The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been awarded a gold Cycle-Friendly Employer award for its commitment to reducing carbon emissions by supporting and encouraging employees to cycle to work.
The department has put significant work into upgrading its existing cycling facilities and promoting cycling awareness and safety among its employees.
Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federation, awarded the certification to Minister of State Malcolm Noonan and the department at the inaugural Business of Cycling event at the Custom House.
The event was attended by a number of private and public sector Dublin employers who are helping employees choose the bike over the private car when commuting to work – including the Departments of Transport and Enterprise, Philip Lee LLP, Sandyford Business District, UCD, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, DBFL Consulting Engineers, EastPoint Business Park, TCD and DCU.
Welcoming the recognition received by his department, Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform said, “this accreditation underlines the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and improving its employees’ health and well-being. It’s important that employers to do their best to encourage staff to travel more sustainably and healthily – it’s good for us all and it’s good for the planet.”
Graham Doyle, Secretary General at the department, also welcomed the award, “the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is only the second government department to win the award, further solidifying our role as a leader in driving sustainable travel behaviours. This comes at an important time, where promoting sustainable travel in the face of increasing energy costs is especially important. This award would not have been possible without the collaboration between our Facilities Management Unit, the Office of Public Works and the Department of Transport, and I would like to thank them for their help in achieving this accreditation.”
Michael O’Boyle, CEO of Cycling Solutions Ireland, said, “the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been hugely proactive and we are very happy to award their gold Cycle-Friendly Employer certification. CFE accreditation is a great achievement and we’re looking forward to seeing employees enjoy the cycling facilities and initiatives in place at the department.”
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is committed to a strong environmental approach to its work. Other recent initiatives have included:
- Managing parts of the Custom House grounds to encourage rewilding and increased biodiversity
- Various measures to reduce the department’s energy use, emissions and waste, resulting in us becoming the first government department to receive an award from the NSAI for environmental management
