Dec 22, 2009

Programme of SWAN Advisory Council Nominee Selection Meetings & notice for the meetings



Dear All,

 

As you know, the call for nominees for the new Advisory Councils is expected in February and SWAN will again be co-ordinating the selection of the environmental nominees to the Councils.  To do this, we are organising a series of selection meetings around the country – one in each RBD, in conjunction with SWAN members, as agreed at the SWAN plenary.  The schedule for most of the meetings is finalised. Please see the details below.  Please also see below a notice for the meetings.  This is for your own information and also to circulate to your members.  We would especially like to thank all the SWAN groups who agreed to co-host a meeting with SWAN in their RBD.

 

It would be very much appreciated if you could put the date relevant to your RBD into your diary. We would kindly like to ask you to circulate the draft notice below to your members to attend the meetings and please promote it:

Ø      To members of your organisation in your RBD - with an email notice and/or inclusion in your newsletter and some follow-up calls to key members to motivate them to attend

Ø      To other local / RBD eNGO contacts you may have in the region

 

We will be sending a two-page briefing sheet, outlining the role of the Advisory Council and including background information on the WFD and the River Basin Management Plans for circulation to your members, in the first week of January.

 

In the meantime we would like to encourage you to put one or more of your members forward.

 


 

Programme of SWAN Advisory Council Nominee Selection Meetings:

 

South Western RBD:

§         Cohost: Cork Environmental Forum

§         When: Tuesday, 19th January at 7pm

§         Where: Cork City, the Gresham Metropole hotel, MacCurtain Street in Cork

 

South Eastern RBD:

§         Cohost: An Taisce & Coastwatch

§         When: Thursday, 21st January

§         Where: Enniscorthy (venue to be confirmed)

 

Eastern RBD:

§         Cohost: An Taisce

§         When: Monday, 25th January

§         Where: Dublin City, Central hotel, Exchequer street, Dublin 2

 

Shannon RBD:

§         Cohost: SOLR

§         When: Tuesday, 26th January

§         Where: Athlone, Shamrock Lodge hotel, Clonown Rd, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

 

Western RBD:

§         Cohost: CMCWPG

§         When: Wednesday, 27th January at 8pm

§         Where: Galway City, Galway Bay hotel, The Promenade, Salthill, Co. Galway

 

North Western RBD: TBC

§         Cohost: Save the Swilly (TBC)

§         When: Tuesday, 2nd February (TBC)

§         Where: TBC

 

Neagh Bann RBD:

§         Cohost: Ballybay Wetlands Centre

§         When: Wednesday, 3rd February

§         Where: Monaghan, Ballybay; Ballybay Wetlands Centre, Derryvalley Farm, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan

 


 

Having a Say on new Water Advisory Councils

 

Nationwide Meetings to select Environmental Representatives for new River Basin Water Advisory Councils

 

 

Environmental Reps. for New Water Advisory Councils

The Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) is co-hosting, with its member environmental groups* a series of meetings nationwide to select the environmental representatives to go forward for seven water Advisory Councils; one in each of seven regions (River Basin Districts) throughout the country.

 

 

Text Box: What's the purpose of the meetings and who should attend?  The purpose of the meeting is to select the best nominees from the environmental community to represent the environment sector on the water Advisory Councils.   If you are interested in how the rivers, lakes, bays and groundwater of your region are managed and you would like a say in who should represent the environment sector on the new Water Advisory Councils, to promote sustainable water management, then this meeting is for you.  You may even be interested in putting yourself forward for the Council.  If so, then your participation in one of these meetings is particularly welcome. Contact info@swanireland.ie for all the information you need.

 

River Basin Planning - Participation of Environmental Groups

River Basin Management Plans for the rivers; lakes; coastal and groundwaters of the country will come into force in 2010.  These will set out measures to get the waters of all seven regions up to good status, as required by European law (the Water Framework Directive).  Past experience shows that implementation of these Plans is far from guaranteed and that vigilance on the part of environmental groups will be necessary to ensure words translate into action.

 

Water Advisory Councils in each region provide an opportunity for us to participate in, and ensure the best implementation of the Plans.

 

What are the Water Advisory Councils?

These are statutory bodies set up in 2005 to provide an opportunity for public input into the river basin management process.  They are made up of Councillors from all the local authorities in each River Basin District[1]and stakeholder representatives of various interests including farming; business; recreation and water protection. Their role is to consider matters relating to the river basin management process and other matters relevant to the protection and use of the aquatic environment and to advise and make recommendations on these matters to the relevant public authorities.

