Donore's Green Initiatives

Donore Credit Union has taken decisive action to contribute to a greener local area through the introduction of the Donore Area Sustainable Community (DASC). This initiative is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of the natural environment in in this part of Dublin 8 by working together with community groups and residents. We have made conscious decisions to set an example by taking steps to make our own office more environmentally friendly.

Some of the initiatives include the following:

Wild Garden

We have installed pollinators in our side-yard. Thereby creating a vibrant wild garden that can be enjoyed by both our staff on sunny days and an area for the bees to thrive. This simple step contributes to greening our surroundings and supporting the local ecosystem.

Using Less Energy

We have replaced all light bulbs in the building with LED bulbs, switched to a more energy-efficient boiler that uses less energy and migrated our servers to a cloud-based solution which means that the servers do no longer need to be stored in a chilled room that wastes a lot of energy.

Recycling

In our office, we actively work to reduce paper waste and single-use plastics by having implemented separate recycling bins for plastics, glass, and cardboard, fostering responsible waste management. To further our environmental efforts, one of our staff members takes the initiative to recycle old printers and electric appliances, while used ink cartridges are even sent back to HP for recycling through post.

Greener Transportation

We operate a bike-to-work scheme, with two employees cycling daily and two others practicing ride-sharing. In addition to this we encourage members to adopt green transportation options such as electric cars, e-bikes, and regular bicycles by offering lower interest rates for green vehicles compared to a higher rate for conventional petrol or diesel cars.

Greener Homes

As a community based financial institution, we offer ethical & lower interest loans for greener home projects.

This includes a one-stop shop for home energy efficiency improvements that aim improve the BER rating of homes or full retrofits. This service includes expert advice & assistance, grants available up to €35,000, a fully managed grant process and interest rates as low as 4.9%.

Future Environmental Initiatives

Looking to the future, we have outlined a series of planned initiatives to further improve the energy rating of our building. Our plans include installing solar panels on the roof, with any excess electricity generated being returned to the network. Profits from any excess electricity produced will be used to support local community groups and organizations. We also plan to replace our old windows to improve insulation and thereby reducing heat loss during colder months.

Unlike many financial institutions that may engage in green washing, as a small not-for-profit organisation, we are committed to taking conscious steps toward becoming more environmentally friendly and providing affordable financing for green initiatives within our community. The Donore Area Sustainable Community is now up and running - Donore will work together with our community to make this part of Dublin 8 even more sustainable and thereby create an example for not only the rest of Dublin but also for the rest of Ireland.