EPA BeGreen Resource Efficiency Programme
“Living better, using less”
Dr Jonathan Derham
Environmental Protection Agency - j.derham@epa.ie
Resource Efficiency model employed
Waste
Prevention
Resource Efficiency offers the
means to achieve this seemingly
impossible balance between
RESOURCE
EFFICIENCY
allowing current
generations in
Ireland and worldwide to prosper
and develop while safeguarding a
future for those coming after us
Energy
Efficiency
Behavioural
Change
Clean
Eco-Design
Technology
Water
Conservation
Examples of Key EPA BeGreen Programmes
Green your Festival
At its core, waste prevention is
about people taking steps in
their business and personal
activities to adopt more resource
efficient ways of operating
Is a Voluntary on-farm resource
efficiency initiative
Jane Brogan, EPA
Thomas Ryan, IFA
-
Rationale
• Gap identified in national Resource
Efficiency Programme
• National Recovery Plan
• Food Harvest 2020 – sustainable growth
• Need (not serviced by other programmes)
• Irish Agriculture for 2013
– Cost of inputs = €5.5 billion
-
Using existing
knowledge and
expertise on
improving farm
returns and
environmental
benefits with
better resource
management
Collaborative
UCD
SEAI
Teagasc
EPA
FTMTA
IFA
Grassland
Association
NFGWS
Fertiliser
Association
-
Whole of Farm Approach
Soil
fertility
Feed
Grassland
whole of
farm
approach
Energy
Inputs
&
waste
Time
management
Machinery
top tips on how to save
money
 doing the simple
things
better
 Increase efficiency
/unit of production
€
The double dividend !
- Soil Fertility
• Without soil test you
do not
know
the
- Saves money• &Apply lime it could
amount of fertiliser
save you 2 6.3
increases efficiency
to apply
• Low soil pH reduces
• The -annual
cost of a
Reduces
nutrient
lossesof
availability
soil test is 50
nutrients in soils and
to
water
cents/ac/year
poorer response to
The double dividend
!
applied fertiliser
- Dissemination & Implementation
• Smart Farming Guide
• www.smartfarming.ie
• IFA has 87,000
members and
network of 947
branches
• Smart Phone App
and IFA Farm
Directory
www.ifarm.ie
• National Conference
• Farmers Journal 12
page supplement –
readership 100,000
- On-farm Resource Efficiency
Assessments (REAs) (Cost Saving Studies)
• On-farm REAs
commenced in 2013
• Six farms participated
• Mix dairy, beef,
sheep, arable
• Aiming for average
savings per farm
€5,000
• Agricultural & env.
consultants used to
carry our REAs
• Support of technical
experts on project
team
- Activities in 2014
• Additional 30 on-farm
resource efficiency
assessments
• Across all farm types
• Clustered to utilise
existing on-farm
discussion groups
• Farmers informing
farmers
• Findings of case
studies uploaded to
web and app
• Regional seminars
- Benefits
e.g.
• Farmers
– No to low-cost to implement
•
•
•
•
•
Harvest 2020
Origin Green
Economy
Environment
Emissions Inventory & Projections
Living Well, Within the
limits of our planet
For Agencies such as the EPA, influencing
behaviour is central to establishing a
successful, resource-efficient society
Thank you
•
Questions