 

Selection Process

The term of the first Councils finished in early 2009 and a public call for stakeholder nominees for new councils is expected in mid February 2010.  SWAN, in conjunction with its member organisations, will be co-ordinating the selection of nominees to go forward to the water Advisory Councils, through this series of facilitated meetings. Anyone who is interested in who will represent the environment sector on these Councils and would like to participate in the process of selecting these representatives in their region is encouraged to attend.



[1] For example the South Eastern RBD comprises Counties Carlow, Wexford, Kilkenny, Waterford, South Tipperary, Laois, North Tipperary, Kildare, Offaly, Wicklow, Limerick, Cork and Waterford City Council.
 

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
 
Many thanks and kind regards,
 
Bojana Ferjan
 
SWAN Network Support and Administrative Officer
SWAN (Sustainable Water Network)
9 Upper Mount Street
Dublin 2
01 6425583
bojana@swanireland.ie
www.swanireland.ie

Dec 17, 2009

Water Quality in Ireland 07/08 & Climate Change, Heritage and Tourism

 

Two new reports have been published. These are:

 

§         “WATER QUALITY IN IRELAND 2007 – 2008: Key Indicators of the Aquatic Environment”. It can be downloaded here  

§         “Climate Change, Heritage and Tourism: Implications for Ireland’s Coast and Inland Waterways”. It can be downloaded here.

 

Thanks to Bojana Ferjan at SWAN Ireland for the above.

www.swanireland.ie

 

International Institute for Environment and Development, December 2009




Newsletter of the International Institute for Environment and Development

December 2009

comment icon

After more than a week in Copenhagen, and a couple more days to go, its anyone's guess what will come out of this landmark summit. At one level, we can be sure that some sort of deal will be stitched together, as it's not really possible to get presidents and prime ministers together and not come up with something. But there has been no sense of high ambition on the scale of greenhouse gas cuts required, nor need for serious finance to bring about the shift to the low-carbon economy politicians are so fond of talking about.

Meanwhile, for many of the non-governmental actors who arrived this week, it has been impossible to get into the Bella Center—'climate central'—with queues taking 4, 5 and even 8 hours, and now severe limits on entry. Once inside this giant hangar-like space, it resembles an airport where all the flights have been cancelled and people rush in groups from one foyer to another. The occasional round of applause can heard from distant rooms, while the giant plenary space remains empty and expectant.

The countries most vulnerable to climate change, such as the least developed nations and small island states, are getting impatient at the unwillingness of rich countries to make significant commitments on cuts to greenhouse gases, of greater importance to them than money for adaptation.

As President Nasheed of The Maldives made clear at the panel session on Monday that was part of IIED's Development and Climate Days event in Copenhagen, the 'acceptable' level of global warming depends hugely on where you are. A target of 2 degrees Celsius may be all right for some in the Northern hemisphere, but too much for countries such as his, which face disappearing under the waves.

We are all awaiting the news of how bold our leaders are prepared to be. The huge crowds in the streets of Copenhagen have sent a loud message, and the science remains unequivocal.

Now's the time and Copenhagen's the place!

Let me take the opportunity of wishing you all a happy and sustainable 2010.

Camilla Toulmin, Director of IIED


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tel: +44 (0) 20 7388 2117, fax: +44 (0) 20 7388 2826
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Dec 14, 2009

Birdwatch West Cork event


To celebrate the end of the rain Westcork Birdwatch will be having an extra outing in December which is in addition to those published in Wings magazine.

Date 17th Decenber - this Thursday
Time 11.00 am
Location The Gearagh.
This is an extensive area of lowland wetland near Macroom. At the moment it is the home to thousands of wildfowl.

Meet at the main entrance to the Gearagh about 3/4 mile from Macroom on the road to Inchygelagh (on the left). Bring packed lunch which we will probably eat in the new hide which has been built. Also wellies might be a good idea ( not to eat ! )
For better directions ring Peter Wolstenholme 023 8846239, or if you get lost on the way mobile 0872204841

 

Dec 9, 2009

Large scale renewable energy projects Tuesday 15th December

The following event is open to everyone with an interest, not just Engineers,
and it is free too. For further details visit the website as follows:

http://www.iei.ie/community/regions/cork/


Large scale renewable energy projects
Date:
15th December, 2009
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork
Admission: Free. All welcome.

