June

Food Waste Prevention Guide

30/06/2010

A food waste prevention guide entitled The Less Food Waste = More Profit Guide has been researched and compiled by the Clean Technology Centre, Cork Institute of Technology in conjunction with the Green Hospitality Awards programme (GHA). It provides a simple step by step approach to reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering, eliminating and disposing of food waste.

This guide is also supported by the EPA’s National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP) and will aid businesses to adhere to the EU Landfill Directive Irish Regulations, which aims to divert commercially generated food waste from landfills. These food waste regulations come into effect on July 1^st, 2010. The guide is available for download from the Clean Technology Centre website.

Winners announced: Innovation for Biodiversity Photo Competitiosn

30/06/2010

The winners have been announced for the Innovation for Biodiversity Photo Challenge, which was organised by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and Myoo Create as part of the celebrations for 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. The aim was to raise awareness of innovative solutions for conserving and restoring biodiversity. Biodiversity is essential to all forms of life on earth, and by failing to protect it we are damaging our own life support system.

There was a great response to the competition and hundreds of photos from around the world were submitted, but there could only be three winners! You can view the winning photos – Local Communities Local Solutions, Mangrove Planting Activities, and Communion with Environment – and read the stories behind them on the Myoo Create website, along with the other finalists.

New Wind Farm for North Kerry

30/06/2010

Tra Investments, a subsidiary of Lee Strand Co-operative, has announced that its €23m wind farm in Kerry has become fully operational. The wind farm has 16 turbines spread across three sites between the Stacks Mountains in North Kerry and Castleisland, and has a combined capacity to meet the needs of 14,000 homes in Co. Kerry. The power will be transported by the energy company Energia.

Chairman of Tra Investments, Brendan Walsh, commented:

“Renewable energy is an emerging environmentally friendly source of power in Ireland which also presents a strong commercial opportunity. We believe our partnership with Energia will not only deliver a significant and secure long term return on investment but will also contribute to Ireland’s commitment towards a longer term sustainable energy alternative”.

Climate Change Documentary - Tuesday 29th June

29/06/2010

A Burning Question - Tuesday 29th June, RTÉ1 10:10pm

What do we think about Climate Change? What are the scientific facts to support it?

In this documentary, Duncan Stewart considers public perceptions around the issue, and speaks to renowned scientists, including Paleoclimatologist Professor Jennifer McElwain, to gain a greater understanding of climate change.

Contributors to the programme include Mary Robinson, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, David McWilliams, Irish climate scientists, journalists, and academics.

Decrease in paper production and consumption

29/06/2010

According to the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), paper production and consumption in Europe each dropped approximately 10% in 2009 compared with the previous year.

The CEPI also reported that there was a 5.5% increase in pulp and paper recycling in Europe during in 2009. Since 2000, the rate of recycling has risen 20.3%.

New offshore windfarm in the Irish Sea

28/06/2010

A new offshore windfarm substation has been contracted for construction in the Irish Sea. A company based in Belfast, Powerteam Electrical Services, will build the substation for the windfarm off the Lancashire coast in the north-west of England.

Fifty one turbines will be used for the Walney offshore farm and the renewable energy generated is expected to power more than 150,000 homes. Construction is expected to take nine months.

Smart sunroof to reduce CO2 emissions

28/06/2010

A Dublin-based firm, SolarPrint, has been selected to by Fiat to work on developing a smart sunroof which will collect solar energy to help power vehicles. The smart sunroof is expected to reduce CO2 emissions and make savings in fuel costs.

SolarPrint, which currently develops lightweight solar panels for construction and technology, will also work with scientists from University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and Imperial College in London on developing the new green energy sunroof.

EPA: Climate Change Research Call 2010

24/06/2010

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting applications for climate change research on the following topics:

Greenhouse gas emissions and sinks:

Advanced Methodologies for Assessment of Biomass
Assessment of carbon loss from drained organic soils in agriculture use

Impacts and Adaptation:

Assessment of vulnerability to climate change
Climate Information Platform for Ireland
Analysis of Hydrometric data for Climate Change Indicators
Extreme Events and Early Warning Systems

As well as the above call for research, the EPA is also inviting proposals to be submitted for two Research Specialist Fellowships.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 23^rd July 2010. Please contact climateresearch@epa.ie for any queries, or see the EPA website for application details.

EPA Report: Science and Sustainability

24/06/2010

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. John Gormley TD, launched the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Science and Sustainability report at yesterday’s National Environmental Research Conference. The report highlights the important role EPA-funded research has played in supporting environmental policy and decision making at national and international levels. Since 2000, over 600 research projects have been supported through the EPA Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment (STRIVE) Programme.

The full report is available to download from the EPA website.

€20 million investment plan by Irish port company

24/05/2010

Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), Ireland’s second largest port operation, has announced plans to invest €20 million to develop dock facilities in order to support Ireland’s investment in renewable energy over the next twenty years.

As part of the plan, SFPC propose reclaiming up to 2.4 hectares of the quayside area. This will improve the services for current port users as well as support Ireland’s green energy industry. Pat Keating, Chief Executive of SFPC, said:

"Ireland has the ability to become one of the world’s leading exporters of green energy over the coming decades and much of the infrastructure required for this will come by way of off-shore and on-shore projects on the west coast of Ireland...Currently, there is no port along the west coast that can facilitate the handling and storage of the type of large scale cargo for the wind, wave and tidal energy projects that will be concentrated on this side of the island.”

