strong>Range of sustainability measures in construction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Holohan says that his company is committed to walking the sustainability walk. \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest agenda we have,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a provider of construction materials, we have a responsibility to ensure that our products contribute to the sustainability of buildings. So, we\u2019re redesigning our products to make them less carbon-intensive; plus, we\u2019re duty-bound to provide environmental product declarations for all our products, verified by a third party, to help our customers make well-informed choices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isover is busy implementing measures to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isover.ie\/technical-academy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mitigate its environmental impact<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re part of the Saint-Gobain group, which is committed to net zero by 2050,\u201d says Holohan. \u201cWe\u2019re investing in our manufacturing plants to reduce their energy consumption. We\u2019ve started our first solar farm installation, which will enable us to generate our own electricity. We\u2019ve switched our company vehicles to electric, and we\u2019re trialling hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in our trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The built environment produces more <br>than 40% of the world\u2019s carbon.<\/p><cite><meta charset=\"utf-8\">Fintan Smyth<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Well-considered sustainability approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, the construction industry must do more to contribute to a greener and cleaner world, agrees Fintan Smyth, Building Physics Manager, Isover Ireland. \u201cThe built environment produces more than 40% of the world\u2019s carbon,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a huge figure, so the construction industry has a big role to play \u2014 but it\u2019s complicated, and there are no silver bullets. It means taking a considered approach to what\u2019s required in the short, medium and long term to design a low-carbon strategy for building that provides for the needs of communities. It also entails thinking about a range of issues including health and wellbeing, air quality, energy use, construction materials and a construction strategy that can be adaptable to future climate and societal change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"healt-1173479057\"><div class=\"healt-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div id=\"healt-2628991090\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.isover.ie\/technical-academy\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Isover 2 desk\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210024\/Isover-2-desk.jpg\" alt=\"\"  width=\"750\" height=\"250\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Putting sustainability at the heart of operations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>He insists that companies within the sector must put sustainability at the heart of their operations. \u201cBusinesses must take ownership of their actions,\u201d says Smyth. \u201cWithin the company, we all work together to ensure there\u2019s no greenwashing going on. It\u2019s crucial to collaborate externally, educate others and encourage them to do more. No one will figure this challenge out on their own, so good collaboration is perhaps the most important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><div style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-button ab-block-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isover.ie\/technical-academy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ab-button ab-button-shape-rounded ab-button-size-medium fb-pixel\" style=\"color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000\">Click here to learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Companies in the construction industry can make a positive difference to the planet by improving the sustainability of their products and manufacturing operations. These days, companies make big announcements about their commitment to sustainability. \u201cThe thing is, the public is a lot more switched-on about this topic now,\u201d says Kieran Holohan, Managing Director of insulation &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/winter-health\/initiatives-that-are-making-a-sustainable-difference-to-the-environment\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":10393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5883],"tags":[5874],"class_list":["post-10392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-health","tag-health-awareness-q4-2023"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210041\/GettyImages-970057570-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210041\/GettyImages-970057570-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"henryphillips","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/henryphillips\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10392"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10510,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10392\/revisions\/10510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}