CEF Media Page

School children to discuss EU and Global citizenship with MEP at Lifetime Lab

2011-11-26T05:25:00.001-08:00

Press release

Immediate

Cork School Children to discuss European citizenship at Lifetime Lab

What is a global citizen, why is it important and should we stay with Europe? These are some of the questions that children from all over Cork city and county will put to Phil Prendergast MEP during an informal questions and answers as part of the An Taisce Global Citizen programme at Lifetime Lab on Monday 28^th November.

The programme is currently being developed to aid school children to gain a better insight to the workings of Europe and becoming a global citizen, as part of the programme schools are encouraged to learn about different nationalities in their school, look into purchasing habits, organising fund raising and to live more environmentally.

Being a European Citizen means we obey common laws and have common rights within the EU. Unlike in Roman times, being a citizen is not a status symbol anymore, as European Citizens we aspire to equal rights for all and we can all participate in the decision making process through our, democratically elected, Governments and MEP's. We are encouraged to be Active Citizens. The term Global Citizenship is not as easily defined as European Citizenship, there are no clear rules and regulations and, globally, we do not have democratically elected representatives to speak for us. Global Citizenship is more a moral understanding of our responsibilities and our rights in a global context. Being a true Global citizen indicates that we understand that all people have equal rights while at the same time valuing diversity. In addition, it means that we value the Earth as very precious, and as a resource upon which we all depend and should

For further information, contact Lifetime Lab at: 021-4941500 lifetimelab@corkcity.ie or visit www.lifetimelab.ie

Notes to editor

· Phil Prendergast will be addressing pupils at Lifetime Lab on Monday 28^th November between 9.30 and 10.30 am

· Phil Prendergast is MEP for Munster and sits on many European committees including The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

· The global citizen programme is part of the An Taisce Green Flag programme

· Over 2300 Irish schools now fly a green flag

Contact Details

Name: Mervyn Horgan

Address: Lifetime Lab, Old Waterworks, Lee Road, Cork

Telephone: 021-4941500

Fax: 021-4941519

Email: lifetimelab@corkcity.ie

Cork’s SMILE Resource Exchange Announces Expansion into Kerry, Clare & Limerick

2011-10-13T04:33:00.000-07:00

Cork's SMILE Resource Exchange Announces Expansion

into Kerry, Clare & Limerick

Minster for Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, T.D. and Cork North West T.D., Aine Collins were "all smiles" as they joined representatives from SMILE Resource Exchange to announce the initiative's expansion from Cork into Limerick, Clare and Kerry.

SMILE (Saving Money through Industry Links and Exchanges) Resource Exchange is an initiative developed and piloted in Cork, to help create mutually beneficial partnerships between businesses. Established in 2010, SMILE Resource Exchange encourages the idea that "one person's waste is another's resource" and works with businesses and organisations to foster partnerships that allow them to exchange re-usable resources, and in doing so, save money, reduce waste going to landfill and to develop new business opportunities.

SMILE Resource Exchange is project managed by Macroom E, and is supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and Cork County and City Enterprise Boards; Cork County and City Councils; and now Limerick/Clare/Kerry Regional Waste Management Office; Limerick County and City Enterprise Boards; Kerry County Enterprise Board; and Clare County Enterprise Board.

Commenting at the announcement of the expansion of SMILE Resource Exchange, Cork North West T.D., Aine Collins said "I'm delighted to be here to celebrate the expansion of this project. Since its inception, SMILE Resource Exchange has identified over 1,000 potential matches between businesses, as well as identifying thousands of euros of cost savings for businesses in Cork. The expansion into Limerick, Clare and Kerry will drive this even further in the coming months and I'm delighted to lend my support to the project which is both environmentally and economically synergetic."

Sean O'Sullivan, CEO, South Cork Enterprise Board, which has supported SMILE Resource Exchange since the beginning, has seen the benefits to businesses in the region: "Cork was the flagship region for SMILE Resource Exchange and was such a massive success that we're now looking forward to progressing even further with the initiative which is based on the principle of building relationships through networking. In Cork, potential exchanges were identified through networking events, an online exchange facility and a support team to assist; and this principle will now be applied in Kerry, Limerick and Clare. This initiative has received huge support, financial and otherwise, from the EPA, which is down to their foresight in recognising the project vision of SMILE Resource Exchange; and the progress made wouldn't have been possible without them."

Speaking about the initiative and upcoming events, project manager, Michelle Green said: "SMILE Resource Exchange is a free initiative that proactively supports businesses, and joins enterprise and environment together in a unique and innovative way; and we look forward to hosting a number events and welcoming new members in our new regions this October and November."

A series of free events take place this autumn in Limerick, Clare and Kerry; and at these exchange events, as well as through the website, businesses can identify resources they would like to exchange such as reusable items, by-products and surplus products. All resources offered are either free of charge or below market value. SMILE will host events, on October 26^th in The Brehon, Killarney; and a joint Limerick/ Clare event on November 23^rd in The Radisson Blu Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick; and registration is essential as places are limited.

Further information on SMILE Resource Exchange and to register for upcoming events visit www.smileexchange.ie or call (026) 20520.

END

Lifetime Lab partner SEAI to offer free primary school workshops

2011-10-05T03:46:00.000-07:00

LIFETIME LAB PARTNER SEAI TO OFFER FREE PRIMARY SCHOOLS WORKSHOPS

A series of interactive,fun hands-on primary workshops will be available free to primary schools in Cork this year as Lifetime Lab partners the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to increase the understanding of climate change and energy efficiency.

The workshops are available to both junior (1^st & 2nd ) and senior (3^rd- 6^th) classes with junior primary students learning about energy efficiency and environmental awareness through participation in various experiments and activities using Guzzler the puppet – the ultimate energy waster! The workshop for senior primary students focuses on fun experiments, including making a battery out of a lemon and creating energy with a balloon followed by the Energy Challenge Game, where students collect as many points as possible and try and avoid the dreaded Sin Bin!

Speaking about the partnership Mervyn Horgan Manager of Lifetime Lab said "The partnership with SEAI is a complement to the success of our existing education programmes, with close to 8000 primary school children per year attending workshops at Lifetime Lab we have developed a strong working relationship with schools in Cork" He further said "pupils attending the free workshops will also be see sustainability in practice, close to 80% of energy at Lifetime Lab is sourced onsite through solar, wind, geothermal and hydro systems".

Speaking about the workshops Aoife Cannon, Education Executive with SEAI said "The aim of SEAI's Education Programme is to educate pupils on the benefits of sustainable energy, through local workshops we hope to reach a wider audience and really make a difference to the use of energy in Ireland". Aoife added "Lifetime Lab is an ideal partner to deliver the programme, both by the success in reaching a large audience but also as an exemplar of sustainability"

Workshops are available free of charge to schools and will run in October, November and December with more dates to be announce for 2012. To book a workshop, or for more information, please contact lifetimelab@corkcity.ie or 021 4941500 or go to www.lifetimelab.ie

Ends

Contact Details

Name: Mervyn Horgan

Address: Lifetime Lab, Old Waterworks, Lee Road, Cork

Telephone: 021-4941500

Fax: 021-4941519

Email: lifetimelab@corkcity.ie

Notes to Editor

Lifetime Lab is located at the Old Cork Waterworks on Lee Road. The site comprises of an interactive Visitor Centre and Steam Engine Room, Playground and Gardens, Modern Conference Room, School Resource Centre and Coffee Dock.

Winter Opening hours are Monday-Friday9.00am – 5.00pm.

Lifetime Lab is an accredited Discover Primary Science & Maths (DPS&M) Centre and currently delivers workshops to over 8000 primary school children per year.

All programmes developed by SEAI are relevant to the various curricula, as set by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. For primary schools sustainable energy falls within the Social Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) curriculum.

Further information available from Lifetime Lab at: 021-4941500 or www.lifetimelab.ie

PR: Ministers secure agreement on EIA Regulations for on-farm developments

2011-09-08T06:39:00.001-07:00

If you have any queries please contact the

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Press Office at 6072802

167/11

Ministers secure agreement on EIA regulations for

on-farm developments

Minister Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and Minister Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine today announced a package of reforms to address the adverse findings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in respect of certain categories of farm development and activities and to bring Ireland's implementation of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in line with the requirements of the EU Directive.

In making these regulations, Minister Hogan welcomed the progress of this matter and the collaborative effort of the two Departments and the European Commission in identifying and introducing appropriate and balanced reforms. The Minister said "Our ambition is to meet our compliance requirement with the EU Directive and to facilitate reasonable activities by farmers in these areas, while also protecting our valuable environmental heritage". He went on to say "Inaction by the previous government has brought us to this point. So called environmentalists in government failed to engage meaningfully with the Commission and it has been left to this Government to get the best deal for Ireland in the short time available, while making sure we meet our environmental obligations."

Minister Coveney stated "My focus throughout the summer has been to avoid the probability of very significant fines in this case while introducing a system that does not overburden farmers and is easily accessible and understandable. While this issue has primarily been the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, I have been keen to engage with the Commission to avoid a negative impact on farms and ensure the agreement took the needs of practical farming into account. I am satisfied that we have brokered a compromise which recognises those needs and delivers a workable solution for farmers.

He added, "While the Court may ultimately impose a fine for the legacy of inaction, the shared understanding that we have secured here with the Commission should spare us from the imposition of daily fines of €33,000 per day (or up to €12.5 million per annum)"

Minister Coveney further outlined that he is satisfied that the regulations now proposed are workable, will minimise the administrative burden on farmers and keep the application process outside of the planning system.

Both Ministers have outlined that consultation and engagement will now take place with relevant stakeholders and the Commission on the guidelines that will support these regulations.

7 September, 2011

Notes for the editor

The EIA Directive requires Member States to provide that an environmental impact assessment must be carried out in respect of certain categories/levels of developments, set out in Annex I of the Directive, before consent is given for the project to proceed. The Directive also requires EU Member States to determine through (a) a case-by-case examination, or (b) the setting of national thresholds or criteria (which Ireland has done) whether projects below the mandatory thresholds set out in Annex I above need to have an EIA carried out prior to a decision as to whether consent should be given. Where a case-by-case examination is carried out or thresholds or criteria are set, as in Ireland's case, relevant selection criteria (e.g. character, size, location, accumulated impacts, proximity to sensitive sites) must be taken into account.