An Environmental Impact Statement and public consultation for Foynes will be conducted as part of the planning application for this development scheme.

Science Award for Kilkee Primary School

23/06/2010

Minister Tony Killeen this week presented the staff and pupils of Scoil Realt na Mara in Kilkee with an award in recognition of the school’s participation in a science programme.

Principal Fionnuala Murnane accepted the ‘Discovery Primary Science Award of Excellence’ on the school’s behalf at a ceremony on Monday, June 21.

Discover Primary Science is a flagship project run by the Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) awareness programme and aims to increase participation and awareness of science.

Read more

Workshop: Low Carbon Refurbishment

23/06/2010

A workshop in Low Carbon Housing Refurbishment will take place at Nova UCD, University College Dublin’s innovation and technology centre on 7^th and 8^th July. The course will be presented by Dr. Peter Rickaby of Rickaby Thompson Associates and William Scott of Scott +MacNeill Architects. Areas covered in the course include advanced insulation and airtightness techniques, building services and technologies, cost and carbon saving workshops, and approaches to entire house retrofitting.

A discounted fee of €440 applied (full fee is €500). For further information and booking, please contact Dr Scott Dwyer on 01-716 3526, email scott.dwyer@rickabythompson.com or visit www.rickabythompson.com.

Transforming Ireland Seminar Series: Seminar #14

23/06/2010

The 14th seminar of the Transforming Ireland Seminar Series will take place on 25^th June from 12.30-14.00 pm, at the Royal College of Physicians Ireland, No. 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Spirit of Ireland: Turning wind into reliable energy resource for Ireland will be presented by Professor Igor Shvets, TCD.

This seminar series is presented jointly by the TCD TrinityHaus and the University College Dublin (UCD) Earth Sciences Institute. Attendance is free and all are welcome. To reserve a place at this seminar, please contact ESI.ADMIN@UCD.ie.

UNEP ‘Green Shots Award’: win a trip to Earth Summit Rio+20

22/06/2010

A new international contest to stimulate grass-roots, innovative ideas on achieving sustainable consumption in the Mediterranean region has been announced by the Cleaner Production Centre of the UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) Mediterranean Action Plan.

The competition is open to anyone with a story on sustainable consumption and lifestyles to tell. Those interested in entering, must write their idea in short story format of 350-500 words and submit it to greenshotsaward@cprac.org by 15^th July 2010. The ten best stories entered will be turned into animated videos (‘green shots’) and distributed across the globe. The author of the overall winning story will win a trip to the Earth Summit Rio+20 in 2012. The winners will be announced at the ECOMEDA Green Forum in Barcelona in November 2010.

For further information on this contest, please see the Green Shots Award website.

‘Great Green Wall’ for Africa

22/06/2010

On Thursday 17^th June, the official UN World Day to Combat Desertification, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) announced that it would fund a ‘Great Green Wall’ of trees to support the reforestation of North Africa. The GEF will make an allocation to each of the eleven countries involved with the project from a total aid fund of US$119 million (€96 million).

The Great Green Wall is a pan-African proposal to combat desertification through a programme of reforestation across the continent. It was adopted by the African Union in 2007, as the spread of the Sahara Desert across North Africa continues to undermine agricultural production, resulting in hunger and poverty. This announcement to fund the Great Green Wall is the result of collaboration between the GEF and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which aims to halt and reverse these devastating effects of desertification globally.

The ultimate plan is to plant a 15km thick path of forest that will link Dakar on the western Atlantic coast with Djibouti on the Red Sea to the east. On completion, the ‘Great Green Wall’ would be more that 7,100km long.

IEA Newsletter June 2010: Carbon Capture & Storage

22/06/2010

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Greenhouse Gas Research and Development Program (IEAGHG) has released its Greenhouse Issues newsletter for June 2010. The month’s newsletter focuses on Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS). Some of the articles include:

· ScottishPower investing in the future of Carbon Capture and Storage

· CO2 Storage at In Salah, Algeria

· New UK Government, Coalition Plans for Energy and Climate Change

· Development of Recommendations for a US Regulatory Framework for CCS

· CSS in South Africa?

· Edinburgh University Launches CCS Masters Course

The full newsletter is available for download from the IEAGHG website.

Today is the Summer Solstice!

21/06/2010

Today, 21^st June, marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the longest daylight hours of the year. This is because the sun is at its highest point of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and while the suns rays will shine on the North Pole for 24 hours, the South Pole will be plunged into 24 hours of darkness.

Both the summer solstice and the winter solstice (shortest daylight hours) were pivotal moments of the year for the ancient people of Ireland, marking mid-summer and mid-winter. The summer solstice signified the time of the year when the power of the sun was at its strongest. It was an important time for fertility and was the time when the harvests for the coming year were blessed. The most famous example of the importance of the winter solstice is at Newgrange, Co. Meath. Here, at winter solstice in December, the light of the rising sun shines through the roofbox above the entrance to the megalithic tomb of Newgrange, and illuminates the floor of the inner chamber for 17 minutes.

