Government Public meetings on Sustainable Architecture policy

THE DEPARTMENT of the Environment and the Irish Architecture Foundation are to hold a series of public meetings to consult people about a new State policy on architecture, which will put more emphasis on environmental sustainability.

The new policy is being developed by a steering committee appointed by Minister for the Environment John Gormley and chaired by Prof Loughlin Kealy, who is to step down as head of the school of architecture at UCD.

The Minister said it would address key issues that have arisen since the publication of the first policy on architecture, Action on Architecture 2002-2005, by placing more emphasis on sustainable development and urban design. Mr Gormley said the public consultation exercise, called "Conversations about Architecture and the Built Environment", was critical to ensure the maximum level of public input.

Nathalie Weadick, director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, said it also saw the round of public meetings as "an essential and vital opportunity to listen to the public".

Public meetings are scheduled for Galway (May 29th), Waterford (June 3rd), Cork (June 4th), Limerick (June 5th), Carrick-on-Shannon (June 9th), Athlone (June 10th), Swords (June 11th) and Dublin (June 12th).

More information is available at www.conversationsaboutarchitecture.ie

The meeting in Cork begins at 6.30pm and ends at 8.30pm. Refreshments served at 6pm.

Places are limited for all of these events. To attend, please reserve a place by contacting Mary Colette Sheehan, Event Manager at the Irish Architecture Foundation (01) 670 8621.

Located at University College Cork's main entrance on Western Road, the Lewis Glucksman Gallery is a 10 minute walk from the city centre. It is a 40 minute walk from the train station which is well served by taxis. Buses leave from the city centre regularly, journey time 10 minutes. The No. 5 or No. 8 buses stop at UCC.

Energy Savings Open Night

An assembly of renewable energy specialists will be exhibiting on Wednesday 28th May at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow beginning at 5pm. Most of the exhibitors are cork based companies.

Solar panels, insulation experts, timber frame specialists, lighting controls, energy meters, building management systems, pellet boilers, underfloor heating, heat recovery, air tightness, geothermal...

Enquiries to Tony at tdineen@biopowerplc.com or 087 9107 817.

Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP) update: Public invitation for submissions

CASP(Cork Area Strategic Plan) (pdf  ~6738kb)

Public Invitation for Submissions Update of the Cork Area Strategic Plan Draft Strategy for Additional Economic and Population Growth 

The Cork Area Strategic Plan, CASP, originally adopted in 2001 is currently being updated.   The Cork City and County Councils have appointed a leading multi-disciplinary team of consultants led by Indecon International Economic Consultants in association with RPS Group and Savills HOK to update the plan.   The intention is that the Cork Planning Authorities will adopt the Strategy and include it within their Development Plans.

In advance of this, a draft Strategy has been prepared by the consultants and a  Public Consultation  is being carried out on the Draft Strategy. Interested members of the public are therefore invited to make submissions or observations to the consultancy team.  The closing date for receipt of the submissions is 4 p.m., Friday June 6th, 2008. 

Copies of the Draft Strategy  may be inspected and purchased (price €20), (each day excluding weekends and public holidays from 9.00am. to 4.00pm), from Monday, 19th May, 2008 at the:

1. Planning Policy Unit, Floor 13, Cork County Council, County Hall, Cork.
2. Planning Directorate public desk, Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork.
3. On the websites of Cork City Council (www.corkcity.ie ) and Cork County Council (www.corkcoco.ie )

A CD-Rom of the draft Strategy has also been prepared and is available.

Copies will also be available for inspection at the following Libraries:

1. Cork County Library Headquarters, Model Business Park, Model Farm Road, Cork and the Branch Libraries at Ballincollig, Bandon, Blarney, Carrigaline, Cobh, Fermoy, Glanmire, Kinsale, Macroom, Mallow, Midleton, Passage West and Youghal and

2. Cork City Library Headquarters, Grand Parade, Cork and City Branch
Libraries at Mayfield, Hollyhill, Douglas, St. Mary's Road, Tory Top Road and Bishopstown.

As part of this process an invitation is issued to any individuals, businesses, representative organisations or other groups to make a formal submission to the consultancy team.