About the speaker: Sean Doyle, BE C.Eng MIEI, Associate Director, Malachy
Walsh and Partners

About the event: This fascinating presentation will outline a number of
large scale energy projects throughout the world and will specifically
cover projects currently being undertaken by Malachy Walsh & Partners. Some
interesting facts will be presented relating to:

tidal energy
the nature of tidal cycles
how the production of tidal energy will ultimately increase the length of
the mean solar day

Contact: Kevin Murray, Cork region committee
E: kevin@kevinjmurray.com





Dec 4, 2009

Environ 2010 Hosted by LIT and ESAI Registration Online Now Open


Limerick Institute of Technology partner with ESAI to host ENVIRON 2010

REGISTRATION ONLINE NOW OPEN - http://www.esaiweb.org/esai_conferences.php

 

Limerick IT, Moylish Park

Wednesday, 17th – Friday, 19th February, 2010

 

Limerick Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the Environmental Science Association of Ireland (ESAI), will host the 20th Irish Environmental Researchers' Colloquium - ENVIRON 2010 – from Wednesday, 17th to Friday, 19th February 2010.

 

Download the Environ 2010 flyer http://www.esaiweb.org/documents/conferences/2010_environ/environ_2010_flyer.pdf

 

The ENVIRON colloquium is Ireland's largest annual environmental conference which aims to link environmental researchers with important environmental issues and concerns; its principal objective is to nurture and promote environmental research and associated innovative technologies.

 

LITs Department of Applied Science is celebrates it's thirtieth anniversary this year and is organising ENVIRON 2010 in collaboration with the ESAI. 

 

Two workshops (free to delegates) will be held during the colloquium, covering the topics of: Wastewater Treatment Plants (The Drivers, Practicalities and New Technologies) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Environmental Management.

 

The organising committee invite submissions of abstracts from industrialists, academics and researchers in the following thematic areas:

 

  • Climate Change & Energy;
  • Ecology & Biodiversity;
  • Sustainable Management of Natural and Built Environment;
  • Environmental Entrepreneurship;
  • Environmental Management and Monitoring (inc. policy & law).

 

In order to ensure a high standard at the colloquium, all abstracts will be reviewed. The full delegate fee is €250 and Student/Reduced/OAP Delegate Fee is €100 and Conference Banquet at the Raddisson Blu Limerick on Thursday 18th is €45. Registration for ENVIRON 2010 and abstract submission is now available at http://www.esaiweb.org/esai_conferences.php.  For your convenience payment by credit card is also available this year. 

 

We look forward to welcoming you to Limerick!

 

 
Sinead Macken.
 
On behalf of the Environ 2010 organising committee
 
Sinead Macken                                                           Dr Josephine Treacy
ESAI Conference Liaison                                              LIT Conference Liaison
Stonehaven, Moy Road, Kinvara, Co. Galway              Dept. of Applied Science, LIT, Moylish Park, Limerick                                
Email: administrator@esaiweb.org                             Email: Josephine.Treacy@lit.ie                    
Tel: 086-8071498                                                         Tel: 061-213111              


Dec 2, 2009

LA21 Environmental Partnership fund 2009 - successful applicants

Full list of successful applicants in the Cork City and County areas to the LA21 Environmental Partnership fund 2009 can be found here:

http://www.cef.ie/Downloads/CorkLA21funding2009.pdf

Congratulations to all!

Dec 1, 2009

European Transition Town Conference

Dear friends from transition initiatives all over Europe,

we are planning a "European Transition Town Conference" as a camp for
next year. It will happen from Wednesday, May 19th to Monday, May
24th, 2010. We invite people from Transition Town initatives and those
interested in the Transition Town movement from all over Europe to
gather in the spring of 2010. The camp will be held in the ecovillage
of Sieben Linden in Northern Germany - an impressive example for a
newly built resilient village (www.siebenlinden.de).

For all who havn't heard about Transition Towns yet: www.transitiontowns.org

About 150 activists from Transition Town initiatives from all over
Europe will come to share their experiences, learn new methods, get to
know each other.and have fun!