Grand Canal Way Green Route opens to public

21/06/2010

On Friday 18^th June, the Grand Canal Way Green Route was officially opened by Cllr. Nick Duff, South County Dublin Council Mayor, Cllr. Emer Costello, Lord Mayor of Dublin City, together with officials from ESB Networks and Waterways Ireland. This ‘green route’ provides walkers and cyclists with great natural, off-road access from west Dublin to the city centre.

It runs for a total distance of 8.5km from the 12^th lock at Lucan to the 3^rd lock at Inchicore, where it links in with other routes to the city. It is envisaged that it will eventually be linked into the the Portobello to Clontarf route.

The pathway has been extensively planted with trees and shrubs which help to support the wildlife habitats and lighting can also be dimmed to accommodate nocturnal wildlife species. Fishing stands, boating and berth areas enhance the route for the public, but as well as acting as a natural amenity, the ‘green route’ also aims to encourage cycling and walking to work.

Environmental Complaints Telephone Service

21/06/2010

A pilot environmental complaints telephone service was been launched by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in four counties on May 31^st, the latest initiative by the EPA’s Environmental Enforcement Network. The aim is to encourage the residents of South Tipperary, Dublin City, Donegal, and Cork City to report environmental complaints, and to make it easier for them to do so.

This pilot telephone service will be available 24-hours, 7-days a week and the public will be not be put through to an answering service, but will be able to speak to a person. All details of the complaint will be recorded and passed on to the relevant County Council, who will assess and investigate the complaint. Of course, during working hours the public can also contact their local Council directly.

The lo-call telephone number for this new 24-hour service is the same for all areas: 1850 365 121.

Mediterranean Action Plan

21/06/2010

On June 16^th, Mediterranean countries adopted new measures to limit the impact of dangerous chemicals and pesticides caused by industrial and agricultural activities on the surrounding marine environment. The measures to phase-out such chemicals are obligatory and have concrete deadlines, and mark a new phase in the implementation of the Barcelona Convention and the Mediterranean Action Plan.

The phasing-out of hazardous chemicals in the Mediterranean is expected to be implemented between 2015 and 2019. Under the terms, treatment of waste water in coastal areas and urban centres (the most offensive source of pollution for the Mediterranean) will be compulsory before being released into the sea.

Show Your Support National Bike Week 2010!

Dublin bikes

14/06/2010

Dust down your bike, boost your fitness, enjoy free travel and beat the traffic for National Bike Week 2010 (13^th-20^th June)! Choosing your bike over your car as your main mode of transport is also a great way to reduce your carbon emissions and help protect our environment.

Some of the key events include Cycling Ireland’s Raleigh Around Ireland (Sunday 13^th), a Workplace Cycle Challenge (Monday 14^th), An Post Tour de Burren (Saturday 19^th), and Cycle to School Day (Wednesday 16^th). Detailed information on the events during National Bike Week is available on www.bikeweek.ie, together with a list of participating local areas.

National Bike Week is part of the National Cycling Policy, which Minister Dempsey launched in April 2009. Under this policy, over 100 different actions will be taken over the coming years to promote a culture of safe cycling in Ireland by 2020. The National Cycling Policy aims to increase the number of bike users by 125,000 by 2020.

Smarter Travel Workplace Programme

18/06/2010

The Smarter Travel Workplace Programme was launched by the National Transport Authority (NRA) earlier this week. This programme promotes and supports sustainable travel habits among employees, such as implementing a Cycle to Work scheme and car-pooling, or providing information on walking and public transport.

Companies are encouraged to work with their employees to reduce both of their carbon footprints, as well as increasing the ease of access to work and reducing car parking costs. To date, fifty companies have joined the plan and the NRA is hoping to entice fifty more companies by 2012. A free Partner Package is available to companies to support the set-up of the Smarter Travel to Work Programme.

According to statistics compiled by the Department of Transport, almost 57% of people drive to work, with 90% of the vehicles containing just one person.

Please see the Smarter Travel Workplace Programme website for case studies of other successful Smarter Travel Workplace programmes.

EU warns of shortage in clean tech material supply

18/06/2010

The findings of a European Commission working group tasked with analysing access to raw materials in the EU indicate that 14 such materials are facing critical risk of shortages, with demand expected to increase up to three-fold within 20 years.

Many of the materials found to be at risk of depleting are used in the manufacture of clean tech products such as solar panels, fuel cells, and fibre optic cables as well as in the development of desalination plants. Some of these include gallium, germanium, platinum and palladium.

A number of recommendations have been made by the EU working group in their report to reduce the problem, such as proposals to increase mineral recycling and identify alternative materials. The report will form the basis for a draft EU document detailing strategies to ensure continued access to necessary raw materials. This document is expected to be released in the autumn.

Bangor Wetland Nature Reserve ‘Highly Commended”

17/06/2010

The Balloo Wetland Nature Reserve in Bangor has been ‘highly commended’ in the prestigious UK Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) Living Wetland Awards.

The 7.5 acre Balloo Wetland Nature Reserve is a still a very young project, first started in 2008, and is managed by Ulster Wildlife Trust in partnership with North Down Borough Council. Before the project began, the area was a neglected wet grassland but it has already become a haven for wildlife as well as a natural focal point for the local community.