The European Court of Justice ruled in November 2008 in respect of Case C-66/06, which related to the implementation of Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (generally known as the EIA Directive), that Ireland's system of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening for certain categories of agriculture and aquaculture related projects:

· projects for the restructuring of rural land holdings

· the use of uncultivated land or semi-natural areas for intensive agricultural purposes, and

· water management projects for agriculture, including irrigation and land drainage projects

was over-reliant on size thresholds and did not take other relevant criteria (such as the cumulative impacts of development, the location of the development or activity relative to sensitive sites etc.) into account.

While the Commission referred this case back to the European Court of Justice in June to seek the imposition of both lump sum fines and daily fines for failure to act on the findings of the judgment of November 2008 and for continued non-compliance with the Directive, following intensive discussions with the European Commission, the two Ministers are introducing new regulations – the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2011 and the European Communities (Agricultural Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 - to give effect to these new provisions and procedures, which are now considered to be compliant with the principles and requirements of the Directive.

In response to the Court's finding, the new Planning (Amendment) Regulations, which were discussed at the Joint Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and Gaeltacht in July and subsequently approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas, are transferring responsibility for most of the activities covered by the judgment, such as the re-structuring of fields and removal of boundaries, the use of uncultivated land or semi-natural areas for intensive agriculture and normal field drainage works, to a new separate consent system to operate under the aegis of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The only element of the judgment being retained within the planning system is on-farm development activity that impacts on wetlands, which are highly environmentally sensitive areas and merit screening of potential impacts of works on the environment. The new regulations propose a exempted development threshold (i.e. the threshold above which a planning permission, and screening for EIA, is required) of 0.1 hectare, thus allowing minor works such as access works to take place on wetlands without having to seek planning permission. The mandatory threshold for EIA of drainage of wetlands from 20 hectares to 2 hectares, in line with the UK and Northern Ireland thresholds. In addition, planning permission accompanied by an environmental impact statement may be required even in respect of drainage below the 0.1 threshold in cases where the drainage would have a significant effect on the environment.

The new Department of Agriculture Regulations cover the following categories:

the restructuring of farm holdings;
the use of uncultivated land or semi-natural areas for intensive agriculture; and
land drainage works on lands used for agriculture, excluding the drainage and reclamation of wetlands

and propose a new system of screening, to be undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, for environmental impact above certain thresholds for different types of agricultural activity, and the requirement for mandatory EIA to be carried out on such projects at a higher level. The table below sets out the new thresholds:

Category of activity	Threshold for EIA screening	Threshold for consent and mandatory EIA
Re-structuring of rural land holdings
· Length of field boundary to be removed	500 metres	4 kilometres
· Re-contouring (within farm-holding)	2 hectares	5 hectares
· Area of lands to be restructured by removal of field boundaries	5 hectares	50 hectares
Commencing to use uncultivated land or semi-natural areas for intensive agriculture	5 hectares	50 hectares
Land drainage works on lands used for agriculture (excluding drainage or reclamation of wetlands)	15 hectares	50 hectares

Additional considerations must be given to activities that impact on certain sites such as designated Natura 2000 areas, recorded monuments, natural heritage areas and proposed natural heritage areas and other nature reserves, given their environmental and heritage sensitivities.

ENDS

Cork attraction wins best Industrail Museum/Site Award

2011-07-06T02:48:00.001-07:00

Press Release: Immediate

Date: July 6^th 2011

Cork Attraction wins Best Industrial Museum/Site Award

Lifetime Lab at the Old Cork Waterworks has been selected as "Best Industrial Museum/Site" by the Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland. The accolade was presented to Lifetime Lab at a special ceremony at ESB headquarters recently.

The awards now in their sixth year recognise individuals and organisations that have contributed to the preservation and promotion of Ireland's industrial heritage. Over the past decade there has been a growing public awareness of Ireland's industrial heritage, as seen in a number of sites which have been restored and now open to the public as tourist and educational attractions.

Lifetime Lab was selected by the Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland (IHAI) for the successful integration of Victorian architecture, including three enormous stationary steam engines, with the modern requirements of a 21^st century visitor experience. Manager of Lifetime Lab Mervyn Horgan commented "Recognition by the IHAI is a fantastic achievement; each year we try to expand the heritage value of Lifetime Lab for our visitors, for example we have introduced an audio visual experience this year that recreates the working life of a waterworks employee"

Speaking at the presentation, Colin Rynne, president of the IHAI Heritage said, "The judging committee identified Lifetime Lab as a clear winner for the award, the scale of the restoration and conservation are a credit to Cork City Council" He added "These awards are an opportunity to recognise the tremendous achievement in developing and sustaining industrial sites as tourist and educational amenities"

Lifetime Lab located at the old Cork City Waterworks on Lee Road, The Victorian buildings were restored to accommodate a visitor centre with interactive environmental exhibits, a steam centre with preserved boilers and huge steam engines and a schools science centre. Lifetime Lab also has a coffee dock, a picnic area, a children's playground, is fully wheelchair accessible and opens every day until 5.00pm

For further information contact the team at Lifetime Lab on 021-4941500 or view www.lifetimelab.ie

Ends.

Notes to editor

Lifetime Lab opened to the public in 2005 and has collected 22 local, national and international awards and accreditations.
Over 25,000 visit Lifetime Lab per year

The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland (IHAI) was established in June 1996 to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the many thousands of sites, monuments and items of machinery that together constitute our industrial heritage.

Contact Details

Name: Mervyn Horgan

Address: Lifetime Lab, Lee Road, Cork

Telephone: 021-4941500

Fax: 021-4941519

Email: lifetimelab@corkcity.ie

Mervyn Horgan

Lifetime Lab

Old Waterworks

Lee Road

Cork

021 4941500

PRESS RELEASE: Comhar Sustainable Development Media Fund Projects are Showcased

2011-05-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE: Comhar Sustainable Development Media Fund Projects are Showcased

Projects that were awarded funding by Comhar Sustainable Development Council (SDC) Media Fund 2010 will be showcased at the Sustainable Environment Fair in the Botanic Gardens on Sunday the 15^th of May 2011.

The Comhar Sustainable Development Media Fund 2010 aims to secure more and better coverage of sustainability issues in the Irish media.

The projects being showcased in the Botanic Gardens span a range of different media including national and local print media, online and broadcast. Some of the projects that will be on display include a documentary photographic exhibition examining the initiatives and developments in Ireland that are helping to build a more sustainable future; a radio documentary series that focuses on how to build sustainable communities; print articles focusing on passive buildings, in particular school buildings, in Austria; and a multimedia project that highlights carbon neutrality and sustainable development in Ireland, Sweden and Costa Rica.

The Comhar Sustainable Development Media Fund 2010 encourages the media – and, in turn, the general public – to understand and pay closer attention to sustainable development. It also aims to move the debate on sustainable development into the mainstream media and reach audiences who might not be aware of sustainable issues and their impact on society.

Visit www.comharsdc.ie/mediafund to view the projects online.

ENDS

Further Information: Niamh Kirwan, Tel: 01-888 2734/087 776 2608

Notes:

Comhar Sustainable Development Council was established in 1999 as the forum for national consultation and dialogue on all issues relating to sustainable development. The Council has 25 members drawn from five pillars: the State sector, the economic sector, environmental NGOs, social / community NGOs, and the professional / academic sector. Comhar SDC is supported by a full-time executive and secretariat, with an independent Chair. Further information on Comhar is available at www.comharsdc.ie.

EPA welcomes IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation

2011-05-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

The EPA welcomes publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Renewable Energy sources and Climate Change mitigation (SRREN).

The report shows that global potential for renewable energy is substantially higher than both current and projected future global energy demand. This is the case globally and in most regions of the world.
Currently less than 3 per cent of the globally available renewable energy is being used. This means that more than 97 per cent is untapped. Realising this resource would be a major step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy. The report projects that 80 percent of the world?s energy supply could be met by renewable sources by 2050 if enabling policies are put in place.

Commenting on the report Dr Mary Kelly, EPA Director General said,

"This is a timely report given the choices we need to make on energy investment, here in Ireland, in Europe and internationally. It shows the potential of renewable energy technologies to provide energy solutions which also have wider economic, social and environmental benefits, including their potential to cut air pollution and improve public health, and increase energy security."

The six renewable energy technologies reviewed are: bioenergy, direct solar energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean and wind energy.

The report states that the cost of most renewable energy technologies has declined. Some renewable energy technologies are already economically competitive. Technical advancements are expected to further reduce costs. Increasing the share of renewables requires additional short-term and long-term integration efforts. There is a need for advanced technologies to optimize the infrastructure capacity for renewable an area in which Ireland has active research.

The IPCC report notes that enabling policies and measures are required to ensure rapid deployment of many renewable sources. Research is also required to overcome technical barriers. The deployment of renewable energy will benefit from testing centres for demonstration projects.

Two experts from Ireland were lead authors for this IPCC report. Professor Tony Lewis of the Hydraulics & Maritime Research Centre, University College Cork and Professor Mark O'Malley of University College Dublin.

Commenting on the report, Professor Tony Lewis said;
"Geographically Ireland is in an excellent position to benefit from renewable energy. Our wind and ocean resources in particular are amongst the best in the world. Ireland is making important investments in ocean energy research which will enable us to use this enormous potential. This can lead to a new energy industry with the potential to create a large number of jobs."

Ireland's Renewable Resources

Ireland is committed to the deployment of renewable energy and aims to reach the European Commission target of 20 per cent of its total energy mix by 2020. Ireland is also implementing its National Renewable Energy Action Plan which all Member States were required to submit in 2010. This plan sets out how we intend to reach EU wide renewable energy targets.

Currently, the majority of Ireland's renewable energy is generated using onshore wind with a small contribution from offshore. Bioenergy is a growing area through the establishment of bioenergy crops such as miscanthus and rapeseed oils as well as traditional forestry biomass. In the agricultural sector, technologies such as biomethane generation from grass and anaerobic digestion of farm and food wastes have the potential to play a key part in mitigating emissions from this sector. There are proposals in place for a state of the art research test bed in Belmullet for wave energy test site in Belmullet. Irish companies such as WaveBob Ltd and Ocean Hydro have already gained international attention for the potential of their technology.

Laura Burke, EPA Director said,
"For its part, the EPA is committed to the use of renewable energy technologies. Our headquarters building in Johnstown Castle Estate, Wexford has the largest array of photovoltaic panels in the country. Wood chip boilers are installed at some of our inspectorates and a number of our site inspection vehicles are also powered using rape seed oil which is produced in Ireland."

