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Environment Ireland conference 2011 Click here to book online

Prioritising the environment in the economic recovery

Conference programme

09.00 Plenary session: Ireland’s environmental policy outlook
Chair: Fiona Quinn, Principal Officer, Department of Environment, Community & Local Government
Phil Hogan - Speaking at the Environment Ireland conference 2011 - Thursday 15th September 2011 - Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin
Alex Attwood - Speaking at the Environment Ireland conference 2011 - Thursday 15th September 2011 - Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin		 MINISTERIAL ADDRESS
Towards a sustainable environmental future for Ireland
Phil Hogan, TD,, Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government

Addressing Northern Ireland’s environmental policy priorities
Alex Attwood, MLA, Minister for the Environment, Northern Ireland
  Challenges and opportunities in protecting Ireland’s environment
Dara Lynott, Deputy Director-General, Environmental Protection Agency
  Looking at the state of Europe’s environment
Thomas Henrichs, Project Manager, Integrated Environmental Assessments, European Environment Agency
  Questions & answers / Panel discussion
11.00 Morning coffee / Networking break
11.30 Plenary session: Towards a new direction in waste
  Update on Waste Framework Directive
Jonathan Derham, Environmental Protection Agency

Workshop: A new direction in water service delivery
11.30pm Suite 681/682 (6th floor)

Chair: Micheál Ó Cinnéide, Director, Office of Environmental Assessment

Environmental Protection Agency Water Governance: The national policy perspective
Ivan Grimes, Principal Officer, Water Services Policy, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Looking to the future of Ireland’s water supply
Deborah Spence, Partner, Arthur Cox

The experiences of delivering water services through a regional agency
Trevor Haslett, Acting Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Water

Networking for changes in water management: A local authority perspective
Joe Crockett, County Manager, Kilkenny County Council

Question and answers/panel discussion
  Waste-to-energy: Capturing the economic and environmental benefits
Michael Cunningham, Group Head of Environment, WYG Environmental and Planning
  Achieving cost and environmental savings through waste reduction: The Green Hospitality Programme
Maurice Bergin, Director, Green Hospitality Programme
  Waste policy in Ireland: An operator’s perspective
Jerry Dempsey, CManaging Director, Commercial Services, Greenstar
  COMMITTEE PERSPECTIVE
Environmental policy priorities 2011-2016
Ciarán Lynch TD, Chairman, Oireachtas Environment, Transport, Culture & Gaeltacht Committee
  Questions & answers / Panel discussion
13.00 Lunch / networking opportunity sponsored by
Fiona HarveyFiona Harvey - Lunch and guest speaker
Over lunch delegates will be addressed by one of the UK’s leading environment correspondents, Fiona Harvey from the Guardian who will share some of her experiences of reporting environmental issues, both in her current role and previously as Environment Correspondent for the Financial Times.
14.00 Plenary session: Developing Ireland’s smart green economy
Towards a strategy for green growth
Brendan Gillespie, Head of Environmental Performance & Information Division, OECD
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

Workshop: Agriculture and Ireland's environment
2.00pm Suite 681/682 (6th floor)

Chair: Matt Dempsey, Editor, Irish Farmers’ Journal

The environmental challenges in developing Irish agriculture
Micheál Ó Cinnéide, Office of Environmental Assessment
Environmental Protection Agency

Food Harvest 2020: Roadmaps for the agriculture & food industries
Gerry Boyle, Director, Teagasc

The role of the agriculture sector in renewable energy production
Seamus Kennedy, Chief Executive
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)

Going beyond green: Delivering sustainability in the food production sector
Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia

Question and answers/panel discussion
  The Green IFSC initiative: Positioning Ireland as a world leader in green finance and enterprise
Stephen Nolan, Executive Co-ordinator, Green IFSC Steering Group
  The economic benefits of sustainability
Lee Solsbery, Global Technical Director for Sustainability and Climate Change, Environmental Resources Management
  Questions & answers / Panel discussion
15.15 Afternoon coffee / Networking break
15.30 Looking to a smart economy of the seas: Harnessing Ireland’s potential as a world leader in ocean technology
Dr Peter Heffernan, Chief Executive, Marine Institute
  Accelerating solutions to climate change: The Carbon Disclosure Project
Dick Budden, Ireland Director, The Carbon Disclosure Project
  Questions & answers / Panel discussion
16.30 Chairman’s summary and conference close