The reserve area includes two large ponds with dipping platforms and islands, a bird hide for bird watching, wildlife information and picnic areas. Eleanor Ballard, Principal Ecologist of WYG Ireland said:

“Our role was to create a design that would facilitate delivery of a variety of educational programmes and also enhance local biodiversity by providing an important habitat for wildlife...we are extremely pleased with the results which have transformed the area of unused, species poor wet grassland and patchy willow scrub into a community resource with picnic areas and walkways that are buzzing with insect and birdlife.”

The project was planned and designed by a team of engineers, groundwater specialists, ecologists and health and safety consultants.

The CIWEM Living Wetlands Award is awarded to projects that contribute to the species and habitat targets for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and include educational programmes and active community involvement. Please see the CIWEM website for full details.

EC system for certifying sustainable biofuels

17/06/2010

Following from the adoption of the Renewable Energy Directive in April 2009, the European Commission (EC) has recommended that a Sustainable Biofuel Certificate be set up by industries, governments and NGOs.

The EC clarified that biofuels produced or imported to the EU cannot be produced at the expense of wetlands, peatlands or forests. This means that biofuels produced from such areas will not count towards the EU biofuel target and will not receive EU subsidies or support. Peatlands can now only be used to produce biofuels if no drainage is needed, and it explicitly states that forests cannot be turned into palm oil plantations.

Biofuels, such as bioethanol, are produced from crops for energy production. They are the main sustainable alternative to fossil fuels in transport but production can also lead to a loss of natural areas, biodiversity, and huge greenhouse gas emissions if our natural areas are ill-managed. Environmental conservation must be protected before biofuels can be viewed as an opportunity for sustainability.

Clare County Council: Urgent Water Conservation Measures

17/06/2010

Due to the prolonged period of dry weather, Clare County Council is asking that both public and business consumers to use water sparingly and to adhere to a number of urgent water conservation measures. These include:

Avoid washing cars - if it must be done, use a bucket of water rather than a hose
Use a bucket of water and a brush for washing outside areas instead of a hose
Avoid watering lawns
Collect water from your sink in a basin and reuse it in the garden
Repair any leaking pipes
Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when full
Turn off the tap when brushing teeth
Reduce the use of power showers – they can use 125 litres of water in 5 minutes

EPA Public Lecture: Ireland’s Sustainable Future

17/06/2010

On Tuesday 22^nd June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present a public lecture on Ireland’s Sustainable Future at the Round Room, Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. The lecture will take place from 18.30-20.00.

The lecture will be given by two of Ireland’s top environmental and economic commentators, Professor Frank Convery of COMHAR Sustainable Development Council and Professor John Fitzgerald of the Economic and Social Research Institute. Please see the event website for registration details.

RTÉ Summer Weather Photo Competition

The RTÉ Summer Weather Photo Competition is now open for submissions. This year all amateur photographers are invited to submit photographs celebrating Irish native plant life, in support of the UN 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

The photographs can depict any aspect of Irish native plant life, from the largest trees to the low-growing flowering plants and climbers. The winning photograph and five runners up will be used as the backdrop for RTÉ Weather’s on-screen weather bulletins.

The closing date for submissions is Friday, 2^nd July 2010 and all entries must be emailed to weatherphoto@rte.ie. Further details on entry criteria are available on the RTÉ Weather website, where you can also view a gallery of winning photos from previous years.

Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards 2010

On Monday June 14^th, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Mr. John Gormley, TD, presented the Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards 2010 at Portmarnock, Co. Dublin.

The Blue Flag is an international eco-label aimed at promoting and recognising excellence in sustainable beach management. To obtain a Blue Flag, the beaches/marinas must meet certain criteria including water quality, facilities, safety, and environmental information amongst other services. The Green Coast Award is another symbol of excellence, given in recognition of activities to protect the environment of rural beaches and ensure excellent water quality in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Over 100 Coastcare Voluntary Groups across Ireland are involved in the Green Coast Award.

This year, 76 Blue Flags were awarded across Ireland, compared to 75 last year. While the majority of beaches held onto their Blue Flags, 6 were lost and 5 new flags were awarded. Those that lost the Blue Flag include: Brittas Bay South in Co. Wicklow, Ross and Oldhead in Co. Mayo, Traught and Ceibh an Spidéal in Co. Galway, and Mullaghmore in Co. Sligo. The 5 new Blue Flags were awarded to: Redbarn and Claycastle in Co. Cork, Maherabeg in Co. Kerry, Rosses Point in Sligo, and the Velvet Strand in Portmarnock Co. Dublin. The number of Green Coast Awards has increased from 40 in 2009 to 46 this year.

Please see http://www.beachawards.ie/ for more information on the winning beaches.

10 Messages for 2010: Message 6 - Urban Ecosystems

The latest message from the European Environmental Agency’s (EEA) ’10 messages for 2010 campaign focuses on Urban Ecosystems. As the vast majority of people in Europe live in ever-expanding urban areas, it is important that urban ecosystems are protected to help prevent biodiversity loss. One of the key points highlighted in this publication is the need for high quality green areas with compact built up zones, which are essential for wildlife to thrive and for human quality of life.

The EEA’s ’10 messages for 2010’ is in support of the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity. Each message highlights a particular ecosystem or issue relating to biodiversity in Europe. Since January, one message per month has been published, and this will continue until the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October.

All messages are available to download from the EEA website.