Submissions should be made by email or in writing to the consultancy team by Friday 6th June, details as below:
William H. Batt,                                        
Divisional Director,                                                                              
Indecon International Economic Consultants,                                     
Indecon House,                                                                                    
Dublin 2.                                                                                              
Email:  whbatt@indecon.ie <mailto:whbatt@indecon.ie>   

or

Conall MacAongusa,
Director,
RPS Consulting Engineers,
Innishmore,
Ballincollig,
Co. Cork.
Email: conall.macaongusa@rpsgroup.com

EDA Conference on Biofuels & Food Security

Conference on June 13.

There is now a booking form on our website at the following link which you can print off and send with payment to EDA, 8 St Patrick's Terrace, Lower Glanmire Road, Cork. The cost, which includes lunch and teas/coffees, is 50 Euros/waged, 10 Euros/unwaged & students and 1 Euro asylum seekers.

 

http://www.edacork.org/Conference2008.html

 

Draft version of the conference programme:

 

 

Ethical Development Action Conference

 

Biofuels and Global Food Security

- Are they compatible?

 

Can biofuels help to reduce global warming without hindering food security in the developing world?

 

Come and hear experts from the developing and developed world give their views on this increasingly important issue

 

Friday 13 June, 2008 at the Metropole Hotel, Cork

 

Morning Session

 

9.15 - Tea and Coffee

 

9.45 – Chairperson Morning Session

 

9.50 – Biofuel Markets, Policies and World Food Trends – Stephen Thornhill, Ethical Development Action, Ireland

 

Biofuels in Developing Countries

         

10.10 - Biofuels in Brazil and South America – Camilla Moreno, Terra De Direitos, Brazil

 

10.35  - Biofuels in Ethiopia and Africa – Negusu Aklilu, Forum for the Environment, Ethiopia

 

11.00 – Tea and Coffee

 

Biofuels in the Developed World  

 

11.30          - Irish Biofuel Developments – Irish Farmers Association

 

11.50          - EU Biofuel Policies and Potential – Teagasc, Ireland

 

12.10 – EU and US Biofuel Policies in the Global Context – TBC

 

12.30 – Morning Panel - Question and Answer Session

 

End of Morning Session

 

13.00 – Buffet Lunch 1 hour

 

Afternoon session

 

14.00 – Afternoon Chairperson

 

Biofuels and Climate Change

 

14.00 – Peak Oil and the Changing Energy Environment -  Dr Colin Campbell, Association for the Study of Peak Oil

 

14.20 – Climate Change and Food Security – Tom Crowley, Trocaire

 

14.40 – New Developments in Biofuels – Jerry Murphy, University College Cork

 

15.00 – Tea and Coffee

 

Biofuels and Food Security

 

15.30 – Impact of Biofuels on Food Security and Development – Mirella Salvatore, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, Rome, Italy

 

16.00 – World Food Trends and Biofuel Policies – TBC

 

16.30 – Afternoon Panel - Question and Answer Session

 

17.00 – Chairpersons Summaries

 

Thankyou from EDA

 

End of Conference

www.edacork.org

 

Cork City Council promotes Bike to Work Week 24th - 31st May 2008

Cork City Council promotes Bike to Work Week

24^th – 31^st May 2008

 

Cork City Council is promoting Bike to Work Week from May 24^th to May 31^st as one of a calendar of initiatives the Council is undertaking to promote cycling for an EU project called "Trendy Travel". 

 

The aim of the initiative is to devote one week to promote cycling amongst workers in local businesses. To this end, three initiatives have been organized.

 

1. The first is a "Back on your Bike" event to encourage adults and teens to cycle on the streets of Cork city.  To assist, free "Cycle Safety Skills Training" is being offered on Saturday 26^th May in Mahon. There will be a choice of one-on-one beginner sessions or group refresher sessions (all participants must pre-book with the Traffic Division, Cork City Council by May 20^th).

 

2. The second event targets employers. It is a lunchtime seminar on how employers can incorporate cycling provisions into their Mobility Management Plans. Promoting cycling at work is an integral part of corporate mobility management planning. At the moment all businesses applying for planning permission are required to submit a Mobility Management Plan but the requirements to develop and implement sustainable Mobility Management Plans are likely to be more widely applied under forthcoming legislation.

 

To learn more about incorporating cycling provisions into Mobility Management Plans people are invited to come along to a lunchtime event on this topic on 26^th May from 12:30 pm to 2pm in the Imperial Hotel, South Mall, Cork.  A light lunch will be served based on the pre-registered attendance.