European Solar Energy Days

On Wednesday 11th May 2001, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's Renewable Energy Information Office (SEAI REIO) is hosting an event dedicated to solar energy as part of European Solar Days. This event aims to promote the advantages of harnessing the energy of the sun and takes place at EPA Headquarters, Johnstown Castle, Wexford. Leading solar experts will speak and share their expertise and experiences with delegates who will be offered an invaluable and in-depth understanding of the key principles and techniques in designing, installing and maintaining solar projects, as well as learning how solar energy can provide cost effective and ecological building solutions in Ireland.

Editor's Notes:

The SRREN report details are at www.ipcc.ch.

IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts. The UN General Assembly endorsed the action by WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC.

The IPCC is a scientific body. It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. It does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters.

Carbon capture and Storage: The EPA and SEAI in conjunction with the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland prepared an all island storage report which outlined the potential for CCS in the island of Ireland. http://www.sei.ie/uploadedfiles/InfoCentre/1153_SEI%20Full%20Report.pdf

Bioenergy Geographic Information System: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has developed a Bioenergy Geographic Information System (GIS). The bioenergy GIS provides spatially visualised access to bioenergy supply and demand information in Ireland, as well as some tools for assessing actual bioenergy supply in a user specified area; and assessing the potential for energy crop development in a user specified area. It is intended to develop this GIS into a far more powerful tool for bioenergy over time. The eGov address for this system is http://169.254.34.39/bioenergy

Urgent action on NGOs

2011-05-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

There are strong indications that the EU is speeding up the process to issue a Regulation that will amend the Directive on the release of GMOs into the environment. The Regulation is designed to provide national opt outs, but on very limited and legally vague bases. It is important that the Irish NGOs and industry interest groups move to get their voices heard immediately on this nationally and in Europe.

The problem is essentially this. The Directive requires risk assessments on health and environment impacts. The New regulation will have to find other reasons that would allow Member States to opt out of the Deliberate Release of GMOs into the Environment, once an organism has been approved for release under the directive.

The draft report on this is here

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/envi/pr/855/855067/855067en.pdf

And the Directive here

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/agriculture/food/l28130_en.htm

Kind regards

Michael Ewing

Coordinator

Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership

Knockvicar

Boyle

Co Roscommon

Rep of Ireland

Tel: +353 71 9667373

Mob: +353 86 8672153

email: michael@environmentalpillar.ie

web: www.environmentalpillar.ie

Environmental Pillar members: An Taisce. Bat Conservation Ireland, BirdWatch Ireland. CELT - Centre for Ecological Living and Training. Coast Watch. Coomhola Salmon Trust. Crann. ECO UNESCO. Feasta. Forest Friends. Friends of the Earth. Gluaiseacht. Grian. Hedge Laying Association of Ireland. Irish Doctors Environment Association. Irish Natural Forestry Foundation. Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Irish Seal Sanctuary. Irish Seed Saver Association. Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Irish Wildlife Trust. Just Forests. The Organic Centre. Sonairte. Sustainable Ireland Cooperative. VOICE. Zero Waste Alliance Ireland

Ireland's Environmental Pillar says forests must remain in public hands

2011-04-21T05:58:00.001-07:00

Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21st April, 2011

Ireland's Environmental Pillar says forests must remain in public hands

Dublin - 21^st April 2011. The Environmental Pillar of social partnership has called on Fine Gael and Labour to restate their commitment to the continued public ownership of Coillte. This follows Minister Brendan Howlin's indications that he would not delay in moving on the sale of state assets identified in the McCarthy Report published yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of the Environmental Pillar, Andrew St Ledger of the Center for Environmental Living and Training (CELT) stated, "We welcomed Fine Gael and Labour's public and political support to retain ownership of the public forests in the run-up to the general election. We now ask them to restate their support following the recommendations of the McCarthy report.

"Ireland cannot afford to lose its 1.1 million acres public forest estate in these difficult times. The cash generated from the sale of Coillte will be a meagre drop in the ocean of debt that Ireland owes, and it makes no sense to sell an asset that managed differently can potentially earn the State a sustainable income in the long run, to help pay off its debts," said St Ledger.

"We agree with the opinions of a Fine Gael spokesperson that our vital National resources are not up for sale and that Public Forestry assets should be held in trust for all the people of Ireland. In the same article in the farming section of the Irish Independent (25 ^th Jan, 2011), a Labour spokesperson said 'we should be looking at ways that we can use Coilltes resources to a greater extent'. These ideas fit very well with the our Treecover Policy document published in November 2010."

St Ledger, one of the co-authors of the Environmental Pillar's Treecover Policy claims that "the current forestry model has been very one-dimensional and therefore very restrictive. The Environmental Pillar believes that there is an opportunity to create a new forestry model which is multi-dimensional and will lead to increased rural development by harnessing the EU Rural Development funding that exists to develop such a sustainable treecover/forestry plan."

The policy calls for the continued public ownership of state forestry. The potential for sustainable forestry is examined, with recommendations that a viable industry with long-term employment opportunities could be established within five to ten years.

In April 2009, Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced the inclusion of environmental groups as part of the Social Partnership process to "ensure that economic decisions have at their very core the concept of sustainability". The Environmental Pillar has twenty-seven member groups.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

This press release was developed through the processes of the Environmental Pillar but doesn't necessarily reflect the opinion of all its members.

Environmental Pillar members:An Taisce. Bat Conservation Ireland,BirdWatch Ireland. CELT - Centre for Ecological Living and Training. Coast Watch. Coomhola Salmon Trust. Crann. ECO UNESCO. Feasta. Forest Friends. Friends of the Earth. Gluaiseacht. Grian. Hedge Laying Association of Ireland. Irish Doctors Environment Association. Irish Natural Forestry Foundation. Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Irish Seal Sanctuary. Irish Seed Saver Association. Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Irish Wildlife Trust. Just Forests. The Organic Centre. Sonairte. Sustainable Ireland Cooperative. VOICE. Zero Waste Alliance Ireland.

CONTACT:

For further details, information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Michael Ewing. Co-ordinator, Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership -
Phone: 071 9667373 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 071 9667373 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Mobile: 086 867 2153.
Email: michael@ien.ie

Danny Walsh. Communications Officer, Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership -
Phone: 01 8780116. Mobile: 086 8127139.
Email: danny@ien.ie

The Environmental Pillar of Social Partneship

MACRO Building, 1 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland
Tel: 01 8780116
Web: www.environmentalpillar.ie
Email: office@environmentalpillar.ie

# # #

IWT Press Release: Illegal Hedgerow Cutting

2011-04-11T05:30:00.001-07:00

----------------------------------------------

Patrick Treacy

Development Coordinator
Cork Environmental Forum

www.cef.ie

T: 086 361 9139 / 021 4647 818
F: 021 4647 818 (call first)
E: patrick@cef.ie

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

----------------------------------------------

1 ream of paper = 6% of a tree and 5.4kg CO2 in the atmosphere
3 sheets of A4 paper = 1 litre of water

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: corkbranch <corkbranch@iwt.ie>
Date: Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 10:43 PM
Subject: press release
To:
Press release – IRISH WILDLIFE TRUST, 7th April, 2011

ILLEGAL HEDGEROW CUTTING STILL CONTINUES

The Irish Wildlife Trust is highlighting the issue of illegal hedgerow cutting that typically starts around now and continues well into the summer months. Unless for reasons of health and safety this practice is in contravention of section 40 of the 1976 Wildlife Act, as amended by Section 46 of the Wildlife Amendment Act, 2000, which prohibits hedge cutting from March 1st to August 31st each year.

Despite this, County Councils and land managers seems only to address the issue of hedge-cutting during these months. Either they are unaware that they are breaking the law and causing tremendous environmental damage or simply dont care.

Last year the IWT made over 20 complaints about illegal hedge-cutting to Local Authorities, the Department of the Environment, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. In the vast majority of cases we got no response at all but the few Local Authorities that did get back us invariably used the health and safety loophole in the legislation. While genuine health and safety issues should never go unaddressed the IWT believes that this clause is being used in a blanket manner to excuse hedge-cutting anywhere and at any time.

Hedgerows provide an invaluable habitat for much of our wildlife. They provide pollinators, clean the air, define the landscape and store carbon. They also provide our countryside with dazzling displays of early flowers.

Most of the Irish songbirds nest in hedgerows. The first to breed are song thrushes, blackbirds and robins. Yellowhammers also nest in the hedge bank and there has been a substantial decline in Yellowhammers due to the decline in hedgerows and current maintenance practices. Other birds like the song thrush nest deep within a hedgerow but will often desert the nest is disturbed. Blackbirds and goldfinch nest in the branches of hawthorn trees, as do chaffinch and greenfinch later in the season.
Good intact hedgerows are essential for these birds to breed successfully.

The IWT are appealing to the public to report illegal hedgerow cutting with the date, time, location and if possible the name of the peson or organisation involved. Please send any reports to enquiries@iwt.ie or call 01 860 2839
ENDS

Contact:
For further information please contact Joanne Pender IWT Development Officer Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Support structures completed and article in You and Your Money

2011-04-06T03:15:00.000-07:00

CEF members don't often reside in Spain! However, Tomas and Paul of Granite Solar are Corkonians and have a brilliant and interesting project going on near Barcelona involving solar panels and local factory rooftops. I asked them to keep us up to date on progress, so read on...

Hey Patrick,

I have attached the photo of the mounting structures completed as of 07/01/2011 marking the completion of the first phase of the project.

Will begin panel installation and grid connection in two weeks time on arrival of Panels.

Project completion estimated for the beginning of April.

Recent article from You and Your Money:

http://www.britishchamberspain.com/downloads/GraniteSolar.pdf

Press Release: Expert conference calls for renewed action on biodiversity

2011-03-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

Press Release: Expert conference calls for renewed action on biodiversity to safeguard the economy and quality of life

Experts from across the island of Ireland have called for action on biodiversity to safeguard the economy and quality of life. The UK and Ireland have signed up to EU and World targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2020. If progress is slowed because of the economic crisis then the valuable economic, social and cultural benefits that biodiversity provides will also be lost.

Over 80 key people from environmental groups, government departments, business and charities came together last week in Londonderry/Derry to discuss priorities for nature and the environment in Ireland north and south. The conference was organised by the Irish Biodiversity Forum and the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group in response to the new targets set at Nagoya in Japan –as part of the 10^th World Convention on Biological Diversity.