Transforming Ireland Seminar Series: Seminar #13

The 13th seminar of the Transforming Ireland Seminar Series will take place on 18^th June from 12.30-14.00 pm, at the Royal College of Physicians Ireland, No. 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Transforming Ireland’s Electric Power System will be presented by Dermot Byrne, CEO Eirgrid, and Professor Chen-Ching Liu, UCD, will present Keeping Future Grid Secure and Smart.

Research on biodiversity awareness in Ireland published

The Heritage Council has published the findings of research conducted amongst Irish people on the subject of Biodiversity Awareness, Understanding, and Impact of its Loss. The main findings show that awareness levels of biodiversity have not improved in Ireland since 2007, while only 18% of people surveyed understood the term ‘biodiversity’. In essence, biodiversity includes the whole variety of life on earth.

The research, which was conducted in April 2010, also shows that there has been a significant change in importance attached to biodiversity. In 2007, biodiversity was seen as a valuable aspect of recreational activity whereas the survey conducted this year reveals that this attitude has been surpassed by the economic value of biodiversity. The research highlights the need for greater publicity of the impact of biodiversity loss on food and water supplies, as well as on our health.

Michael Starrett, CEO of the Heritage Council, remarked on the research:

“This change in levels of agreement on the economic issues of biodiversity could suggest that the recreational and aesthetic aspects of biodiversity were seen as a boom time luxury, but in our current challenging economic environment, we have other priorities and the recreational and softer biodiversity issues are no longer seen to be as relevant.The fact that this softer focus has reduced is unfortunate as access to nature and its value for our mental and physical well being, is increasingly being recognised by scientific evidence as having direct benefits for our quality of life.”

To find out more about biodiversity in Ireland and information on the UN International Year of Biodiversity 2010, please see our Biodiversity Section.

Winners announced: Energy Globe Awards

Energy Globe World Award winner: River from Heaven, India
Sustainable Solutions, India

Coillte, the company in charge of managing Ireland’s forests, has received an Energy Globe Award for its work on a recent woodland restoration project entitled Restoring Priority Woodland Habitats in Ireland. This project oversaw the restoration of 1,360 acres of Ireland’s rare woodland habitat across nine different counties and was part funded by the EU under the LIFE-Nature programme.

Coillte received the award in the national category for Ireland, while the overall winner, receiving the Energy Globe World Award, was India for the water project River from Heaven. A brief description of the other winners and noimees is available on the Energy Globe Award website.

Over 800 environmental projects from across the world were examined as part of the Energy Globe Award this year. The best 15 projects were nominated in the five main categories: Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Youth and the winners were announced at the UN World Environmental Day celebrations in Kigali, Rwanda on 5^th June.

ESB International wave energy project

A wave energy project for Ireland’s west coast is planned by ESB International (ESBI) in a partnership with Vattendall, one of Europe’s largest electricity utilities. The project will see the two companies working towards developing the first full scale wave energy farm in the world, which is expected to generated up to 10MW of electricity.

To support the project, Irish ocean energy companies will work with the Irish Government to ensure the necessary foreshore transmission grid is in place for the new wave energy farm off the west coast.

This project is part of ESBI’s focus on providing green, sustainable energies by 2020.

Bonn Climate Talks Conclude

The second round of UN climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany concluded on Friday 11^th June. It was attended by representatives from governments as well businesses, environmental organisations and research centres. While no firm agreement was reached, progress was made in discussions on how a climate regime can work in practice.

Outgoing UN climate chief Yvo de Boer noted that nations were “talking to each other rather than at each other”. He was confident that the Bonn talks would pave the way for a more successful UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún (COP16) in December than the non-committal Copenhagen Accord that concluded COP15 last year.

The Copenhagen Accord sets out to limit the rise in average global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, it does not impose legally binding limits on emissions and de Boer warned that more rigorous emission targets are urgently needed, “Otherwise, the 2 degree world will be in danger, and the door to a 1.5 world will have slammed shut”.

Delegates will meet in Bonn again in August, and a further week on talks will also take place before COP16 in December. One of the main issues to be discussed will be the management of the $30 billion that was pledged at COP15 in initial aid for the Climate Adaptation Fund for developing countries. However, if promises made at COP15 last year are met, by 2020 this funding should increase to $100 billion a year.

Large-scale wind farm planned for Tyrone

Wind turbine
Copyright Environmental Potection Agency

A new wind farm project for Co. Tyrone has received €35 million funding from the UK bank Barclay’s.
Upon completion, the Screggagh Wind Farm will consist of eight 2.5 mega watts (MW) wind turbines which will have the capacity to generate up to 20MW of electricity. It is estimated that this will meet the electricity needs of about 10,000 homes.

Barclay’s has recently agreed to fund EirGrid’s electricity interconnector between Ireland and Wales, a project which had also received a grant from the EU. This new East-West Interconnector will provide a two-way transmission of power and will enable Ireland to export renewable power. Construction will begin this summer and is expected to be completed by 2012.

Ireland’s first geothermal electricity generation project

A new partnership between GT Energy and ESB International (ESBI) will oversee the development of Ireland’s first geothermal electricity generation project.

GT Energy is an international company that specialises in accessing deep geothermal energy which is a renewable, sustainable source of energy generated from the heat in the Earth’s core. Under the new partnership with ESBI, the company will develop a number of geothermal sites across Ireland while ESBI will assist with the design of electricity generating equipment and national grid connection.

