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CGPP Report 2004/21

AT A GLANCE
As part of its involvement in the Cleaner
Greener Production Programme (CGPP), the
Ring a Link co-ordination centre set out to
establish a co-ordinated car-sharing service for
employees in selected companies and
organisations in counties Kilkenny, Carlow and
Tipperary, and in Waterford city.
Using Mobirouter, an advanced IT system,
Ringalink inputs details of the employees
home and work location as well as their
home/work commuting timetable. Ring a Link
then provides them with a suitable match for
a car share on their commuting route.

THE DRIVE FOR A GREENER FUTURE

AIMS OF THIS PROJECT

for other purposes such as

(i)

Printed on recycled paper using water based inks

The company employs a total of eight people

including a manager, a dispatcher and six bus
drivers. Its board of directors comprises 16
members who are drawn from communities
across counties Kilkenny, Carlow and South
Tipperary.

(v)

Increase workers disposable

occupancy vehicles on specific

income by reducing expenditure

commuting routes, and increase

on petrol, car parking fees, car

the rate of vehicle occupancy on

maintenance and various car-

those routes. In particular, the Ring

related running costs.

daily reduction of 25% in the

number of cars used by employees

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

in companies to be drawn from the

Greater Carlow/Kilkenny/South

This Ring a Link CGPP project involved

Tipperary area. Ring a Link set a

setting up a designed car-pooling co-

target of ten companies to be

ordination centre using sophisticated

recruited in the first twelve

ICT systems. The geographical area to

months of this CGPP project.

be serviced was to include counties

Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary,

(ii)

Reduce emissions of carbon

and Waterford city.

dioxide, carbon monoxide,

Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary Rural

Transport Ltd, trading as Ring a Link, is based
in Kilkenny city. The company was established
in August 2001 to address the problem of
inadequate public transport provision across
Kilkenny, Carlow and South Tipperary.

Since June 2002, more than 20,000

passenger journeys have been completed by
three Ring a Link vehicles.

Reduce the number of single-

a Link team set out to achieve a

While this Ring a Link project is currently

limited to counties Carlow, Kilkenny and South
Tipperary, and to Waterford city, it has the
potential for adoption on a nationwide basis.

Since it was founded in 2001, Ring a Link has

set up eleven demand-responsive wheelchair
accessible bus route services. These provide a
home pick-up and drop off service for
people living in rural areas.

recreational amenities.

The main aims of this project were to:

It was estimated that if uptake in the project

attained the level targeted by the Ring a Link
team, it should be possible to achieve a 25%
reduction in the number of cars used each day
by the employees of companies which were
participating in the scheme. This 25%
reduction in car usage would in turn lead to a
decrease in traffic congestion and toxic
emissions of gas and other particulates to the
atmosphere. By December 2003 one company
had signed up to the scheme.

RING A LINK

employers to release these areas

nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and

In October 2002, the company installed

fine particulates on roads in and

Mobirouter, an advanced ICT co-

around Carlow, Kilkenny and South

ordination system. This system collates

Tipperary.

information on where the participating

commuters live; where they work;

(iii)

Reduce levels of noise pollution on

where they wish to travel to; what times

roads in and around Carlow,

they wish to travel to and from work

Kilkenny and South Tipperary.

and so on. The computer then matches

this information with a vehicle owner

(iv) Reduce the need for employers to

who is travelling in the same direction

use large outdoor areas for the

on a regular basis and who has similar

provison of car parking spaces for

timing requirements.

their employees, thus enabling

BETTER BUSINESS IN A BETTER IRELAND

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The Ring a Link dispatcher who retrieves the relevant

computer information details then contacts the employee
with the name and telephone number of their match. The
relevant parties then communicate directly with each other
to fine tune arrangements for the car share.

Fig 3. A typical order page on the Mobirouter scheduling

system.

Fig 2. Dispatcher using the Mobirouter scheduling system.

LESSONS

In January 2003, the company hired a dispatch supervisor to

This CGPP project could be implemented relatively easily in

ensure that all bookings for the company were processed

large companies or organisations in any location in Ireland.

smoothly and efficiently.

However, administration of the system is quite time

consuming: it may take dispatchers anything up to thirty

In May 2003, Ring a Link wrote to approximately 200

minutes to record an individual passengers details on the

businesses, organisations, third level colleges and schools,

Mobirouter system.

which had more than 80 employees, outlining details of the

car-pooling co-ordination service. This letter was

Any company/organisation that is located outside the

accompanied by an expression of interest form, which was

Carlow/Kilkenny/Tipperary/Waterford city area and is

to be completed and returned to Ring a Link.

interested in introducing such a system to its employees

would first need to purchase digital maps of the particular

In addition to its extensive mail shot programme, Ring a

geographical area to be serviced by the carpooling co-

Link hired a member of the Carlow Kilkenny Energy Agency

ordination centre. It would then need to arrange to have

on a contract basis to make follow-up marketing

those maps converted into a format that is compatible with

visits/presentations to companies that had indicated initial

the Mobirouter software.

interest in the project.

