Sharing Lessons on Sustainability: From Policy Makers to Primary Students

Addressing climate change and other environmental issues is not a singular journey. Like many challenges, approaching sustainability efforts by sharing best practices and working with partners to create solutions, are critical to making progress. For two employees based in Galway, venues to educate and collaborate vary, from meeting rooms with government officials to classrooms at a local primary school.

In June, Galway- based Boston Scientific employees, Noel Finnerty, Director of Global Real Estate and Facilities, and Ronan Coffey, Global Energy Manager attended the International Energy Agency Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Dublin. There, they met with the United States Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy, Mark Menezes, for a roundtable discussion focused on driving transformative energy policy and technology solutions in the U.S., Ireland and other global markets.

Due to their roles, Finnerty and Coffey are deeply familiar with the Boston Scientific Global Energy Management System, which drives the company's approach and efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. As participants, the team presented the Boston Scientific methodology and strategy used to improve energy performance and reduce carbon emissions. Drawing on experiences in achieving carbon neutrality in two sites in Costa Rica and the progress made at locations in Ireland and the Netherlands, Finnerty and Coffey offered their perspectives on opportunities to scale the approach used by Boston Scientific to all levels, from the government to other global companies.

"Good policies drive good practices, and it was great to share our experience," Ronan said.

Sharing Boston Scientific's experiences is a core pillar of our efforts. Earlier this year, Noel introduced a simplified version of Boston Scientific's sustainability strategy to his son's class. The class then took measurements for their school and calculated their energy use and carbon output, enabling them to develop a roadmap for carbon neutrality for their school.

"Participating in conversations, sharing best practices, and educating future generations are all important ways to make progress in shaping a better future for our children and our planet," said Finnerty. 

Read more about environmental sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Boston Scientific.