It is expected that this project will result in 50MW of geothermal electricity generation by 2020, contributing to Ireland’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan.

Gerry White, Manager, Market and Technology Developments, ESBI, said of geothermal energy generation:

“This technology is very attractive because it is one of the very few renewable energy sources that is not intermittent. This means that it is not affected by time of day, season or meteorological conditions and is ‘always on’, thus giving it the distinct advantage of being able to deliver base load electricity to the grid.”

EEA report published: 2009 Bathing Water Quality Status

The Environmental Protection Agency (EEA) has published a report on the quality of bathing waters in the EU for 2009. The main results of the report for Ireland show that 93% of designated bathing areas in Ireland were in line with EU mandatory standards in 2009, while 82% of these sites met with the more stringent EU Guide Standard. However, Ireland was found to have the lowest compliance rate in comparison with other EU countries with bathing sites in the Atlantic.

The EEA report is available at http://www.bathingwater.ie/epa/history.htm.

BioMedia® receives European environmental award

BioMedia®, a new range of biodegradable and recyclable plastic printing materials from British company G3S, has been named as the winner of The Best Environmental Printing Substrate Award 2010 by the European Digital Printing Association.

The BioMedia® range contains a micro-organism which, when placed in dark, warm, moist conditions, results in an accelerated breakdown of the product. The product reaches complete breakdown within nine months if placed in a composter, and within five years if sent to a landfill. However, the BioMedia® range will not begin the biodegrading process until left in the correct environment, enabling it to perform just as well as other traditional printing materials. The BioMedia® range is also equally suitable for recycling into plastic cups, plates, light switches etc.

Mark Sanderson, Sales Director for BioMedia® and G3S, said:

“The enthusiasm and interest in BioMedia® just underlines how important green issues are becoming in our industry. Ethical buying is becoming increasingly important as companies really understand the need to stand up and be counted on green issues.”

Bord Gáis Energy Grants: Community Energy Fund

Bord Gáis has announced that it will provide energy grants for sixteen local Not-For-Profit projects through a new Community Energy Fund. The company will award one €25,000, five €10,000, and ten €2,500 energy grants to successful applicants.

This new Community Energy Fund is being set up to mark Bord Gáis reaching the milestone of one million customers. CEO of Bord Gáis, John Mullins, said:

“We wanted to share our success by giving something back to the very communities that support us, that is why we have established the Community Energy Fund. We want to recognise and energise local projects so they can continue delivering their services and doing the good work in their community by providing energy funding.”

Application forms for the Community Energy Fund are available to download from the Bord Gáis website and from public libraries across the country. The closing date for applications is Wednesday June 16^th, 2010.

New website launched: MolluscIreland

Sea snails living in the rockpool

The National Biodiversity Data Centre and CEDaR in Northern Ireland have launched a new website dedicated to Ireland’s snails and slugs, which is part of a project aimed at encouraging interest in the recording of molluscs in Ireland and Britain.

Of the 175 species in Ireland, including roughly 150 native or naturalised species, 47 species have been added to the IUCN Red List categories RE (regionally extinct), CR (critically extinct), EN (endangered), and VU (vulnerable). This strong decline in mollusc species has spurred the launch of this new Mollusc Ireland website and the promotion of mollusc recording nationwide. It is hoped that increased interest and knowledge of molluscs may reduce their vulnerability.

Training sessions have been taking place across Ireland for volunteers to get involved in the recording project. For further information on how to get involved, please contact Dr. Eugene Regan of the National Biodiversity Data Centre at 051-306240 or email info@biodiversityireland.ie.

Final farewell to Yvo de Boer

UN Climate Chief Yvo de Boer

Yvo de Boer, the outgoing Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has made his final farewell speech at the UN negotiating session at the Bonn Climate Talks.

Mr de Boer emphasised the urgency for a global response to climate change, and his final message was to underline the importance of “unity in diversity”. Reflecting on the Copenhagen conference in December 2009, he said that while it did not yield the desired results, he was confident that the Cancun conference later this year would be successful. Using an analogy of the upcoming FIFA 2010 World Cup, he remarked:

“We got a yellow card in Copenhagen and the referee’s hand will edge towards the red one if we fail to deliver in Cancun and beyond.”

Mr. de Boer was appointed Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC in 2006 by Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, and announced that he would be stepping down from the position in February 2010. Christiana Figueres has been appointed by the UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon as the new Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, and will take over the role in July.

Biodiversity stories from across Europe

The European Environmental Agency (EEA), in partnership with Eionet, is developing a series of biodiversity stories in order to raise awareness of the importance of our natural environment and preventing biodiversity loss. The ‘ONE’ stories aim to highlight how the state of our biodiversity and ecosystems is interconnected with our climate, food and medical supplies, fresh water and clean air.

The first ONE stories are from Finland and Switzerland, and may be viewed on the EEA website:

Web of knowledge, web of life, web of wonder – forest mushrooms (webcaps) and role in the ecosystem
Circles of discovery – organic apple production and biodiversity

Biodiversity Information System for Europe launched

The new website Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE) was launched in conjunction with European Green Week at the beginning of June. The BISE is the result of a partnership between the European Commission (EC) and the European Environmental Agency (EEA), and provides access to facts and figures on European biodiversity, related ecosystem services and policies, and EU as well as national research findings, all in a single location. This new website aims to support those making decisions and policies on biodiversity by providing a strong, comprehensive knowledge base.