The conference was opened by the Northern Ireland Minister for the Environment, Edwin Poots, who took the opportunity to announce that Northern Ireland would revise its Biodiversity Strategy in line with the new targets.

Anne Teller from the Environment Directorate in the EU identified that there would be a new European Biodiversity Strategy to reduce pressures on biodiversity and to anchor biodiversity objectives into EU agriculture, forestry and fisheries policies. Referring to the all island nature of the workshop she said 'No country can tackle the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services on its own. Most challenges are shared by several countries that stand to gain from working together'.

Chair of the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group, Judith Annett said "Ireland North and South is fortunate in its variety of wildlife and natural areas but is losing important parts of these to development. The key challenge is to make sure that those who make decisions know that all aspects of our quality of life, wealth and wellbeing can be tracked back to functioning natural areas and an intact web of life. It is not a choice between biodiversity and the economy, the two are inextricably linked."

The Chair of the Irish Biodiversity Forum, Professor Ken Whelan said "facing a world populated by over 9 billion people, can we continue to set ambitious growth targets for our economies, while at the same time setting our sites on achieving the lofty ambitions for sustainability contained in Nagoya? Tackling biodiversity loss will require a change in our current production and consumption patterns not just action on conservation."

At Nagoya the UK and Ireland signed up to protecting 17% of the land and 10% of the sea for biodiversity and the conference explored priorities for both Governments and how progress could be measured using indicators.

Judith Annett concluded "there are many challenges ahead but the progress through Stormont of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill, which for the first time places a duty on public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity in their work, is an important step."

Media enquires to Judith Annett on 00 44 28 4176 3262

Niamh Kirwan,
Policy Analyst,
Comhar Sustainable Development Council,
Floor 2,

Block 7,

Irish Life Centre,

Abbey Street,
Dublin 1,
Ireland.

niamh.kirwan@environ.ie

Tel: 00 353 1 888 2734

Mob: 00 353 87 7762608

www.comharsdc.ie

'Fleeing Vesuvius' book launch, Mon 21st March, Cork City Library

2011-03-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

Forthcoming book launch at Cork City Central Library:

Cork Environmental Forum is please to host the Cork launch of Fleeing Vesuvius - Overcoming the Risks of Economic and Environmental Collapse. The launch will take place on Monday 21st March in Cork City Central Library, Grand Parade at 1.15pm.

Launching the book will be physicist David Korowicz, a contributing author and dynamic speaker who specialises in studying human systems. Fleeing Vesuvius is the most recent publication of Ireland's Feasta - the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability.

Fleeing Vesuvius draws together many of the ideas developed within Feasta over the years and applies them to a single question: how can we bring the world out of the mess in which it now finds itself? The conventional answer – even more economic growth – is seen in the book as part of the problem rather than the solution.

Fleeing Vesuvius confronts this mess squarely, analysing its many aspects: the looming scarcity of essential resources such as fossil fuels - the lifeblood of the world economy; the financial crisis in Ireland and elsewhere; the collapse of the housing bubble; the urgent need for food security, especially in today's climate of rising food prices; and the enormous challenge of dealing with climate change.

The solutions it puts forward involve changes to our economy and financial system, but they go much further; this substantial, wide-ranging book also looks at the changes needed in how we think, how we use the land and how we relate to others, particularly those where we live. While it doesn't discount the complexity of the problems we face, Fleeing Vesuvius is practical and fundamentally optimistic. It will arm readers with the confidence and knowledge they need to develop new, workable alternatives to the old-style expanding economy and its supporting systems. It's a book that can be read all the way through or used as a resource to dip in and out of.

A North American edition of the book has been published by New Society Press and a New Zealand/Australian version will be published shortly, proving that this book has both regional and global relevance. As Richard Heinberg of the Post-Carbon Institute states in his introduction to the North American edition, Fleeing Vesuvius is "a goldmine."

Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, was launched in Dublin in October 1998 to explore the economic, cultural and environmental characteristics of a truly sustainable society - and to disseminate the results of this exploration to the widest relevant audience. Feasta currently has 10 working groups focussing on: Climate; Communication; Democracy; Education; Energy; Food; Health; Land and Housing; Measuring Progress; and Money.

While most of Feasta's members live in Ireland, people from other countries have joined because they have found that its form of "hard sustainability" is not being discussed in any depth in their own circles. This has turned the organisation into an international network with an Irish office. Feasta has gained increasing national influence since its foundation. Two members of the Executive serve on the 20-person council of Comhar, the Irish Government's National Sustainability Partnership and on monitoring committees overseeing the National Development Plan.

For more information please see http://feasta.org.

Press Release: IWT strongly welcomes proposed ban on fish discarding

2011-03-04T03:35:00.001-08:00

PRESS RELEASE

March 2nd, 2011.

The Irish Wildlife Trust strongly welcomes proposed ban on fish 'discarding'

Yesterday (March 1^st) EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki proposed a phased ban of the discarding of fish as part of a reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Discarding is the term used to describe how massive quantities of dead fish and other marine life are thrown overboard when targeting one specific species. In Irish waters the Marine Institute estimates that discarding rates are as high as 80% for some fisheries (e.g. plaice in the Irish sea)[1]. This means that for every tonne of fish caught 4 tonnes of other fish are thrown overboard. This includes juvenile specimens of perfectly marketable fish such as cod, as well as the numerous other species that make up the marine ecosystem. Mrs Damanki described this practice yesterday as "unethical, a waste of natural resources and a waste of fishermen's effort"[2].

The IWT strongly welcomes this proposal as a vital step to restoring the ecological balance in Irish seas that has been so degraded through the CFP to-date.

IWT chairman Pádraic Fogarty says "discarding is tremendously wasteful and is causing untold damage to our marine ecosystems. We are delighted that Commissioner Damanaki is taking the bold approach to ban it and we hope that the new Irish government and fishing communities will support it".

The IWT has been campaigning since 2009 for a reformed CFP that puts the environment first for the simple reason that if there are no fish then there will be no fishing. The photo below shows the contents of a net from the Irish sea during a trawl for Nephrops prawns (Scampi) – now the second most valuable fishery in Ireland. As can be seen the prawns are few and far between. Anything that was not prawn was thrown overboard (c. Johnny Woodlock).

ENDS

For an original copy of this photo please contact Padraic Fogarty at irishwildlife@iwt.ie or call 01 8602839

Editors Notes:The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body. We provide the public with information about wildlife, run education and training programs like SAC Watch and the Outdoor Classroom Programme, carry out habitat and species surveys like the IWT National Lizard Survey and Newt Survey, campaign and lobby around biodiversity issues, restore natural habitats, consult with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to maintain our natural heritage and contribute to national and international forums for the protection of biodiversity. The IWT is a nationwide organisation with a strong membership base, staff and Board of Directors, with branches in Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Clare, Cork, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan and Tipperary.

[1] Marine Institute. 2010. The Stock Book

[2] http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/damanaki/headlines/speeches/2011/03/20110301_en.pdf

Cork attraction wins best interactive event

2011-02-23T04:01:00.000-08:00

Press Release: Immediate

Date: 23^rd Feb 2011

Cork Attraction wins Best Interactive Event Award

Water Open Day organised by Lifetime Lab has been selected as Best Interactive Event by The Heritage Council. The accolade was presented to Lifetime Lab at a ceremony at Heritage Council headquarters recently.

The Open Day explored the positive impact of water as a heritage resource and highlighted its role across areas such as recreation, culture, engineering, employment, health and tourism. The event was free to the public with close to 1000 visitors participating. Over thirty volunteers offered activities including birds of prey displays, giant bubble making, launching water rockets and creating a giant wall hanging. Indoor activities included investigating how hydropower and geo thermal operate, exploring the science of water and examining water treatment before and after we use it.

Lifetime Lab was selected from 700 organisations and individuals accounting from over 1300 events nationwide. Manager of Lifetime Lab Mervyn Horgan commented "The event would simply not take place without the dedication and commitment our volunteers and we are delighted to recognise their achievements, the fact that we were selected from so many other organisations and events is a fantastic achievement"

Speaking at the presentation, Michael Starrett, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council said, "The judging committee identified Lifetime Lab as a clear winner for the award, the scale of the event and numbers in attendance are a credit to the organisers" He added "These awards are an opportunity for event organisers to be recognised for the tremendous work they do in organising and running events which increase our educational and heritage value"

Lifetime Lab is located at the old Cork City Waterworks on Lee Road. The site hosts a Visitor Centre with interactive environmental exhibits, a steam centre with preserved boilers and huge steam engines that were used to pump water to supply the City of Cork. Lifetime Lab also has a coffee dock, a picnic area and a children's playground and is fully wheelchair accessible. It is open Monday- Friday 9am-5pm.

For further information, please contact the Lifetime Lab at: 021-4941500 or view the website www.lifetimelab.ie

Ends.

Notes to editor

Lifetime Lab Water Open Day is an annual event organised by Lifetime Lab
Entry is free to the public
Close to 1,000 members of the public attended in 2010
Lifetime Lab was selected from 700 organisations and 1300 national events
Photo caption - Pictured at the presentation of Best Interactive Event to Lifetime Lab are Conor Newman Chair of The Heritage Council, Mary Walsh Environment Cork City Council, Mervyn Horgan Manager Lifetime Lab, Una Leader Education Officer Lifetime Lab and Isabell Smyth Head of Communications and Education Heritage Council

Contact Details

Name: Mervyn Horgan

Address: Lifetime Lab, Lee Road, Cork

Telephone: 021-4941500

Fax: 021-4941519

Email: lifetimelab@corkcity.ie

Ireland to be fined E26 million and daily fines of E33000

2011-02-18T04:46:00.001-08:00

PRESS RELEASE
17^th February, 2011

Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

17^th February, 2011

Ireland to be fined €26 million and daily fines of €33,000

The Environmental Pillar calls on the Government: to take seriously its role as protector of the natural resources that are fundamental to all life, including human; to fully implement the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive, and the EIA Directive; and in so doing to avoid the Irish taxpayer having to face huge fines.

Because the Irish Government never put in place the necessary procedures regarding assessing the environmental impact of projects, we as tax payers are now collectively facing a fine of €26 million followed by daily fines of €33,000 until our Government learns to obey the rules which it helped to write. Should the European Court of Justice go ahead and fine Ireland it will be because our Government showed contempt to the Court by not complying with a ruling of the same Court made in 2008 regarding the poor implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. The 2008 ruling found that the Irish thresholds for conducting an impact assessment for certain types of projects were too high. This has led to the loss of valuable wetlands and the destruction of archaeological remains, according to the Commission.

