Council supports South West College’s ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ Conference

South West College has announced a number of key note speakers for the upcoming ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ conference which will be taking place over the course of two days at the College’s Erne Campus in Enniskillen on Tuesday 27^th and Wednesday 28^th September.

The conference programme will explore sustainability the latest international processes and standards in the design and construction sector, how organisations in the public and private sector across Ireland are refocusing their efforts on alternatively fuelled transport options and how organisations can begin developing their sustainability strategies in line with government targets on carbon emissions and achieving Net Zero.

Encirc part of the Vidrala Group who produce more than 4 billion glass containers for many leading global retail brands have also signed on as the headline corporate partner for the two-day conference.

Since their formation in 1998 Encirc has become the industry leader in the glass industry and is also acclaimed globally for their sustainability initiatives and their impact on shaping industrial attitudes on sustainable practice. Vidrala’s sustainability director, Fiacre O’Donnell will join the line up of speakers on Wednesday 28^th September offering an in-depth insight into the company’s operations not just at their Fermanagh based plant but at their factories across England, Spain, Portugal and Italy.

The panel of esteemed presenters and conference facilitators will include:

• Ann Marie Fallon, Associate Director and CEPH Designer at Architype, one of the UK and Ireland’s foremost experts on the principles of PassivHaus design
• Emma Osmundsen, Managing Director of Exeter City Living Ltd, responsible for the delivery of a portfolio of residential, commercial and leisure developments and a pioneer of low carbon, healthy and climate ready buildings
• Tomás O’Leary, Managing Director of MosART and owner of Ireland’s first Passive House certified building
• Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Editor at the Sunday Independent and one of Ireland’s leading automotive experts and advocates for the use of alternatively fuelled vehicles
• Sarah Simpson, Business Change Manager, Translink with responsibility for the deployment of Hydrogen and Electric vehicles into the public transport fleet
• Stephen Roycroft, Managing Director, Krow Ireland one of the UK’s and Ireland’s leading creative agencies with clients including Kia, Belfast International Airport, Translink and InterTrade Ireland

The complete line up of speakers will be announced in early September on the South West College website and social media channels along with the programme for the two-day event.

Reflecting on the speaker and sponsor announcements, South West College’ Interim Chief Executive Leo Murphy said:

‘The ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ conference is shaping up to be an unmissable event and one which I believe will leave a lasting legacy not only here in the college but in the wider region. The calibre of globally renowned speakers that we have been able to attract to Enniskillen for the event is something beyond our own expectations and we look forward to welcoming them to the town and showcasing everything South West College and the region has to offer.

We are also thrilled to have a number of hugely successful corporate partners supporting the two day programme and I believe that their case studies will prove inspirational for the attending delegates whether they are from a local authority, public sector, housing, education or private sector background.

Discussing the planned programme for the conference, Fiacre O’Donnell, Sustainability Director at Vidrala Group, added:

“When we discuss sustainability, every action, every choice, every day matters. But we must remember that Sustainability is not just about carbon; Sustainability in its truest sense is about wellbeing for all; This conference will allow us to discuss these various challenges and to share a path forward.”

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council have also demonstrated support for the event and will assist South West College in the development and delivery of the two-day conference programme in addition to hosting a dinner for conference delegates on Tuesday 27^th September in Enniskillen’s Killyhevlin Hotel.

Council Chair, Cllr Barry McElduff said;

“The Council is delighted to be a strategic partner in the delivery of this exciting conference and wholeheartedly congratulates the College on securing the opportunity to host the Building a Sustainable Future conference. This is a major achievement for the entire region.

We very much look forward to welcoming delegates from all over the world to Enniskillen to see at first hand the stunning landscape and unspoilt beauty of Fermanagh and the wider Council area”.

Running in parallel with the ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ conference, global affiliates of the International Passive House Association will take part in a five-day camp at both the Erne Campus and the CREST Centre in Enniskillen. Visitors from up to 26 countries will attend a programme of workshops which will take place across both sites from Monday 26^th to Friday 30^th September with South West College winning a bid to host the camp earlier this year.

Passive House is the fastest growing standard in global construction and visitors from Europe, the Americas and Australasia will spend a week learning about the Erne Campus and CREST buildings and exploring other energy efficient construction projects currently in development across Northern Ireland.

Delegate tickets for the ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ conference are available to book now from the conference website https://swc.ac.uk/events/building-a-sustainable-future and further information is available by emailing conference@swc.ac.uk