The launch of the new BISE website also coincides with an outline publication of the EU 2010 Biodiversity Baseline. This will provide concise information on biodiversity and ecosystems in Europe as they stand presently, allowing policymakers to develop new targets for biodiversity and to monitor progress from this new baseline. The outline of the baseline published at the beginning of June will be fully developed by the end of 2010, and the data provided will be updated on a regular basis.

Greening the FIFA 2010 World Cup

A major initiative to ‘green’ the FIFA 2010 World Cup was launched yesterday, June 8^th, in Johannesburg just three days before the huge sporting event. Such large-scale sporting events are recognised as having a considerable global environmental impact, and the FIFA 2010 World Cup is seen as the ideal arena to promote responsible, sustainable technologies and practices.

This ‘greening’ initiative will focus on three main environmental areas:

Renewable energy projects in the six host cities: this project will oversee the installation of solar powered street lights, traffic lights and billboards around the stadiums of the six World Cup host cities.
Green Passport Project: this project aims to raising awareness of responsible tourism and encourages visitors to make environmentally friendly choices when travelling. A 32 page ‘Green Passport’ will be handed out to the World Cup spectators, filled with tips on green tourism.
Offset carbon emissions: there are five key carbon offset areas for this project including solar cookers, soil composting, LED energy efficient lighting retrofit programme, wind energy, and domestic fire lighting. A carbon calculator will be attached to each of these projects, enabling travellers to calculate their emissions and offset them against a project of their choice.

Finally, eleven of the World Cup teams have announced that they will offset the carbon emissions created by participating in the event: Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Uruguay, Italy, and Switzerland.

These initiatives are a joint effort of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

Happy World Ocean Day!

Melting icebergs

World Ocean Day is being celebrated across the globe today, June 8th. The aim of this event is to highlight the importance of protecting our ocean habitats, encouraging controlled pollution and promoting responsible fishing.

There are lots of tips on how to you can take action to protect the world’s oceans on the World Ocean Day website. A great way you can help is by following the event’s motto ‘Wear Blue and Tell Two’. The idea behind this is that people will associate blue with World Ocean Day each year, and by telling friends and colleagues two interesting facts about the ocean you can can make a great contribution to spreading the word.

For example, the damage to the world’s coral reefs has been linked to climate change and bad fishing practices. Why not encourage your friends to take action against climate change by calculating their carbon footprint and finding ways to reduce their impact on the environment? It is equally important to buy seafood that has been farmed or fishing in a responsible manner, which has not caused damage to our ocean. You can read more about the ocean, sea conservation, and the sea in Irish history in our marine section.

Two Irish hotels receive Platinum Green Hospitaly Award

The Westin Hotel, Dublin, and the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin Airport, have both achieved the highest certified award under the Green Hospitality Awards (GHA) Programme, the Platinum Award. This award recognises these hotels as achieving World Class Best Practice with regards to the environment.

The GHA is an environmental certification programme with four different award levels:

The Eco-Label
Green Hospitality Award
Gold Hospitality Award
Platinum Hospitality Award

The Director of GHA, Maurice Bergin, said:

“These 2 hotels exemplify how a business should go about implementing good environmental management practices. They have achieved the ideal solution - reduced waste leading to reduced costs - improving their competiveness in a challenging economy, whilst developing a greener image for the marketplace.”

Please see the GHA website for more information on how your business can become involved.

New features for SEAI Home Energy Saving scheme

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has introduced two new features to the Home Energy Saving (HES) scheme from today, June 8^th.

The online Home Energy Self Survey is designed to help homeowners assess the condition of their home and guide them to the most suitable upgrading work. The Building Energy Rating (BER) is also to become an integral part of all HES grant applications. This will provide homeowners with an assessment of the energy performance of their home both before and after upgrades, and will demonstrate the effectiveness of the upgrades.

A new application form for grants under the HES will be in place from today. Please see the SEAI website for full details.

Transforming Ireland Seminar Series: Seminar # 12

The twelfth seminar of the Transforming Ireland Seminar Series will take place on 11^th June from 12.30-14.00 pm, at the O’Callaghan Mont Clare Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin 2. Achieving the potential of wave power by 2020 will be presented by Andrew Parish, CEO Wavebob, and Des Farren, CEO Servusnet, will present Software tools to efficiently manage large portfolios of wind and other distributed energy generation technologies.

Celebrate UN World Environmental Day tomorrow, June 5th!

While the official celebrations for the United Nations (UN) World Environmental Day 2010 (WED) tomorrow, June 5^th, will be lead by the host country Rwanda, millions of others from around the world will mark the day by taking positive environmental action for our planet.

Arctic Terns
Copyright Mike Brown

The theme of this years WED is Many Species, One Planet, One Future and aims to highlight the diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 UN International Year of Biodiversity. A recent report by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), entitled Dead Planet: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration for Sustainable Development, emphasises how protecting and restoring the world’s ecosystems can create jobs and help to combat poverty, while at the same time generating substantial returns.