Finally, a dedicated salesperson/marketing communications
By December 2003, just one company had signed up for

person would be required to sell the service to potential

the service the Glanbia food processing group, which is

users in order to achieve the requisite cultural change within

located in Kilkenny city and Ballyragget and employs

that organisation, and in the wider community. In the case

approximately 400 people. Information about the Ring a

of this CGPP project, finding suitable personnel to carry out

Link service was disseminated internally by Glanbia

this task posed the single greatest challenge to Ring a Link

personnel.

in the start-up phase.

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ABC Limited signs with Ring a Link.

MORE INFORMATION
For more information on this project contact:
Mary Steed

ABC Limited markets the service

internally to its employees using
promotional literature and other
information materials.

Manager,
Ring a Link
Unit 2, Abbey Business Centre
Abbey Street
Kilkenny
Tel: 056-7790260

X employee of ABC Limited decides

to try car pooling.

Email: ringalink@eircom.net
Website: www.ringalink.ie

X employee completes form containing

relevant commuting times/personal details
and sends it to Ring a Link

Using the form, Ring a Link

dispatcher enters employees details
into Mobirouter system

Exact match is identified using

Mobirouter system and x employee is
informed of the match details.

X individual contacts their match

and arranges to car pool with them.
Fig 4. Diagrammatic representation of the car-pooling
co-ordination process

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CLEANER GREENER
PRODUCTION IS
the application of integrated preventive environmental
strategies to processes, products, and services to increase
overall efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the
environment.
Production processes: conserving raw materials and
energy, eliminating toxic raw materials, and reducing the
quantity and toxicity of all emissions and wastes
Products: reducing negative impacts along the life cycle
of a product, from raw materials extraction to its
ultimate disposal.
Services: incorporating environmental concerns into
designing and delivering services.

CLEANER GREENER
PRODUCTION REQUIRES
new attitudes, better environmental management, and
evaluating available technology options. We need to take
good environmental practice to the stage where it is an
inherent part of any business operation.

HOW IS CLEANER GREENER

PRODUCTION DIFFERENT?
Much of the current thinking on environmental protection
focuses on what to do with wastes and emissions after they
have been created. The goal of cleaner, greener production
is to avoid generating pollution in the first place.
This means:

Better efficiency
Better business
Better environmental protection
Lower costs
Less waste
Less emissions
Less resource consumption

WHY IS THE CLEANER

GREENER PRODUCTION
PROGRAMME BEING RUN?

The long-term goal is to ensure that cleaner, greener production

becomes the established norm in Ireland. The programme seeks to
promote environmentally friendly business through increased
resource productivity, waste reduction, recovery of materials,
improved efficiency in a product value chain, energy management,
and a change of culture within organisations.
The programme aims are focussed on avoiding and preventing
adverse environmental impact rather than treating or cleaning up
afterwards. This approach brings better economic and
environmental efficiency.

PROGRAMME MANAGERS:
The Clean Technology Centre (CTC) at Cork Institute of
Technology was appointed to manage the programme in
association with OSullivan Public Relations Ltd, and Energy
Transport Actions Ltd, (ENTRAC).
The CTC was established in 1991 and is now nationally and
internationally regarded as a centre of excellence in cleaner
production, environmental management and eco-innovation across
a range of industrial sectors.

WHERE CAN I GET

FURTHER INFORMATION?
This case study report is one of 29 reports
available from the organisations that
participated in the first phase of the Cleaner
Greener Production Programme. A summary
of all the projects and CD containing all the reports
are also available. More information on the Programme
is available from the Environmental Protection Agency
Ms. Helen Walsh,
CGPP,
Environmental Protection Agency,
Richview, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 14, Ireland.
Tel. 01 2680100
Website

Fax. 01 2680199

www.epa.ie

select link to cleaner production.

Email. ertdi@epa.ie
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The Irish Government, through the National Development

Plan 2000 - 2006, has allocated funds to a programme for
Environmental Research, Technological Development and
Innovation (ERTDI).

The Department of the Environment and Local Government asked

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to run the CGPP as
part of the ERTDI programme. With the programme continuing to
2006 about 60 businesses will be supported to implement cleaner
greener production and to demonstrate their achievements to the
rest of Ireland.