Speaking on behalf of the Environmental Pillar, Joanne Pender of the Irish Wildlife Trust noted that

"This is not the only case against Ireland that is likely to result in serious fines. Ireland is in the dock for almost 25% of all the environmental cases at the "contempt of court stage" in the European Court of Justice. Ireland also ranks at the bottom of many league tables that assess our environmental performance, especially for nature protection. This is a terrible indictment of the Government's record in protecting the environment, and a warning to the next Government to implement the European Directives that it signed up to."

Whatever the complexion of the new Government it will need to dramatically improve on the past record of the State in transposing European Directives as the Commission starts to use its new powers to seek fines against recalcitrant Member States such as Ireland

ENDS

Notes to editors:

This press release was developed through the processes of the Environmental Pillar but doesn't necessarily reflect the opinion of all its members.

Source for 2008 Ruling: ENDSEurope

http://www.endseurope.com/17154?referrer=bulletin&DCMP=EMC-ENDS-EUROPE-DAILY

Source for European Court of Justice data:

Link:

http://www.irishenvironment.com/irishenvironment/articles/Entries/2010/6/1_Andrew_L.R._Jackson,_The_Emerald_Isle_Irelands_environmental_compliance_record_in_cross-EU_terms.html

EU Commission Press release: Brussels, 16 February 2011

Environment: Commission seeks fines against Ireland for not adopting legislation to protect countryside heritage

Link:

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/168&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

CONTACT:

For further details, information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Michael Ewing. Co-ordinator, Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership -
Phone: 071 9667373. Mobile: 086 867 2153.
Email: michael@ien.ie

Danny Walsh. Communications Officer, Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership -
Phone: 01 8780116. Mobile: 086 8127139.
Email: danny@ien.ie

The Environmental Pillar of Social Partneship

MACRO Building, 1 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland
Tel: 01 8780116
Web: www.environmentalpillar.ie
Email: office@environmentalpillar.ie

IWT calls on Fine Gael to reverse its policy on turf-cutting

2011-02-18T03:29:00.000-08:00

Press Release

16th Feb, 2010

IWT calls on Fine Gael to reverse its policy on turf-cutting

The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on the Fine Gael party to reverse its policy of allowing turf-cutting on some of Ireland's most valuable nature reserves (Special Areas of Conservation and Natural Heritage Areas). According to its manifesto Fine Gael says it "will allow an exemption for domestic turf cutting on the 75 National Heritage Area sites, which are designated under Irish Law". This amounts to an assault on our wildlife and fails to recognise the value of our bogs for purifying water, storing carbon and alleviating floods.

Ireland's raised and blanket bogs are unique habitats at an international level and after years of abuse only 18% of these areas remain of any conservation value[1]. It is these last few refuges that Fine Gael are proposing to 'sell off' for short-term political gain.

The chairman of the IWT, Pádraic Fogarty said "at a time when Ireland's 'green' image is vital to creating jobs and returning to prosperity Fine Gael want to take us back to the bad old days of environmental abuse that benefits the few".

The IWT is calling on any new government to commit to our legal and moral obligations to protect our biodiversity and to acknowledge its value in a dynamic and prosperous Ireland.

ENDS

Contact:

For further information please contact Joanne Pender IWT Development Officer Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Editors Notes:

The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body. We provide the public with information about wildlife, run education and training programs like SAC Watch and the Outdoor Classroom Programme, carry out habitat and species surveys like the IWT National Lizard Survey and Newt Survey, campaign and lobby around biodiversity issues, restore natural habitats, consult with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to maintain our natural heritage and contribute to national and international forums for the protection of biodiversity. The IWT is a nationwide organisation with a strong membership base, staff and Board of Directors, with branches in Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Clare, Cork, Louth, Monaghan and Tipperary.

[1] Foss P., O'Connell C.A., Crushell P. H. 2001. Bogs and Fens of Ireland Conservation Plan 2005. Irish Peatland Conservation Council.

Joanne Pender

Development Officer

Irish Wildlife Trust

Sigmund Business Centre

93A Lagan Road

Dublin Industrial Estate

Glasnevin

Dublin 11

Ph: 01 860 2839

Fax: 01 830 8914

E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Web: www.iwt.ie

IWT calls for an end to over-fishing and no cull of seals in Kerry

2011-02-15T02:08:00.000-08:00

Press Release

14th Feb, 2011.

IWT calls for an end to over-fishing and no cull of seals in Kerry

The IWT is calling on the government to introduce measures to protect the marine environment and to resist calls from fishermen to cull seals off Kerry. Irish waters are and now over-fished and the marine ecosystem has been severely damaged due to trawling and other commercial fishing practices. This long-term damage is the cause of dwindling fish stocks and culling seals, a European protected species, should not be used as a scapegoat for fishermen's problems.

Pádraic Fogarty, IWT chairman said, "Fishermen must start working with nature if there is to be a continuing supply of fish for future generations". For instance:

· Cod is listed as 'endangered with extinction' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

· The Marine Institute estimates that the Haddock fishery off the west of Ireland discards 66% of the total catch, which in 2011 will result in nearly 6,000 tonnes of unwanted fish and other marine life being dumped.

· Landings of Whiting from the Celtic sea and west of Ireland have decreased steadily since the 1990's from a high of about 22,000 tonnes in 1995 to only 5,000 tonnes in 2009.

· Landings of Pollack across Europe have declined steadily since the 1980's but despite this there is no information about the state of this fish in waters off the west of Ireland. The Marine Institute has recommended that total catches should be reduced in light of this lack of information.

These facts point to an on-going decline in the quality of our marine environment which some scientists have suggested will leave us without commercially exploitable stocks of fish by 2050.

The IWT, along with 12 other Irish conservation organisations that are part of the OCEAN2012 coalition, has been working since 2009 for a reform of the Common Fisheries Policy that puts the environment first. Pádraic Fogarty said "without fish there will be no fishing. If we want fish on our plate 30 years from now we must start protecting our oceans. Shooting seals will do nothing to restore the long-term health of the marine environment in Kerry or anywhere else in Ireland".

ENDS

Contact:

For further information please contact Joanne Pender IWT Development Officer Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Editors Notes:

Lifetime Lab Scientist Display February 11th

2011-02-10T02:39:00.001-08:00

Press Release: IN ADVANCE OF EVENT

Date: 10^th Feb 2011

Winning Cork Young Scientist Projects on Display

"How do you take your tea", "Political awareness in teenagers" or "The effect of a tidal surge in Cork Harbour " are among some of the prize winning projects by Cork entrants to the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition that are on display at Lifetime Lab during February

The display of over 50 projects from 23 schools will be launched by Lord Mayor Cllr. Michael O' Connell on Friday 11th February at 12.00 midday with participating students on hand to speak about their projects. The students will also get the opportunity to attend an exciting Chemistry Magic Show staged by Dr. Declan Kennedy of UCC.

"We are delighted to recognise the hard work of students and their teachers, who have represented Cork with great success, while also providing an opportunity to view a selection of the projects in a local setting. For aspiring young scientists who have not had the opportunity to visit the exhibition in Dublin, the display at Lifetime Lab is an ideal opportunity to view a high standard of local entries that qualified for the national final" said Mervyn Horgan, manager of Lifetime Lab

Over three weeks from the 14^thFebruary to 4^th March 2011 the students' project posters will be on display in the Lifetime Lab Visitor Centre. Members of the public and schools will be able to view the students work, as well as digital video clips of the students talking about their projects.

Lifetime Lab is located at the old Cork City Waterworks on Lee Road. The site now hosts a Visitor Centre with interactive environmental exhibits, a steam centre with preserved boilers and huge steam engines that were used to pump water to supply the City of Cork. Lifetime Lab also has a coffee dock, a picnic area and a children's playground and is fully wheelchair accessible. It is open Monday- Friday 9am-5pm.

For further information, please contact the Lifetime Lab at: 021-4941500 or view the website www.lifetimelab.ie

Ends,

Notes to editor

· Lord Mayor Michael O Connell will launch the display at 12.00 noon on Friday February 11^th

· In all 86 student projects from 27 schools in Cork City and County qualified to participate in 2011 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition at RDS in Dublin.

· 27 of the Cork projects won Awards and 16 projects were Highly Commended

· The winners of the Best Group were Thomas Cronin, Dylan Coss and Jeremy Sarisch-Rooney from Coláiste Muire – Crosshaven. Their project was entitled 'DIY wind power – portable community generators for the Third World'.

· A Cork school has won the BT Young Scientist of the Year 3 times in the last 6 years. Those winners were

o 2010: Richard O'Shea, Scoil Mhuire gan Smal, Blarney; ''A Biomass Cooking stove for Developing Countries'

o 2009: John D O'Callaghan and Liam McCarthy, Kinsale Community School; "The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and its Importance in Milk Production".

o 2006: Aisling Judge, Kinsale Community School; "The development and evaluation of a biological food spoilage indicator"

· Guests will be entertained by a Chemistry Magic Show immediately after the launch

Contact Details

Name: Mervyn Horgan

Address: Lifetime Lab, Lee Road, Cork

Telephone: 021-4941500

Fax: 021-4941519

Email: lifetimelab@corkcity.ie

Mervyn Horgan

Lifetime Lab

Old Waterworks

Lee Road

Cork

021 4941500

Recalled 'Back Lane Parliament' highlights absence of equality and environmental proposals in election

2011-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

NEWS RELEASE from Claiming Our Future

Embargoed until 1pm on Wednesday 9th February

Campaigners recall 'Back Lane Parliament' to highlight absence of equality and environmental proposals in election campaign

Over 20 local meetings to quiz candidates on jobs, equality and political reform

Members of the Claiming Our Future movement today (Wednesday) staged a re-enactment of the 1792 'Back Lane Parliament' in Tailors' Hall, Dublin to demonstrate that the absence of equality and environmental proposals in the election debate was effectively disenfranchising large parts of civil society.

The movement announced that its local groups would be holding at least 20 public meetings across the country to quiz election candidates on their policies for creating an equal and environmentally sustainable Ireland with real opportunities for people to participate in the political decisions that shape their lives.

Claiming our Future activists from around the country read out the group's six priority policy demands, which were established by 1,000 participants at Ireland's first 'citizen's parliament' last autumn. They said many Irish people today felt the same sense of disenfranchisement that prompted Wolfe Tone to convene the 18th century Back Lane Parliament to petition for voting rights for Catholics. This is because the election is taking place after the Budget and IMF- European Commission agreement and because the policy platforms put forward by the political parties have so far failed to substantively address equality and environmental sustainability issues.