For more detailled information about the conference and to
preregister, please visit
http://www.siebenlinden.de/content.php?p=9965

FUNDING OF TOTAL COSTS: It is for residents of the EU others than
Germans to apply for a Grundtvig-grant for the conference - that grant
includes the course fee, a lump sum for food and lodging and the
travel expenses. But you have to apply soon! (In Germany, the deadline
would be January 15th, but it can differ from country to country. For
more detailled information about the
funding, please visit http://www.siebenlinden.de/content.php?p=9971).

Because of the tight deadline we ask you to spread these news in your
networks as soon as possible and to ask all people that might be
interested to preregister and to apply for the funding. It is a unique
possibility to participate in an interesting conference about the
transition movement, to get to know the ecovillage of Sieben Linden
and to share your experiences with other initiatives from all
over Europe. And all that - if you get the funding - without any costs!

We are looking forward to meeting you all in Sieben Linden next year!

For all Germans reading this mail, check for prices for German
participants in February 2010, they will be different/cheaper then!

Sincerely,
Julia Kommerell (Sieben Linden)
Eva Stützel (Sieben Linden)
Steffen Andreae (Niederkaufungen)


-----------------------------------------------
Neue Telefonnummer und Postleitzahl!!!
Julia Kommerell
Sieben Linden 1
38489 Beetzendorf OT Poppau
Tel: 039000-903903
julia.kommerell@siebenlinden.de
www.siebenlinden.de

Pedal Powered Christmas Party


Cork Cycling Campaign

Cork Community Bikes

and

Cork Cycling Arts Festival

in association with Blackrock Castle Observatory

Invite you to a

Pedal Powered Christmas Party

 

 
 

 

What?                  A bike ride and film night

When?                 Monday 7th December

Where?                Meeting Daunt Square @ 7:15pm

Who?                  All welcome to join the cycle and party.

Films?                 Filmed By Bike, Delivered by Santa!

Dress?                 Festive!

Party?                  Mulled wine and drinks available from La Trattoria bar after movies!


Is been a great year for cycling. Come celebrate!

Cycle with us or meet us there.


IMPORTANT: cyclists who take part in the cycle from Daunt square are responsible for their own safety and release and discharge the event organisers and associated partners from any and all claims, demands, actions and/or liabilities on account of any injury to them or damaged or stolen items of equipment which may occur from any cause whatsoever, including negligence or other fault on the part of anyone released hereunder, during their participation in or transportation to or from said ride.





CEF Press Release: Cork Environmental Forum Awards Tues 8th Dec

NEWS

CEF will be holding its annual end-of-year Environmental Awards on the evening of Tuesday 8th December in the Firkin Crane, Shandon (map).

The evening will start with a special festive Green Drinks from 6.30 to 7.30pm (also in the Firkin Crane) to thank all our members, friends and colleagues for their support during the year.  The award presentations will begin at 7.45pm and will finish before 9pm.
CEF Awards 2008
CEF has been presenting Environmental Awards based on the nominations of its members for many years and it continues to be one of our most popular events of the year.  The intention is to acknowledge the positive work being done all over the county and across society by groups and individuals.  Winners in the past have included the Transition Town initiative, Slow Food, the UCC Archaeological Survey team, they City and County Heritage units, Munster Wholefoods, Klee Paper, Ecover, Local Development companies and many more deserving recipients...

This year CEF will be presenting the following awards:

Business & Commercial Award: AVEGO

This superb Kinsale company started an international car sharing service using the ubiquitous iPhone as a platform for their product.  The application allows drivers and passengers to connect with each other in real time with highest standards of convenience, security and user-friendliness.

Public Sector: CORK MAIN DRAINAGE SCHEME

Although completed in 2006, the environmental benefits of this project are becoming very apparent now with more and more people using the river for leisure and amenity purposes.  The award will be presented to Noel O'Keeffe, County Engineer and Kevin Terry, City Engineer on behalf of both local authorities.

Community & Voluntary: NANO NAGLE CENTRE/KILLAVULLEN FARMERS MARKET

The Nano Nagle Centre near Mallow has been a centre for spirituality and sustainability in the county for many years.  The centre itself has concentrated on installing a range of eco-friendly systems and has provided inspiration for many through the variety of sustainable living activities they run throughout the year.  The Farmers Market which operates on the organic farm there was founded on the ethos of sustanability after a conference on the 'Food we Buy' run by the North Cork Organic Group eight years ago to provide a market for good local food.

