Lifetime Lab has become the first education centre/tourist attraction in Ireland to receive the internationally recognised ECO centre accreditation.The award was presented by An Taisce to Lord Mayor Cllr. Michael O Connell who accepted on behalf of Cork City Council.

Michael John O Mahony presents Eco centre certification to Lord Mayor Cllr.Michael O Connell and City Manager Joe Gavin, also pictured are Michael O' Brien and Kevin Ryan Cork City Council and Mervyn Horgan manager Lifetime Lab.

Lord Mayor, Cllr. Michael O Connell commended the team at Lifetime Lab for the time and effort required to achieve accreditation of such a high standard, mentioning that Lifetime Lab was a jewel in the crown of  Cork City. “Lifetime Lab is held in high esteem by all at Cork City Council, and raising awareness in the areas of science, environment and sustainability will bring crucial long term benefits to the Cork area. Now more than ever costs are a huge factor and the business benefits of introducing an environmental management system are clearly evident and I would encourage other centres in Cork to participate”. ”The old waterworks is also a tribute to the industrial heritage of Cork with beautiful examples of Victorian architecture now preserved and more importantly opened to the public”

Speaking at the ceremony Dr.Michael John O Mahony from An Taisce stressed the importance of Irish visitor centres achieving eco standards which could be benchmarked internationally, a further reminder to overseas visitors as to why Ireland is such an attractive tourist destination. He added “Lifetime Lab has added an international award to the impressive national portfolio of awards and accreditations. The model of Lifetime Lab is one that could be replicated across Ireland and is the showcase of best practice in areas such as design, operations and sustainability”

 
Lord Mayor Cllr.Michael O'Connell raises the first ever Eco Centre flag in Ireland at Lifetime Lab

For further information, please contact the Lifetime Lab at: 021-4941500 or view the website www.lifetimelab.ie

Eco Centre Accreditation

Eco Centres is designed to encourage and acknowledge whole-centre action for the environment. Eco-centres follows the Eco-Schools model, offering a well-defined, controllable way for an education centre to take environmental issues and apply them to the day-to-day running of the centre.  It helps staff and visiting students of any age to recognise the importance of environmental issues and take them more seriously in their personal and home lives. Eco-Centres is designed to make environmental awareness and action an intrinsic part of the life and ethos of a centre for all of its staff and visitors. Eco-Centres does not aim to reward specific environmental improvement projects, such as making a pond or developing a wildlife area or only those centres that are able to invest financially in large-scale projects. Eco-Centres is a long-term programme: the award needs to be renewed every two years. The award will take the form of a Green Flag, which can be flown outside the centre or displayed inside.

Lifetime Lab is the first recipient of the Eco-Centre award in Ireland .  An Taisce, on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), granted the international accreditation after a rigorous assessment by an expert panel.