The event also saw the publication of a summary of Claiming Our Future policy priorities, based on equality and environmental sustainability, which it is sending to all party leaders. The priorities include:

·       A sustainable alternative to the boom-and-bust economy

·       A more equal society

·       Political reform

·       Decent and sustainable jobs

·       Radical reform of the banking system and

·       Public service reform.

Niall Crowley of Claiming Our Future said the election had so far yielded no substantive proposal for a more equal Ireland from any political party. "We have seen many proposals on political reform but none to address the lack of diversity and gender equality among our public representatives. The same goes for public sector reform. A myriad of proposals but not one to enhance the ability of our public services to eliminate disadvantage or address the diverse needs of the people who use them," he said.

Charles Stanley-Smith of An Taisce said: "The voices of those who seek environmental sustainability are not being heard. Economic growth continues to be the accepted wisdom with no proposals from the political parties about unsustainable resource use, capping emissions or improving public transport. The disenfranchisement of this voice diminishes our chances of emerging from crisis."

Siobhan O'Donoghue of the Community Platform announced that local Claiming Our Future groups would be holding at least 20 public meetings over the next two weeks at which election candidates would be invited to outline their values and policies. "Can they offer universal access to care and health care? Will they ensure equality in access to education? Could they reform politics so that people can participate in the decisions that impact on them? Can they advance equality so that everyone has an adequate income and nobody earns more than a set maximum income?" she asked.

Claiming Our Future is made up of individuals and organisations that believe the economic crisis is an opportunity to reassert the progressive social values of equality, sustainability, inclusion and human dignity. Initially developed by Is Feidir Linn, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, environmental groups, the TASC think tank and Social Justice Ireland, it now involves a much wider range of organisations including community groups, youth groups, environmental groups, trade unions, rural networks, social justice groups and organisations representing older people, global justice, migrant workers, students, cultural initiatives, women, people with disabilities and social media.

ENDS

Further information

Bernard Harbor – 087-230-1262

Niall Shanahan – 087-264-8092

Social Partner welcomes the Climate Change Response Bill

2011-01-04T04:23:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE
16th December, 2010

Social Partner welcomes the Climate Change Response Bill

Dublin - 16^th December, 2010. The Environment Pillar of Social Partnership today welcomed the publication of the Climate Change Response Bill. However, it said the Bill's ambition to transition Ireland to a smart low-carbon, high-value, high-employment economy needs to be sharpened, with a stronger stimulus created from more ambitious emission reduction targets.

Pat Finnegan, Co-ordinator of the Environment Pillar's Climate/Energy Working Group said in a statement issued in Dublin today:

"The Environment Pilar has always supported climate change legislation because we believe smart and truly sustainable economic policy must aim to build wealth while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gases and tackling climate change. Decarbonisation is already one of the world's fastest growing economic activities. This is a trend that can only continue to grow. The Bill published today takes a far too conservative approach to Ireland's opportunities to decarbonise the economy and create thousands of new jobs on a sustainable basis. The Environment Pillar calls on all political parties, all other social partners and the general public to grasp the opportunity in the consultation phase of today's legislation to sharpen the targets proposed in the Bill and enhance the opportunity to create a smart, low-carbon, high-value, high-employment Irish economy fit for the 21st century."

# # #

For further details, info, opinion, etc. please contact:

Pat Finnegan,(Co-ordinator, Environment Pillar Climate/Energy Working Group) - 086 856 8520

Molly Walsh, (Environment Pillar Climate/Energy Working Group) - 087 925 2820

Note 1: In April 2009, Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced the inclusion of environmental groups as part of the Social Partnership process to "ensure that economic decisions have at their very core the concept of sustainability". The Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership is comprised of 27 National Environmental Groups.

Note 2: The Climate Change Response Bill can be found at: ( link to be inserted)

Please feel free to contact Danny Walsh, Communications Officer, Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership at danny@ien.ie for details or to arrange interviews with representatives of the Environmental Pillar.

Danny Walsh
Communications Officer
Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership

1 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland.
http://www.environmentalpillar.ie
Email: danny@ien.ie

Tel: 01 878 0116 / 01 878 0115

Social Partner calls for forests to remain in public hands

2010-12-06T09:29:00.001-08:00

Social Partner calls for forests to remain in public hands

Dublin - 6^th December, 2010. The Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership has warned that Ireland's forests are in danger of being sold off to reduce government debt, and is calling for them to remain in public hands. The group is urging the Government to issue a statement that it will not privatise Ireland's forest assets.

"A sale of Irish Forests would not be in the best interests of the Irish public or their environment," said Michael Ewing, a spokesperson for the Pillar. "We have already seen oil, gas, and mineral rights sold off, impoverishing the nation on many levels."

Coillte (the Irish Forestry Board) manages over one million acres of forestry land on behalf of the Irish People. It was one of a number of agencies selected for possible privatisation by the McCarthy Report. In January of this year the International Forestry fund, chaired by Bertie Ahern TD expressed an interest in buying Coillte.

The Pillar is strongly opposed to the sale of state forests covering an area twice the size of County Meath. It also has serious reservations about the involvement of a company chaired by a former Taoiseach who was privy to the appointment of Coillte directors and was responsible for some of the decisions that have brought us to the point of selling off such valuable assets.

The overall aim of the Environmental Pillar is to find a new direction for forest policy in Ireland that balances environmental, social and economical needs. It is claimed that getting this balance correct will provide more employment opportunities at community level as well as addressing problems such as flooding, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss.

"Now more than ever we need to make the wisest use of our public forestry resources in order to create jobs and economic growth, with minimal investment," concluded Mr Ewing.

# # #

Danny Walsh
Communications Officer
Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership

1 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland.
http://www.environmentalpillar.ie
Email: danny@ien.ie

Tel: 01 878 0116 / 01 878 0115

Irish Wildlife Trust Press Release 28th Sept 2010

2010-09-28T04:02:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

28th September, 2010

Guide to Sustainable Seafood and Campaign to Reform the Common Fisheries Policy

28,500 people call on EU Fisheries Commissioner to put environment first

On Monday September 13^th the Irish Wildlife Trust was among a delegation of European environmental groups that handed over 28,500 signatures to European Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, calling on her to prioritise the health of the marine environment in the reform of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

"From all over Europe people are urging Commissioner Damanaki to conserve valuable marine habitats and ensure the economic vitality of vulnerable coastal communities," said Pádraic Fogarty, chairman of the Irish Wildlife Trust. "The Irish government must show strong leadership by putting the environment first in its negotiations for a reformed Common Fisheries Policy. This means following scientific advice and imposing strict criteria on those seeking access to fisheries resources. We must put the fish before the fishing to ensure that future generations can enjoy seafood as part of a health diet and that coastal communities will reverse their decline. "

The IWT, within the European coalition of environmental groups, OCEAN2012, is proposing that access to fishery resources be based on a set of transparent criteria for sustainable fishing, which must include:

· More selective fishing methods, gears and practices that reduce unintentional catches of non-target species and lessen the impact on the marine environment;

· Vessels and fishing methods that consume less energy per tonne of fish caught;

· A good record of compliance with the rules of the CFP.

"The marine environment is a common good. It is in the public interest that activities which impact the state of marine fish stocks, and the larger ecosystem, are carefully managed," said Fogarty. "Under the reformed CFP, those who fish in the most sustainable way should be given priority access to fishing grounds."

To raise awareness of the link between what we eat and the health of our ocean the IWT has launched an on-line guide to seafood that presented the best available information on the state of the species and the techniques that are used to catch them. This can be found on www.iwt.ie .

ENDS

Contact:

For further information please contact Padraic Fogarty - IWT Chairman.

Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Notes to the Editor:

1. The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body. We provide the public with information about wildlife, run

education and training programs like SAC Watch and the Badger club, carry out habitat and species surveys like the IWT National Lizard Survey

and Newt Survey, campaign and lobby around biodiversity issues, restore natural habitats, consult with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to

maintain our natural heritage and contribute to national and international forums for the protection of biodiversity. The IWT is a nationwide

organisation with a strong membership base, staff and Board of Directors, with branches in Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and Cork.

2. Details of OCEAN2012 and its proposal for a reformed CFP can be found at www.OCEAN2012.eu

3. OCEAN2012 is an alliance of 88 organisations dedicated to transforming European Fisheries Policy to stop overfishing, end destructive fishing

practices and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.

OCEAN2012 was initiated, and is co-ordinated, by the Pew Environment Group, the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non

governmental organisation working to end overfishing in the world´s oceans.

The steering group of OCEAN2012 is the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA), Ecologistas en Acción, the Fisheries Secretariat

(FISH), nef (new economics foundation), the Pew Environment Group and Seas At Risk (SAR).

The Financial Crisis, Peak Oil and You: Building Resilience From the Bottom Up

2010-07-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

Press Release – for immediate release – 19^th July 2010

Transition Cork City – The Resilient Rebels

The Financial Crisis, Peak Oil and You: Building Resilience From the Bottom Up

A unique chance to hear a global perspective on current Money and Energy challenges, and how Cork communities can gear up locally for power-down.

Date: Sunday 1^st August 2010

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: The Pegasus Room, Clarion Hotel, Lapp's Quay, Cork

Entrance: €5 (free for unwaged)

The world renowned blogger Stoneleigh (aka Nicole Foss) of The Automatic Earth (http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/) is currently touring Europe and will be speaking in Cork on Sunday August 1^st, at 7:30 pm in the Clarion Hotel. She is an energy industry consultant, a financial analyst and former editor of the Oil Drum Canada.

Stoneleigh, and her co-blogger Illargi, were some of very few analysts globally who foresaw such things as the collapse of Lehmann Brothers and the Icelandic banks, so her insights into what is really happening in the financial world are definitely worth hearing. Her talks present very clearly the stark challenges which lie ahead, and she has made a huge impression wherever she has spoken. For anyone who wants to find out what is coming down the line, this talk by Stoneleigh is a must.

Stoneleigh's Cork talk is the first of three such talks in Ireland, as part of her current European tour. She is also speaking in Castlebar, Co. Mayo at the Linenhall Theatre on Monday 2^nd August, and at the Greenhouse in Dublin on Tuesday 3^rd August.

