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Oberstown wins 2025 Irish Climate Change Leadership Award

October 06, 2025

 

Oberstown Children Detention Campus has won the Irish Climate Change Leadership Award (ICCLA) for 2025 in the category of Best Environmentally Conscious Workplace – Public Sector.

Goal 5 of the Oberstown Strategy 2022-2026 commits to “the sustainable development of our campus and our organisation”. Sustainable development work includes the implementation of the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate to meet the targets for public bodies.

Under the stewardship of Rodrigo Rufino, Environmental Sustainability Officer, Oberstown’s sustainable development promotes the active engagement of Oberstown staff and young people. All on campus can participate in developing new initiatives, and contribute through problem solving and improving their knowledge and practical skills in energy saving and waste management.

Highlights of Oberstown’s 2025 environment and sustainability activities include:

  • Joining the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP) and completing four actions (Map existing sources of food and shelter; Develop a plan to protect existing sources of food and shelter; Carry out a baseline ecological survey on site; Provide nesting habitat for bumblebees).
  • Identifying the Large Carder Bee on campus and working with Sustainable Skerries to create a campus plan to protect and conserve the species.
  • Running a campus-wide waste sorting competition to increase awareness and improve waste segregation.
  • Continuing the campus LED lighting upgrade project and delivering substantial energy savings.

Details of the Irish Climate Change Leadership Awards here.

 

Pictured (left to right): Ronan Power, CEO, Solar Ireland presenting award to Rodrigo Rufino, Oberstown Environmental Sustainability Officer; Karen Foran, Oberstown General Manager – Governance, Risk and Compliance; Agnieszka Devlin, Oberstown Household Services Manager; Helena Kelly, Oberstown Records Administrator; Gráinne Smyth, Oberstown Advocacy Officer.