Individual Action: DR. COLIN CAMPBELL

Dr. Campbell is the founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas Ireland - a non-profit network of scientists, affiliated with a wide array of global institutions and universities, having an interest in determining the date and impact of the peak and decline of the world's production of oil and gas - and is a well known and respected authority on the subject.  His tireless work has been instrumental in stimulating debate and increasing exposure of this sensitive topic.


We hope to see you there on the night to share a mulled wine/apple juice and some positive stories!

 

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

Cork Environmental Forum are also on:

CEF on FacebookCEF on TwitterCEF on Linked inCEF on YouTube

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Cork Environmental Forum Management Committee (2009-10)

Michael Hobbs (Chair) - Public Pillar
Kieran McDonogh (Vice-chair) - Business & Commercial Pillar
Bernie Connolly (Treasurer) - Community & Voluntary Pillar
William DeTuncq (Asst. Treasurer) - Business & Commercial Pillar
Anna Aherne - Individual Pillar
Barry Hurley - Individual Pillar
Mary Barrett - Public Pillar
Niall Leahy - Business & Commercial Pillar
Richard Delahunty - Individual Pillar
Tony Cain - Individual Pillar

Patrick Treacy (Staff) Development Coordinator
Éanna Dowling (Staff) Education & Community Project Officer

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

Cork Environmental Forum representatives (2009-10)

Kieran McDonogh: Coillte Social & Environmental Panel Cork District
Michael Hobbs: Coillte Social & Environmental Panel SW Peninsulas District

Lynn Daley: Cork County Heritage Forum
Eva O'Connell: Cork City Heritage Forum

David Lee: Sustainable Water Network (SWAN)

Patrick Treacy: South and East Cork Area Development Partnership Ltd

Patrick Treacy: Common Purpose Local Advisory Group

Phoebe Bright: Cork City Development Board
Kieran McDonogh: Cork City Planning and Development Strategic Policy Committee
Noel Howley: Cork City Recreation, Amenity and Culture Strategic Policy Committee

...and the following who have been nominated as representatives of the Environmental Pillar on County Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs)and await confirmation of their positions.

Barry Hurley (formerly of Cork City Environment SPC)
Bernie Connolly (formerly of West Cork Urban Housing, Sanitation, Social Cultural, Recreational & Communication SPC)
Mike Holden (formerly of Cork County Environment SPC)
Niall Leahy


Press Release - IWT Working with Nature is the Best Flood Defence

Press Release
30th November, 2009

Irish Wildlife Trust – Working with Nature is the Best Flood Defence

The current flooding crisis is a human disaster but it is also an environmental one - and one that has been building for a long time. We are now feeling the brunt of a 'perfect storm' caused by historical environmental degradation, poor planning by local authorities and climate change. The Irish Wildlife Trust are campaigning strongly that ecology, good planning and adaptation to climate change must be central to how we approach solutions to this terrible problem.

An immediate step that must be taken is to ensure that no development takes place on natural flood plains. This needs to be included in the 2009 Planning Bill, which currently exempts wetland drainage from planning permission. Wetlands capture carbon, retain water, support wildlife and are a natural flood defence, this should be utilized. Numerous wetlands that were illegally filled in over the years need to be returned to wetland so that we have a greater buffer and improve our natural defences. This is cheaper than the current haphazard strategy of building more flood defences.

'If there's anything we can learn from this disaster its that we need to work with nature, not against it', commented Padraic Fogarty IWT Chairman.

If climate change is left unchecked what are now freak weather events will become more and more common. Measures need to be taken to stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, major government backing of the 10:10 climate change campaign and implementing carbon tax are necessary. Increased native tree cover, particularly in the Shannon, Lee basins and degraded uplands, where the clear felling of inappropriate conifer plantations causes soil compaction, all have a role to play in lessening the impact of flooding in future years. Trees prevent sediment run off and forests hold and use more water than farms. Tree roots absorb water and tree leaves reduce raindrop impact and some rainwater stays on the leaves meaning less run off.

The IWT and other environmental groups will continue to lobby the government to take action. In the mean time everyone has a part they can play at home, school or work. Examine your premises and see if it can hold more water for a slower release. Pond creation, planting native trees and rain barrels help as they soak up water. Concrete patios and driveways just exacerbate the flooding problem and lead to faster water run off.

To find out more about wetlands visit www.iwt.ie , you can also become a member of the Irish Wildlife Trust and support our work.

 
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 Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and Cork.
 
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








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