Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that we have a very high dependency on imported fossil fuels and I saw a figure of €6.5 billion that we are spending on it. We are very vulnerable and are at the mercy of international markets and prices. We saw what happened to Ukraine with its reliance on natural gas from Russia. Over the weekend I read a story about a green plan by firefighters at the fire station in Kilbarrack who are using old batteries. The green plan was applied to every station in Dublin and has generated €7.5 million in public sector savings. Dublin Fire Brigade has cut its energy consumption by 44%. There is the creativity coming in. We should take those examples and see them as urgent, and examine making more carbon-neutral workplaces. We are very energy inefficient in this country.

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