Stoneleigh is being hosted in Cork by Transition Cork City – The Resilient Rebels, the local initiative of the global Transition movement. The Transition movement explores how communities can come together and respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil, Climate Change, and increasingly, economic stagnation. Transition Cork City was formed earlier this year by a group of individuals interested in coming together to find a collective community response to the challenges facing the city, and to help build local resilience.

Ends

For further information contact: Dominick Donnelly

Tel: 087-1210783 or email: dominickdonnelly@eircom.net

Further information on Stoneleigh:

She is now a fulltime blogger, with her partner, Illargi, on The Automatic Earth (http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/ )

She is a former editor of The Oil Drum Canada.

She ran the Agri-Energy Producers Association of Ontario, where she has focused on farm based biogas projects and grid connections for renewable energy.

In the UK she was Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, where she specialized in nuclear safety in Eastern European & former Soviet Union and conducted research into electricity policy at the EU level.

She has a BSc in biology from Carleton University in Canada, and a post grad diploma in air and water pollution control. She also has a LLM in international law in development from University of Warwick in the UK. University medal for top science graduate in 1988 and the law school prize for top law school graduate in1997.

Further information on Transition Cork City – The Resilient Rebels

Transition Cork City was started in February 2010, as the local Transition initiative of the growing international Transition movement. Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=107717519258640 or on the Transition Ireland website at http://transitiontownsireland.ning.com/group/corkcity

Death by a Thousand Cuts

2010-05-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

Press Release

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Illegal hedgerow cutting is detrimental to Irish wildlife and the Irish Wildlife Trust are
appealing to land managers to stop. Hedge cutting continues well into the summer
months but unless for reasons of health and safety this practice is prohibited by the
Wildlife Act from the 1st of March to the 31st of August every year. At this time of
year birds and mammals are breeding and flowering is providing seeds for the next
generation. Despite this is seems that Local Authorities in Ireland only start cutting
hedges in the summer months, creating eye-sores and causing untold destruction to
wildlife.

Hedgerows are essential in providing habitats and corridors for maintaining wildlife
diversity, supporting species such as badgers, owls, hedgehogs, stoats, blackbirds
and innumerable plants, butterflies and other insects. Not only are they an invaluable
reserve for much of our wildlife they are important in providing pollinators, cleaning
our air, defining our landscape, storing carbon and by holding back the flow of water
off land they can alleviate flooding.

'In spite of all these benefits, the Irish hedgerow is suffering "death by a thousand
cuts". They are frequently mismanaged, flayed to within an inch of their existence, or
simply removed during the construction of one-off houses and replaced with invasive
alien cherry laurel "a plant of no value to wildlife.' Commented Padraic Fogarty - IWT
Chairperson.

Each year the IWT encourages the public to report instances of illegal hedgerow
cutting to the IWT, which are followed up with letters to the relevant county council
and the Minister for Environment. Just email the date, location, and if possible the
name of the land manager involved and a photo to enquiries@iwt.ie

ENDS
Contact:
For further information please contact Joanne Pender, IWT Development
Officer Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Editors Notes:
The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body.
We provide the public with information about wildlife, run education and
training programs like SAC Watch and the Outdoor Classroom Programme,
carry out habitat and species surveys like the IWT National Lizard Survey,
campaign and lobby around biodiversity issues, restore natural habitats,
consult with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to maintain our natural
heritage and contribute to national and international forums for the protection
of biodiversity. The IWT is a nationwide organisation with a strong
membership base, staff and Board of Directors, with branches in Tipperary,
Clare, Limerick, Waterford and Cork.

National Spring Clean comes to Midleton

2010-04-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Midleton leg of An Taisce’s hugely successful National Spring Clean took place on Sunday 18th April jointly organised by Cork Environmental Forum and the Midleton Transition Town group.

This national event, which attracts an enormous number of volunteers all over the country every year, sees community groups and organisations take to their streets, woodlands, glens and so on determined to restore local beauty spots from forgotten and rubbish infested eyesores.

In Midleton members of the local Transition group, who work towards tackling climate change pressures and fossil fuel dependence in the local area, spent their sunny Sunday morning down by the estuary next to the Bailick Rd Park. This area has taken on the appearance of a landfill site in recent years as piles of rubbish are brought in with the high tide. Two hours flew by in a whirl of work, chat and laughter as 10 enthusiastic volunteers managed to gather an amazing 9 large rubbish bags of aluminium cans, 9 bags of plastic bottles, 11 bags of non-recyclable rubbish, 1 42-inch flat screen TV, 1 mattress, 1 sink, a handy collection of road signs and 2 car bootfuls of glass! The group would like to express their thanks to Billy Buckley and Midleton Town Council who were happy to collect the substantial pile and send for recycling where possible.

So perhaps next time you are taking a stroll in the Bailick Rd. Park you might notice how clean and beautiful the estuary is looking upstream. You might also notice that there is plenty left to be done! Members of the team are determined to come back and finish the job on the weekend of 8/9 May (morning to be decided) and are inviting the Midleton public to get involved. If you would like to express an interest in taking part, you can send a quick email to patrick@cef.ie or leave a message with your name and mobile number (so we can send text messages) on 021 4651734.

More images in our online gallery.

Labour Party Environmental NGO Forum 24th April Kinsale

2010-04-06T05:15:00.001-07:00

The Labour Party is holding a series of Environment NGO Forums this year, our first was in Dublin in the Mansion House at the end of February and you can view a report on the day here
http://www.labour.ie/blog/archive/2010/02/27/environment-and-sustainability/,

The purpose of these events is to inform Labour Party policy and to engage in dialogue with the NGO sector, and the focus is on practical discussion on the challenges facing legislators. We really appreciate
your time and look forward to meeting you and other NGOs on on the 24th April in Kinsale.

Planning for a Sustainable Future

Labour Party NGO Forum, Saturday 24th April, 10am
Trident Hotel, Kinsale, Co Cork.

Hosted by
Cllr. Tomás O'Brien, Mayor of Kinsale
Senator Michael McCarthy
Joanna Tuffy TD

10am Tea/Coffee and Registration

Introduction and Labour Spokesperson presentations
10.15am    Introduction and welcome Bronwen Maher Co-Chair Labour Party Environment and Sustainability Policy Group.

'Planning for a Sustainable Future'.
Joanna Tuffy TD, Labour Party Spokesperson on Environment and Heritage.
Senator Michael McCarthy, Spokesperson on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources; Agriculture, Community and Rural Affairs
Ciarán Lynch TD, Labour Party Spokesperson on Housing and Local Government

10.30 NGOs information and presentations from NGO on issues relating to National and Local Government policy on –

Cork Environmental Forum – introduction by Patrick Treacy
The Strategic Policy Committee system and the Environment Pillar – Phoebe Bright
Transition Town Movement 'Challenges facing the grassroots' – Klaus Harvey & Matt Mills
River Basin Management Plans – Mark Boyden Sustainable Water Network (SWAN)

11.30       Tea and Coffee break

11.50 to 12.10 – Labour Party Leader Éamon Gilmore TD (to be confirmed)
             Guest Speaker - Declan Waugh, Partnership for Change

12.10 to 1pm
Q & A Session,
Chair Bronwen Maher
Panelests:- Joanna Tuffy TD,
Senator Michael McCarthy,
Cllr Tomás O'Brien,
Ciarán Lynch TD.

Q & A session, with contributions from the floor discussing the challenges facing Government and Legislators when planning for a sustainable future.

1pm Ends

R.S.V.P. Joanna.tuffy@oireachtas.ie 20 April

Earth Hour 2010: final update

2010-03-29T06:05:00.001-07:00

MEDIA ALERT

Earth Hour Update: FINAL

As Lights Come Back On, Earth Hour's

Record Action Offers a Beacon of Hope

March 28, 2010: Sydney Australia: 19.30 AEST/ 08.30 GMT

As the lights of Apia, Samoa were turned on once again at 21.30pm local time (08.30 GMT), the citizens of the world reflected on the planet's largest collective leadership for climate action – Earth Hour 2010.

25 and three quarters hours after the first lights were turned off in Chatham Islands, the world has seen the lights go off on heritage sites, ancient and modern marvels, local cafes, schools, royal and presidential palaces, universities and backyard dinner parties.

A record 126 countries and territories, over 4,000 cities, towns and municipalities and hundreds of millions of people across the globe took part in delivering a powerful action of hope for a better, healthy planet.

Andy Ridley Co-Founder and Executive Director of Earth Hour said, "The response from citizens, businesses and government has been truly phenomenal. Crossing geographic, economic and cultural boundaries, it has brought together people from all over the planet to celebrate the one thing we all share – the place we live."

"WWF's Earth Hour, at a personal, local and global level has become a rallying point for those who want action on climate change and are prepared to be part of the solution," Ridley said.

WWF-International's Director-General Jim Leape who attended the lights out celebrations at the Forbidden City in China said, ""Tonight, hundreds of millions of people raised their voices by turning out their lights. It is a simple act, but a powerful call to action," Jim Leape said.

Around the world, Earth Hour was embraced by all walks of life, transcending race, culture, age and economics as individuals took leadership in their communities in the pursuit of a climate change solution.

United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said, "The message of Earth Hour is simple. Climate change is a concern for each of us. Solutions are within our grasp and are ready to be implemented by individuals, communities, businesses and governments around the globe."

Yolanda Kakabadse, WWF International President and Former Ecuadorian Environment Minister said, "Never doubt that decision makers will be watching what masses of people do in their homes and communities for Earth Hour. Dealing with climate change is not easy and leaders are themselves looking for leadership on the issue."

South African Nobel Peace Prize Winner, The Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "Earth Hour is an opportunity for every man, woman and child from all corners of the globe to unite and show the world that by working together we can win the battle against global warming."

Mrs. Kim Barrow, First Lady of Belize said, "The time to act is now. Tomorrow is way too late. Take responsibility and make your mark. Any other option is unacceptable."

Once again, Earth Hour was owned by the people of the planet. In Sydney, a participant at a candle lit dinner said, "(Earth Hour) is a great moment to think about our impact on the environment and our place in making a positive change for our planet. It is a great way of uniting people to act on climate change."

In Cusco, Peru, Earth Hour supporters walked the streets reminding residents to turn out their lights.

More than ever before, social media was a powerful force in spreading the message of Earth Hour. Celebrity tweets included:

Twitter's most popular tweeter, Ashton Kutcher – "Earth Hour is at 8.30. Let's shut the lights off."
Demi Moore – "Are your lights off for Earth Hour?"
Coldplay – "Get out your flashlights for Earth Hour."

