The Anne Behan Community Sustainability Award for Transition Initiatives will be presented every year by Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, to the community in Ireland which, in the opinion of a panel of judges, has done most to build local resilience, economic self-reliance, to strengthen itself socially and culturally and to protect and enhance its natural environment.
The annual Awards, which are presented by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) and sponsored by ESB Customer Supply, encourage, recognise and reward excellence in energy management in the industrial, commercial and public sectors.
Transition Towns CorkCork Institue of Technology, Bishopstown Saturday 30th May, 10am - 4pm
This event is aimed at anyone (you don't have to be from Cork!) interested in the transition process, whether already involved or wishing to start a new initiative. It is an excellent opportunity to learn about the transition model from established groups and to network with a host of like-minded and fascinating individuals all determined to explore sustainable community responses to peak oil and climate change.
The Search is on to Find Ireland's Best School and Community Biodiversity Gardens.
An award scheme has been launched to find and recognise Ireland's most environmentally friendly school and public gardens. All gardens that are open to the public or run by the community are entitled to enter as well as gardens in primary and second level schools. The awards are run by Corrin Hill Ice Cream in conjunction with BirdWatch Ireland. Further information and entry forms are available on www.corrinhill.ie.
The aim of the awards is to find the gardens that benefit the environment most by protecting biodiversity. Biodiversity is being lost at an increasingly rapid pace with more and more animals and plants becoming extinct or endangered each year. Scientists warn that the decline in biodiversity will pose a serious threat to people and to the environment as all species are part of the intricate web of life and depend on others for their survival. We depend on other species for food, clean water, clean air, medicines, fuel and building materials.
Ireland along with countries throughout the EU and around the world has committed to halting the decline in biodiversity by 2010 and everyone is being asked to play a part. "We became involved with this campaign to try to help raise awareness of the simple steps people can take to help halt the loss in biodiversity", said Thea Murphy, managing director at Corrin Hill Ice Cream. "The awards are now in their third year and the focus this year is on finding and acknowledging the schools and communities that are actively helping to halt the loss of Ireland's precious biodiversity through gardening. We want to find the best gardens and tell people about them and let people go to see them so that they can learn about the simple steps they can take in their own gardens to protect the other creatures we share this planet with. We hope to see lots of entries from all areas of the country", she concluded.
"We are delighted to be involved with this award scheme again this year", said Oran O'Sullivan, chief executive at BirdWatch Ireland. "The focus for the past two years was on household gardens, we now want to move it to schools and public or community gardens. Protecting birds, wildlife and the plants that give them food and shelter is essential for the survival of wildlife and also for us. Many people forget that we could not survive without our non-human neighbours and we have developed an interdependency with them over thousands of years that our current lifestyles are destroying. We need to learn how to co-exist better with wildlife and plants and we hope that by finding and highlighted schools and communities that are doing better at protecting biodiversity, we will help encourage more to use their gardens and homes to help the environment rather than damage it", he continued.
Note to editors: Corrin Hill Ice Cream is made in Fermoy, Co Cork in the traditional way using fresh local ingredients including milk, cream, sugar and fruit. It is a full dairy ice cream containing only natural ingredients and is free from artificial preservatives. It is available in a variety of flavours and packs at local shops and supermarkets throughout the country.
BirdWatch Ireland is the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland. Its aim is the conservation of wild birds and their natural habitats. Established in 1968, it currently has over 14,000 members and supporters and a local network of over 20 branches nationwide. It owns or manages an increasing number of reserves which protect threatened habitats and the birds that rely on them, produces several publications dealing with birds and nature conservation in Ireland, and carries out educational and survey work. For more details, visit www.birdwatchireland.ie.
10 THINGS TO DO TO HELP HALT THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
1. Plant native or old fashioned traditional plants, shrubs and trees that provide nectar and food for a wide range of birds, butterflies and other wildlife. 2. Cut down on chemicals - use environmentally friendly weed and pest control. 3. Learn how to create a healthy eco-system in your garden it's healthier and will be easier to maintain once established. 4. Go organic - use organic plant food and compost. 5. Grow some organic fruit and vegetables - a strawberry plant or a small fruit tree is a delicious start. 6. Grow your own organic salad leaves and herbs in pot or a special patch. 7. Learn to enjoy a slightly wilder, natural garden and leave seed heads on flowers over the winter to feed the birds and offer shelter for insects. 8. Plant a wildflower bed - it looks wonderful and is easy to do. 9. Put up a nest box to provide a home for birds. 10. Supply water in a pond or birdbath for your fellow earthlings – birds will reward you with song!
Coillte is continuing its consultation process on our Forest Management Plans (FMP’s). In doing so, we wish to ensure local participation in the planning process, and once again we are looking for your help. To those of you who made submissions in relation to the pre-planning stage of Forest Management Plans (FMP’s), once again we would like to take this opportunity to thank you. Anyone who sent in a submission in relation to the FMP’s are now added to our stakeholder database. Please note consultation submissions will be available to others and therefore are not confidential, and if you do not wish to remain on our stakeholder list or wish to withdraw a comment/submission then please inform us.
