Latest news with #GreenCitySolutions
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Cork City Council spent over €23,000 last year on 'robotrees' before their removal
Cork City Council spent more than €23,000 maintaining its controversial 'robotrees' despite a report on their impact on air quality proving inconclusive. Two payments for 'annual maintenance' were made to Green City Solutions of €14,497 on July 19 and €8,940 on July 24 last year. The payments are higher than previous years, when annual maintenance costs were €16,778 in 2020, €17,755 in 2021 - when there were also repairs costing €2,396 - and €17,880 in 2022. There are no records provided for maintenance costs for 2023 for the German-made 'trees', which were designed to filter air via so-called moss filters, absorb toxic pollutants and collate air quality data for analysis. In November 2023, the Irish Examiner reported that a 190-page evaluation report of the devices concluded they provided 'no consistent evidence for improved air quality' either on the CityTree benches or 'in the immediate environs' of the machines. The council commissioned UCC in June 2022 to undertake the performance study on the machines, at a cost of €2,500, and conducted on eight different rain-free days during June and July 2022. A source of constant criticism since they were installed in 2020, UCC's Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry researcher Dean Venables labelled them 'a costly and ineffectual gimmick'. In September 2023, UCC emeritus professor of chemistry, John Sodeau, said the "trees" - which were removed from their wooden bases last month and placed in storage - were a waste of money. At the time they were removed, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said of the initiative: 'People try things out, some work out, some don't work out'. Just 'stumps' remain of the robot trees which have been removed from Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins The most recent annual maintenance payments were revealed to Cork North Central Sinn Féin Thomas Gould as a result of a Freedom of Information request. He said: 'In a city that lacks benches, that has broken footpaths and too few real trees, it is insulting that this money was spent over a four-year period on a failed science experiment. 'When the studies in November 2023 failed to prove the effectiveness of the trees, we were told there would be extensive scientific study on them. How much has this cost? What did this report find?" He said there "should be no more gimmicks in Cork City". "We need safe footpaths, accessible benches and sufficient rubbish bins to prevent dog fouling," Mr Gould said. 'These may not be glamorous initiatives but they will make a huge real difference in the lives of ordinary people in our city.' Cork City Council was asked for a comment.
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Examiner
Controversial 'robot trees' removed from Cork City centre
The so-called 'robot trees' installed in Cork City centre nearly four years ago to help clean pollutants from the air have been removed. The five devices, which were erected in August 2021 as part of a local authority initiative to provide more greening of the city, were removed from their locations on St Patrick's Street and the Grand Parade early on Sunday morning. The hexagonal platforms on which they stood remain in place. The trees, which were created by a German biotech firm called Green City Solutions, had cost taxpayers around €350,000. Their cost was covered as part of a €4m funding allocation from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to Cork City Council. Designed to filter the air and absorb the toxic pollutant called particulate matter from the air via moss filters, the trees came equipped with in-built sensors used to collate air quality data for analysis. PM2.5, known as particulate matter, is all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, such as dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. They also contained 40-inch TV screens used to disseminate information about air quality in Cork City. In recent months, the trees had begun to show signs of wear and tear. The council spokesperson said that the existing seating around where the trees stood "will remain and additional planting will be undertaken in both locations". File Picture: Larry Cummins The devices have been a source of controversy since their installation. The same month they were erected, Dean Venables, a researcher at the Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry at University College Cork, labelled them 'a costly and ineffectual gimmick'. In September 2023, UCC emeritus professor of chemistry, John Sodeau, also criticised the robot trees, saying they were waste of funds. 'If I had been asked about the city trees, I would have said 'don't bother'," he said at the time. Prof Sodeau also said that, pending the outcome of a data analysis of the robot trees' effectiveness, he believed the planting of hedging along the street would have been more effective at removing particulates from the air, and it would be better to tackle the root cause of air pollution, rather than trying to clean the air. "I have looked at these devices in other cities and couldn't see how they could do what they said on the tin, so to speak," he said. In November 2023, Cork City council published a report on the data collected from the robot trees which summarised the findings of two studies on their effectiveness. The data was inconclusive. Asked why exactly they were removed, a spokesperson for Cork City Council told the Irish Examiner: "The 'City Trees' on St Patrick's Street and Grand Parade are being removed this weekend". The council spokesperson said that the existing seating around where the trees stood "will remain and additional planting will be undertaken in both locations". "Cork City Council will be partnering with the UCC/MTU Joint Cork Centre for Architectural Education (CCAE) to explore a re-purposing of the structures," they added. Read More Cork City designated special EU status to unlock major funding to achieve climate neutrality by 2030