While Kylie Minogue tweeted a picture of the candle she lit.

Impressions online included:

74.6 million of Earth Hour mentions on Google within 24 hours
Number 1 worldwide trending topic on Twitter for most of the 24 hours, which never fell below position 7 (at it's peak 2.2 % of all tweets were Earth Hour related)
Over 1,000 official Earth Hour photos were submitted from around the world

As the world once again freely uses its lights, Earth Hour organisers believe that actions of individuals throughout Earth Hour has demonstrated the desire that remains embedded in the hearts and minds of the people of the planet to make a difference in their everyday lives and to make every hour, earth hour.

--ends--

Switch off your lights for Earth Hour 2011

Saturday 26 March, 8.30pm-9.30pm

www.earthhour.org

Online Road Safety Video Teaches Cyclists & Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers How To Share The Road Safely

2010-03-16T04:01:00.001-07:00

nline Road Safety Video Teaches Cyclists & Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers How To Share The Road Safely

The Road Safety Authority (RSA), in association with the Department of Transport's Smarter Travel initiative, the Irish Road Haulage Association, Cyclist.ie and Dublin City Council, today launched their first ever road safety online video. The aim of the video is to help cyclists and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers become more aware of each other as they navigate Ireland's busy roads.

The six 1/2 minute video was produced to provide an educational resource to Goods vehicle drivers and cyclists on how to safely share the road, particularly in urban areas. Research has shown that over the period, 1998 to 2008:

· 144 cyclists were killed on Irish roads.

· Of these, 33% were involved in a collision with a goods vehicle.

· 30% of the collisions occurred during evening rush hour.

· The highest number of fatalities occurred in Dublin accounting for 30% of those killed.

Speaking today, Mr. Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport, wholeheartedly welcomed the video, saying it is a "really useful learning aid for cyclists and HGV drivers alike. We all share our roads, but we can sometimes forget that different types of road users have different characteristics and needs. Cyclists will welcome not only the opportunity to see the challenges that can face HGV drivers in negotiating the urban environment due to the size of their vehicles but also the commonsense safety advice that this video contains. HGV drivers will welcome this reminder of the need to be ultra cautious where there are likely to be cyclists about. And all drivers need to be ever more aware of cyclists as the Government delivers on our policy of securing a fivefold increase in cycling by 2010"

The Minister continued, "This is a very worthwhile initiative led by the Road Safety Authority. But I am particularly heartened by the collaboration that has taken place between the RSA, Cyclist.ie, the Irish Road haulage association, Dublin City Council and my Department in delivering the video. This sort of teamwork convinces me more than ever that Ireland can, and will, work together to deliver not only our cycling targets but a sustainable Smarter Travel future"

The video follows a HGV driver as he travels through Dublin's busy streets, typical of those found in other major cities and large towns in Ireland. It highlights the concerns goods vehicle drivers and in particular HGV drivers have in urban areas in relation to cyclists, illustrates the vulnerability cyclists may feel when sharing the road with goods vehicles and offers commonsense advice to HGV drivers. It also advises cyclists to be aware of the "blind zone" which prevents HGV drivers of seeing cyclists positioned to the left or close to the front of a HGV.

Noel Brett, Chief Executive, RSA, said, "We are delighted to launch this viral video as it will aid cyclists and goods vehicle drivers to understand the difficulties they face when interacting with each other on the roads. Through this viral video, we hope to encourage them to work together to make our roads a safer place not only for themselves, but for all road users".

The film is available to download from YouTube and the following websites, Road Safety Authority, Department of Transport, Dublin City Council, Local Authorities, Irish Road Haulage Association, cycling.ie and all cycling club websites throughout the country. The clip is available to all third level colleges and those who wish may use it on their website.

Please follow the link to download the film clip HGV and Cycling Safety Video. You can download Pedal Cyclists Road casualites 1998 to 2008, from the RSA website or by Clicking on the link.

Ends

For further information, please contact:
The Communications Office, Road Safety Authority – 096 25008

Brian Farrell, Communications manager -086 3881009

Notes to Editor:

A Goods vehicle is a road motor vehicle designed, exclusively or primarily, to carry goods. It is a vehicle with passengers accommodation for not more than 8 persons and having a design gross vehicle weight (GVW) over 3,500 kg.

Communications Department

Road Safety Authority

Moy Valley Business Park

Primrose Hill

Dublin Road

Ballina

Co. Mayo

(096) 25008

Death by a Thousand Cuts

2010-03-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

Press Release

8th March, 2010 Irish Wildlife Trust

Death by a Thousand Cuts

- Report illegal hedge cutting to IWT and help protect our wildlife.

Illegal hedgerow cutting is detrimental to Irish wildlife and the Irish Wildlife Trust are appealing to land managers to stop. Hedge cutting typically starts around now and continues well into the summer months but unless for reasons of health and safety this practice is prohibited by the Wildlife Act from the 1st of March to the 31st of August every year. At this time of year birds and mammals are breeding and flowering is providing seeds for the next generation. Despite this is seems that Local Authorities in Ireland only start cutting hedges in the summer months, creating eye-sores and causing untold destruction to wildlife.

Hedgerows are essential in providing habitats and corridors for maintaining wildlife diversity, supporting species such as badgers, owls, hedgehogs, stoats, blackbirds and innumerable plants, butterflies and other insects. Not only are they an invaluable reserve for much of our wildlife they are important in providing pollinators, cleaning our air, defining our landscape, storing carbon and by holding back the flow of water off land they can alleviate flooding.

'In spite of all these benefits, the Irish hedgerow is suffering 'death by a thousand cuts'. They are frequently mismanaged, flayed to within an inch of their existence, or simply removed during the construction of one-off houses and replaced with invasive alien cherry laurel – a plant of no value to wildlife.' Commented Padraic Fogarty - IWT Chairperson.

Each year the IWT encourages the public to report instances of illegal hedgerow cutting to the IWT, which are followed up with letters to the relevant county council and the Minister for Environment. Just email the date, location, and if possible the name of the land manager involved and a photo to enquiries@iwt.ie

ENDS

Contact:

For further information please contact Joanne Pender, IWT Development Officer

Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie

Editors Notes:

The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body. We provide the public with information about wildlife, run education and training programs like SAC Watch and the Outdoor Classroom Programme, carry out habitat and species surveys like the IWT National Lizard Survey, campaign and lobby around biodiversity issues, restore natural habitats, consult with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to maintain our natural heritage and contribute to national and international forums for the protection of biodiversity. The IWT is a nationwide organisation with a strong membership base, staff and Board of Directors, with branches in Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Waterford and Cork.

TWENTY TEN - PLANT AGAIN: National Tree Week 7-13 March 2010

2010-03-01T03:48:00.000-08:00

Duncan Stewart launches National Tree Week and asks us in Twenty Ten to plant again

On Monday 1 March at Farmleigh at 11.00, Duncan Stewart launched 'National Tree Week'. Organised by the Tree Council of Ireland and supported by Coillte. In recognition of the 26^th anniversary of National Tree Week from 7^th – 13^th March 2010, the theme this year is 'Twenty Ten – Plant Again', celebrating the importance of trees in our world? Over 500,000 trees have been planted as part of National Tree Week during the last 25 years and once again, this year, Coillte has supplied an additional 15,000 trees for planting, which will be distributed to schools and community groups by every local authority nationwide.

Throughout the week there are events taking place in each county, including:

Launch of Poster Exhibition by Éanna Ní Lamhna, RTE, at Charleville Mall Public library, North Strand on Wed 3 March a 12pm
Tree Walk with John Mc Loughlin, Tree Council of Ireland, Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, Sunday 7 March 10, at 3.00
Tree planting by Christy Cooney, GAA President at Clan na Gael, Ringsend on Tuesday 9 March at 11.00am

· Augustine Henry Lecture in the RDS – "Multifunctional Plantation Forestry in Atlantic Europe" by Professor (Emeritus) Ted Farrell – UCD, The Merrion Room, RDS, Thurs 11 March 10 at 7.30 pm

Launch of Tree Trail at All Hallows College by Bertie Ahern, TD at All Hallows College on Monday 8 March at 2.30 pm
Tree Planting Ceremony to celebrate Mother's Day with Éanna Ní Lamhna
& the launch of IKEA's Family Woodland Scheme at Turvey Park, Donabate on at 13 March at 11am
For details of events in your area visit www.treecouncil.ie

Helena Mc Gorman, President, Tree Council of Ireland, said: ". We selected the theme 'Twenty Ten – Plant again' to urge people to look at how important trees are in our world. Furthermore, today the importance of trees in protecting our environment, and repairing some of the damage that has been done to the earth is even more relevant. The aim of National Tree Week is to highlight the role trees play in cleaning the air, preventing the build-up of greenhouse gases, providing renewable energy and providing a source for building and furniture."

Gerard Murphy, Managing Director, Coillte Forest said "The Coillte Press Release piece is: 'One of Coillte's core values is to contribute positively to the environment and to communities and Tree Week encapsulates this value wholeheartedly. Coillte is delighted to sponsor Tree Week which will see up to 20,000 trees planted in communities by communities, trees that will provide benefits for many generations'.

-ends-

For Further Information Please Contact:

John Mc Loughlin – Tree Council of Ireland

086 250 6022

Why plant more trees?

With 10% forest cover Ireland remains one of the least forested country in Europe which has an average of 44% cover
Many of our specimen trees were planted in the 18^th and 19^th Century and are in urgent need of replacement
The strategic development plan for forestry has a target of 17% forest cover by 2030
The forest industry is worth €1.65 billion annually
It is estimated that more than 10,000 people are employed in the industry mainly in rural Ireland
More than 17,000 farmers own and manage farm woodlands
The non timber benefits of forestry include bio-diversity, carbon sequestration, wood biomass energy and recreation
Ireland's forests provide an opportunity to conserve bio-diversity at local and national level
Ireland's forest provide a potential to for wood to displace fossil fuels
Over 200,000 people use forest trails for exercise. 'Walking Tourism' brings in approx 500,000 visitors with a spend of €138k
Wood is uniquely renewable among building material

Welcome to the new CEF Media Page

2010-02-01T06:15:00.001-08:00

This page will be regularly updated with CEF Press Releases and other resources of interest to our friends in the media.

If you are looking for comment not addressed in this list, please email us at info@cef.ie. You can subscribe to this feed by clicking on the link to the left to be kept up to date on the latest CEF releases.