 

3. The third event is "The Cycle-To-Work Challenge". All businesses/workplaces participating in this challenge can have their company profile uploaded onto Cork City Council's website www.corkcity.ie and the workplace that makes the most effort to promote cycling will receive an award at the annual CEF Environmental Awards.^[1]

To enter it is suggested that employees form groups of four, preferably including a mix of regular and irregular or novice cyclists. Team members record how many miles they cycle each day during the week and record this on a chart displayed in the workplace. Results can also be submitted to Cork City Council for upload on-line. Where there are several teams within the workplace, the Council recommends that the best team be awarded a prize by the employer. The Trendy Travel team in Cork City Council can help by providing bells, helmets and mileage counters upon request e.g. for prizes etc. The City Council is also offering free use of rented bikes for the week to those who would like to try a new bike.

 

Information and Registration Forms for all events are available on-line on www.corkcity.ie (see Our Services / Roads & Transportation / Traffic Division) or from traffic@corkcity.ie

 

 

Further information on Cork City Council's Bike to Work Week is available from the Traffic Division, Roads & Transportation, tel: 021 4924452.

 

 

 

ANCILLIARY INFORMATION

 

A "Bike to Work Week" is promoted in different countries around the World in May or June. (For a selection of English speaking sites see www.biketoworkweek.org or www.bikeweek.org.uk;) In Denmark they devote a whole month to the "We Bike to Work" Campaign which encouraged 8,000 people to get back to cycling last year!

 

Feedback:

 

Cork City Council's Traffic Division welcomes feedback and ideas on ways to improve provision for cyclists.

 

It is acknowledged that Cork city does not have the same cycling infrastructure as cities in the Netherlands or Denmark.  In many cases the city's streets are just too narrow to accommodate cycle lanes, however Cork City Council has designed 10 Green Routes with prioritisation for bus/cycle lanes where possible. There are also plans in the pipeline for some contra-flow cycles lanes to make  the one-way system a little  easier for cyclists to negotiate, but again the Council will record and consider all specific suggestions for locating more cycle friendly measures- traffic calming, toucan crossings, advanced stop-lines / cycle-lanes etc.

Why Bother?

As an employer the benefits of more staff cycling are:

 

b                People who cycle to work regularly are more productive: they arrive at work more alert and less stressed

b                Cycling employees take less time off sick than non-cycling employees

b                Less space is required for car parking (financial advantage),

b                Cyclists are less likely to be late – cycling journey times are more predictable

b                A pro-cycling company is seen as being a more caring and environmentally aware employer

 

The employer also profits indirectly from the wider socio-economic and environmental benefits:

 

Environmental/City Benefits:

Wide ranging benefits of reduced traffic are:

b                More cyclists means less air pollution/noise pollution

b                More cyclists make our city more attractive to visit

b                More cyclists makes Cork city more attractive for investment – lower travel costs

 

Ireland's Biodiversity: a Multi-billion Euro Asset new DoE report

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr John Gormley, T.D., has today announced the publication of a study investigating the social and economic aspects of biodiversity in Ireland. 

To read the full report, click on the following link:

http://www.environ.ie/en/Heritage/NationalParksandWildlife/Biodiversity/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,17321,en.pdf

The report, produced by a consortium led by Dr Craig Bullock of Optimize Consulting, considered a number of key sectors including agriculture, forestry, infrastructure development, human health and climate change.  By drawing a comparison between the value of ecosystem services provided by biodiversity and the cost of implementing biodiversity protection policies, the authors established a marginal value of biodiversity to Ireland of at least €2.6 billion per annum. 

 
Minister Gormley also advised that the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government would be preparing a revised Biodiversity Strategy for Ireland during 2008 and this new report highlights the need for a strong engagement from both the public and private sectors.

Cork Cycling Festival / Cycling Advocacy Meeting

Cork Cycling Festival Committee is in the process of organising a
public meeting on cycling to be organised by and held at University
College Cork on Monday 21 July 2008.

This two-hour public meeting will open the Festival.

The "Cycling Advocacy Meeting" should present various points of view
on the "cycling experience in the city", focus on local issues and
positive experiences and stay attractive enough for the curious non
cyclists.

The Committee is looking for a few more (local) speakers. If you
think you might be interested in taking part, please contact
leonard_gay@corkcity.ie