We are now entering phase two of our consultation process, and have a number of our forest management plans in draft format on our Coillte website (www.coillte.ie).
ØTo check if your local forest management plan (FMP) is available in draft format check the forest schedule on (www.coillte.ie). The consultation period for these draft plans is 4 weeks (from 18th May, 2009 – 12th June, 2009).
ØIf your local FMP is not listed just now, it is still being formulated and the draft plan will be available for viewing on the website in late Summer/Autumn 2009.
ØTo see more details on the Forest Management Planning review process click on our website www.coillte.ie.
We will acknowledge your submissions and endeavor to incorporate them into our plans, however because forest management is quite a complex process, in some cases we will not be able to change our plans to reflect all submissions received. In these cases, we will attempt to explain the reasons. In this way we can all continue to benefit from the unique set of natural resources which are vested with Coillte to be managed for multiple end uses. We manage the forest estate according to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) principals and in doing so we balance the social, economic and environmental aspects of our business.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this planning process and we look forward to working with you again to endeavor that our forests are managed for Coillte and the community.
Yours sincerely
Caroline Wilkie
Coillte Consultation Team
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"Charitable Fundraising in an Economic Downturn" Geraldine Prizeman and Siobhán McGee
This timely research is the first of its kind to explore fundraising activity among Irish nonprofit organisations and the perceived impact of the current economic climate on those activities. The seminar will present the findings and consider the implications for charities and explore possible responses. The seminar will be chaired by Sheila Nordon, Executive Director, Irish Charities Tax Research.
Who should attend? Heads of Fundraising, CEOs, Senior Managers and all with an interest in Irish charities
In light of the economic downturn, Irish Charities Tax Research and The Ireland Funds collaborated with the Centre for Nonprofit Management, Trinity College to conduct research to explore how nonprofits in Ireland are experiencing the impact of constrained economic circumstances. This research, which was carried out in February 2009, targeted CEOs, Financial Directors and Heads of Fundraising in order to examine how they are managing their voluntary income and their donor relationships. It also looked at how nonprofits are responding to the challenge in adjusting their strategies for 2009 and beyond. A total of 267 organisations participated in the study by completing an on-line survey.
Centre for Nonprofit Management School of Business Trinity College Dublin 2
The use of renewable energy sources to produce electricity at a local level is gaining huge momentum globally.
In Ireland, owners of micro-generators can now:
• Connect their solar or wind power systems to the grid; • Generate a revenue from exporting their surplus power; • Receive financial support for their investment in micro-generation.
If you want to find out more, you will be interested in our one-day training workshop. This workshop has been designed to provide you with the practical knowledge required to plan a small-scale solar or wind power project and to assess its viability.
Following the huge success of our previous courses, we are launching three new dates with the next one taking place at the Menlo Park Hotel in Galway on 22nd May, then at the University of Limerick on 29th May and the Lifetime Lab in Cork on 5th June – see full details and registration form attached. Please note that places are limited to 20 to ensure a focused learning experience and we therefore encourage you to register as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.
Delap and Waller EcoCo Limited: Integrated Sustainable Design Consultants is a joint venture between Delap and Waller Mechanical & Electrical Consulting Engineers Limited and EcoCo: Sustainable Building Consultants.
Tuesday 12th May 2009 From a Bang to a Whimper: Celebrating Differing Views of the Universe Venue: Schrödinger Theatre, Fitzgerald Building Time 10.00am - 5.00pm Free
Of Telescopes and a Moon Landing – Two Important Anniversaries
WHS Monck Observatory Visit
Poetry Reading: Heavens Above! The Poetry of Space (followed by Q+A)
Exploding Stars: What Supernovae Tell Us about the Universe
'You Cannot Change the Laws of Physics: Physics in SciFi TV/Movies'
Wednesday 13th May 2009 Trinity Week Academic Symposium Low Carbon Society: Waste Not Want Not in association with TrinityHaus Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre, Arts Building Time: 9.00am - 5.30pm Free Chaired by Mr.John Tierney, City Manager, Dublin City Council.
Opening address - Mr Eamon Ryan, TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
Sustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air - Prof David MacKay, Cambridge University
How Green are Bio-fuels? - Prof Mike Jones, TCD
Nega Watts: An Antidote to the Eco-Bling - Howard Liddell, Gaia Architects
Transportation: How Sustainable is Sustainability? - Prof Nick Tyler, University College London
Recovery or Reappraisal - Low Carbon Society - Harry Eyres, Financial Times Journalist
Sustainable Waste Management: Science and engineering of landfills, Prof William Powrie, Southampton University
Dig and Dump: The wasteful way for treating polluted land - Prof Mark Dyer, TCD
Thursday 14th May 2009 James MacCullagh (1809-1847) Life & Achievements Symposium Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street Time: 10.30am - 5pm
The event is dedicated to the bicentenary of one of the greatest Irish Mathematicians and physicists, James MacCullagh who held the Mathematics and Natural Philosophy Professional Chairs at TCD . This event will be followed by unveiling a memorial plaque at James MacCullagh birthplace in Co.Tyrone.
