The train has left the station in terms of climate change and Killarney has to act fast to get ahead of it, a prominent local businessman has stressed.

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Tricel managing director  Mike Stack  is spearheading a Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce sub-committee on sustainability which is aimed at trying to make Killarney the most sustainable town in Ireland with a number of projects already up and running.
He was speaking at a public meeting at promoting sustainable businesses and promoting carbon and cost reductions.
Fáilte Ireland unveiled its climate action programme at the meeting held in the Killarney Avenue Hotel which was attended by over 70 local business interests
Mr Stack outlined how his family run business is reacting to the climate challenge and they opted to go down the solar route a few years back by installing 784kw of solar panels on the roof of the factory buildings and plant at Tiernaboul.
In March 2022 they were fully operational and they will be fully paid for by March 2025 and it covers about a fifth of the electricity used in the factory which operates 24 hours a day, six days a week.
“It’s not just about the big picture projects. We run projects every year to reduce the amount of waste we produce and electricity we use,” Mr Stack said.
He said investing in solar, in heat pumps or wind and using less electricity, less oil, less transport and less waste is going to make businesses more profitable in time.
Mr Stack said his involvement with the Chamber is aimed at trying to make Killarney the most sustainable town in the country and there are a number of projects already underway.
“We are trying to build on the success of the wonderful coffee cups initiative which really showed what a town can do when people get together and decide to drive on and do something,” the Tricel managing director added.
Other issues being explored include the provision of more electric charging points in the town and addressing issues like food waste.
An application for capital has been submitted to Kerry County Council to help all interested businesses to start the sustainability programme.
“Climate change is happening. There’s no more time to be waiting and saying I’m going to do something this year or the year after – we have to get at it straight away,” Mr Stack said.
Kerry County Council’s climate action coordinator, Alex Grassick, told the meeting that the local authority has adopted a five-year climate action plan which looks at a variety of actions that can be taken across the county to meet internal targets and to support external sectors.
In 2020, the council had a target of 33 per cent improvement in energy efficiency and it exceeded that by 10 per cent.
Mr Grassick said the most important action is to identify the areas to concentrate on in terms of energy savings as if it’s not measured then it’s not managed.
“On a global scale, every month from last June to February of this year has been the warmest month on record and in the last eight months we’ve had more rainfall in Ireland than we’ve ever had so there are changes there and we can all see them,” he said.