2009 Sustainable Energy Awards

The search is on for Ireland's most energy efficient organisations...

Has your organisation reduced its energy use and saved money on energy bills?

If so, you should enter SEI's 2009 Sustainable Energy Awards

For further information on the Sustainable Energy Awards visit www.sei.ie/energyawards

Closing Date for the Awards is 5pm Friday, 29th May 2009.

Trinity Week - Symposia - Energy and Sustainability - Register for Free!

TRINITY WEEK - 11 - 15 MAY 2009

SYMPOSIA DETAILS - REGISTER FOR FREE at trinityweek@tcd.ie :

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;

1. How the public become involved in biodiversity planning
2. Long-term monitoring of the Irish landscape – implication for sustainable  development
3. Impacts of energy crops on biodiversity
4. Improving public accessibility to Biodiversity information

Full schedule for Trinity Week at www.tcd.ie/trinityweek

 

 

Invite to The New Emergency Conference

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.

Register online at http://www.feasta.org/events/the_new_emergency/registration_form.php

Save Our Hedgerows

30th April 2009

Appeal to Land Managers to Save our Hedgerows

The Irish Wildlife Trust are 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 don't care.

Since Ireland was deforested in the middle ages the only natural features in many parts of the countryside are the hedgerows. Without them, as in much of the UK and mainland Europe, the landscape would be barren.The hedgerows support a wealth of species that once found home in the oak forests 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.

Minister Gormley has highlighted this issue to Local Authorities and has promised to prosecute those who have been shown to have broken the law. The IWT would like to support him in this commitment and we are currently undertaking a campaign to report all instances of hedge cutting between now and the end of August to his office, as well as the relevant Local Authority and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

We are appealing to the public to report such instances to us by logging onto www.iwt.ie or emailing: enquiries@iwt.ie and sending the date, time and location of the hedge cutting incident to us and where possible a photograph and name of person or organisation involved. The future of Ireland's hedgerows is in your hands.

Golden Eagle Trust petition

The Golden Eagle Trust has organised an online petition to show the support for the ongoing reintroduction of Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles and Red Kites in Ireland, and for efforts to put a stop to illegal poisoning. At the time of writing, there are less than 300 signatories, a number that I fear could easily be equalled or surpassed by a counter-petition, should any organisation put one together. If as many people as possible could take a minute to sign the petition and to forward it on to a couple of people who they think might consider signing it, we could have a significant impact.

The petition can be found below at: http://www.goldeneagle.ie/portal.php?z=197

Water Matters

water matters

"Help us plan!"

Water Information Days

We would like to invite you to the Water Information Days that will be held in the South Western

District in April and May 2009.

The Draft River Basin Management Plan for the South Western River Basin District was published on

the 22nd December 2008. The plan sets out how we plan to manage our rivers, lakes, groundwaters

and coastal water to ensure their protection. We'd like to hear your views on what we've proposed for

the waters of the South Western District before the plan is finalised in December 2009.

So drop in and "Help us Plan" for the future of all our waters!

Date Location Venue

• Tuesday 28th April Cork Foyer, County Hall, Co. Cork

• Tuesday 5th May Waterford Foyer, Waterford County Council, Civic Offices, Davitts Quay, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.

• Thursday 7th May Cork Mallow GAA Sports Complex, St Joseph's Rd, Carrigoon, Mallow, Co. Cork

• Monday 11th May Cork Council Chambers, Town Council Offices, North Street, Skibbereen, Co. Cork

• Tuesday 12th May Kerry Killarney Library, Rock Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry

All the information days will run from 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.

The information days will give you the opportunity to:

• meet the project team,

• collect information on the South Western River Basin District,

• search our new interactive web map to find out more about your local river, lake or groundwater,

• give your views on the Draft River Basin Management Plan and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Assessment.

For further information please contact:

Mr Seán Ó Breasail

South Western River Basin District Office

Cork County Council

Environment Department

Inniscarra

Co Cork

sean.obreasail@corkoco.ie

Or visit our websites for more information:

www.swrbd.ie and www.wfdireland.ie

 

ESB green stimulus to create thousands of jobs

ESB green stimulus to create thousands of jobs

ESB yesterday announced a series of initiatives to create up to 6,000 new jobs and training opportunities. Up to 3,700 new jobs will be created outside the company in Ireland in sectors such as smart networks and smart metering, wind energy, electric vehicles, home insulation and new sustainable technologies. The company also expects to create a further 1300 jobs - again outside the company - through further investment in power generation and network infrastructure. The company said yesterday that it will also recruit 250 new engineers and other professionals, and train 800 new apprentices.

The jobs will be created in a variety of ESB projects, including:

• The roll-out of Smart Metering
  
•  Novus Modus (ESB's new energy technology fund) has committed to a five year programme of investment in clean energy and energy efficiency. The fund has just invested €2.5 million in the Cork-based company, Nualight, which is creating up to 60 additional jobs locally.
• The roll-out of infrastructure to allow electric vehicles to be recharged.
• The redevelopment of ESB's head office complex in Dublin. An international design competition will be published next week to invite architectural proposals for the development.
• Free home-energy efficiency surveys in conjunction with SEI to 25,000 householders

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan said: "Today is the green economy writ large and in action. Based on Government policy, one of Ireland's finest semi-state companies is stepping up to the plate and helping provide the jobs of the future. 3,700 of these jobs are in the new green economy. Government initiatives such as smart meters, smart networks, electric cars, renewable energy, green technology and home insulation are bearing fruit."

"This Government has set a new direction for energy policy in Ireland. Our sustainable energy plans will transform electricity generation, motoring in Ireland and how we heat our homes. These plans bring with them thousands of jobs we need at this time. Today we are stimulating the economy, shortening the dole queues and helping the environment at the same time. It is clear evidence of a plan that is working and one that works best when we work together," he said.