Speakers: Prof James Bennett (Oxford University) Prof Olivier Darrigol (Paris/Berkeley University) Prof James Lunney (TCD) Prof Samson Shatashvili (TCD/IHES) Prof David Spearman (TCD)
Friday 15th May 2009 Environmental Footprints Symposium in association with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre, Arts Building Time: 9.30am - 5.15pm Free
Opening address by Dr John Hegarty, Provost, Trinity College Dublin
Climate Justice - Dr Mary Robinson, Chancellor of the University
Environmental Sustainability and the Millennium Development Goals in association with TIDI and the MDG Lecture Series.
The Water Diary -15mins - Short film by Academy Award winning director Jane Campion Screening followed by discussion and interactive debate, chaired by Micheál Collins (MDG Lecture Series).
Ecological Footprints - What Size Are You? - Gavin Harte, ESD
Presentations from EPA funded post graduate research programmes in Trinity College, Dublin;
How the public become involved in biodiversity planning
Long-term monitoring of the Irish landscape – implication for sustainable development
Impacts of energy crops on biodiversity
Improving public accessibility to Biodiversity information
Managing Risk and Building Resilience in a Resource-Constrained World
Almost 70 years ago, the outbreak of World War II forced the Irish Government to declare a state of national emergency. The Emergency Powers Act of September 1939 gave it the authority "to make provisions for the maintenance of public order and for the provision and control of supplies and services essential to the life of the community." Today a similar attitude is needed to address an emergency of a different and even more compelling kind: global economic collapse, combined with crises in climate change, water and energy supply, soil erosion, and the massive over-exploitation of natural resources. The extraordinary growth in population, wealth, urbanisation and societal complexity witnessed since the Industrial Revolution cannot continue. Nature's life-support systems are failing fast. Humanity is facing what might be called "The New Emergency." If ours is to be a stable world, the restoration of resilience at a local and global level must become a priority . And this resilience has to be achieved with the commitment and pace that countries adopt when, as in 1939, there is an immediate and very real threat to people's security and well-being.
This conference, marking Feasta's tenth anniversary, will analyse the systems and the mindsets that have steered the world onto its grotesquely unsustainable current path. Discussions will focus on the new systems (financial, energy, food) and ways of thinking that are urgently required to correct the situation and bring about a rapid transition to a more secure future. Many of the ideas explored are Feasta's. Others will be presented by international speakers who broadly share Feasta's analysis of what needs to be done to build a truly sustainable world.
Speakers include:
Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, will launch the conference with an opening speech.
Dmitry Orlov, author of Reinventing Collapse, will give a public lecture at the Davenport Hotel, June 9th and will feature throughout the conference with a focus on deglobalisation, relocalisation and definancialisation.
Richard Douthwaite, Feasta co-founder and author of The Growth Illusion, Short Circuit and The Ecology of Money, will explain how the primary global crises interrelate and are intrinsic to our economic and governance structure.
Chris Vernon, an editor of the Oil Drum, an energy futures discussion website, will discuss how much usable energy the world can expect to get from fossil fuels in future since it is taking more and more energy to produce energy.
Julian Darley, author of High Noon for Natural Gas, will examine the factors involved in high-level decision making for sustainable change.
David Korowicz, physicist and human systems ecologist, will give a systems view of collapse dynamics.
Dan Sullivan, director of Saving Communities, will investigate land value taxation as a community development tool.
Emer O'Siochru, Feasta co-founder and director of EOS Architects, will discuss the Proximity Principle in rural planning and urban settlements, integrating energy, heat, material sources, waste management and fertility.
Ludwig Schuster, Living City Architects, will concentrate on bio-regional currencies that encourage sustainable use of resources rather than requiring growth and exploitation.
Bruce Darrell, co-founder of Dublin Food Growing, will explore methods to develop secure food systems that do not rely on finite resources.
Early Bird Rates until May 22nd*: Conference Fees for the three day event including public lecture. Corporate/Government Rate €360 NGO Rate €170 Feasta Member Rate €150
Corporate Day Rate €180 NGO/Feasta Day Rate €100
With Conference Dinner (on June 11th): €35 Deadline for booking Conference Dinner is May 22nd.
*All prices to rise after this date by approximately 15%. All prices include daily coffees/teas and lunches.
A limited number of scholarships are available.
For more information contact conference@feasta.org or 01 6619572. For media requests call Kathryn Speedie on 086 3642728.