Why not join the thousands of activities that will take place across the world for WED by organising your own? For example, you could get a group together for a beach or woodland clean-up in your local area, enhance your garden to encourage biodiversity or make the positive step in joining the 10:10 campaign. This global campaign aims to get everyone involved to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010. You could also find out about getting involved with green initiatives in your area.

This year, the public were also given the chance to name two of Rwanda’s baby gorillas, and the winning names will be announced at the WED ceremony in Rwanda tomorrow. Keep an eye on the WED 2010 website for the updated information on events around the world, including the names of the two baby gorillas!

UN Climate talks open in Bonn, Germany

UN Climate Chief Yvo de Boer

Following on from the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference (COP15) in December 2009, the second round of UN climate negotiations opened in Bonn, Germany this week (Monday 31^st May), with representatives from 182 governments as well businesses, environmental organisations and research centres.

COP15 ended with the Copenhagen Accord, which sets out to limit the rise in average global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, it does not impose legally binding limits on emissions. To date, 114 countries have agreed to the Copenhagen Accord and a further 16 countries have indicated to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that they will support it.

Participants at Bonn will discuss setting up a framework for limits on greenhouse gas emissions and are expected to focus on a draft text for the Cancun meeting in Mexico that will take place in December. The outgoing Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Yvo de Boer, said:

"Climate negotiations over the next two weeks will be on track if they keep focusing on a common way forward towards a concrete and realistic goal in Cancun. There is a growing consensus on what the goal for Cancun can be -- namely, a full, operational architecture to implement effective and collective climate action."

The Bonn talks will continue until June 11^th.

Green Home flags awarded

At a ceremony in Croke Park today (June 2^nd), 37 Green Home flags were awarded to communities that completed the An Taisce Green Home programme. Building on the highly successful Green Schools programme, Green Homes aims to recognise and encourage householders’ efforts to improve their impact on the environment.

The Green Home programme also helps to raise public awareness of the importance of sustainable, ‘green’ actions in the home to help protect Ireland’s environment. The main areas focused on include:

Waste reduction
Energy efficiency
Water conservation
Sustainable travel

The Green Home programme began in 2006 and almost 10,000 families across Ireland have participated to date. For further information on the programme and to find out how to get involved, please see the Green Home website. Alternatively, you can contact the Green Home team at dstewart@eeu.antaisce.org or 01-4002218.

£3.13m recycling fund for Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s Minister for the Environment, Mr Edwin Poots has launched a £3.13m Rethink Waste Fund, to which local councils can apply for grants to initiate waste recycling schemes in their areas. This funding is intended to cover initiatives such as introducing/increasing home composting schemes, or improving household recycling centres, bring banks and waste collection schemes.

Stepping up the recycling facilities will be hugely beneficial to Northern Ireland’s environment, and will also ease the burden on ratepayers. Speaking at the launch in Belfast, Minister Poots said:

“We need to recognise that what people think of as waste actually consists of very valuable resources which, if recycled, can have major economic benefits. High rates of recycling are good for the environment and good for the economy.”

2009 National Litter Report published

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Mr John Gormley TD announced the publication of the 2009 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System report yesterday, 31^st May. The report shows that improvements in litter levels continued through 2009, with a decrease in seriously polluted areas from 0.5% in 2008 to 0.3% in 2008. The report also revealed that passing pedestrians caused the highest level of litter pollution at 38.3% and passing motorists were the next highest offenders of litter pollution nationally at 18.3%.

While the report reveals that over 70% of the areas surveyed had a high level of cleanliness in comparison to the 48% in the 2002 survey, Minister Gormley has announced that he will establish an Action Group to address the problem of litter pollution in the countryside and along roadsides. It is proposed that this task group be comprised of representatives from various Departments and Agencies, including:

Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Department of Transport
National Roads Authority
Local Authorities
Office of Environmental Enforcement (EPA)
Fáilte Ireland

The 2009 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System report may be downloaded from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government website.

New partnership to tackle deforestation

At the Climate and Forest Conference in Oslo last week (May 27^th), Norway formed an agreement with Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to work together towards reducing climate change impact by tackling deforestation. Through this agreement, Norway has pledged €2.1m to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to enhance Africa’s climate negotiations.

Fifty nations attended the conference in Oslo, at which Norway hoped that the cash pledged at the Copenhagen Conference in December 2009 could be used to help address the issue of deforestation. The United States, Australia, France, Japan, Britain and Norway had already agreed to pledge $3.5bn towards saving forests, but following the Climate and Forest Conference the total amount of aid has increased to $4bn between 2010 and 2012.

The parties involved in this new REDD + Partnership (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degredation) have agreed to increase the aid after 2012 provided that sufficient emission reductions have been achieved. One representative from a developing and a developed country will co-chair the REDD+ Partnership.

It is estimated that deforestation accounts for 15-20% of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity.

BIER publish beverage sector GHG guidance document

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has released a new environmental guidance document for companies operating in the beverage industry, entitled Beverage Industry Sector Guidance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting, Version 2.0. This greenhouse gas (GHG) guidance document represents the first of its kind to include both enterprise inventory and approaches to product carbon footprints in a single industry.

BIER used The Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Publically Available Specification 2050 as the basis upon which to develop their GHG guidance document specifically for the beverage industry. Some of the appendices included in the GHG guidance document are beverage retail and home refrigeration, transportation logistics and product distribution, and recycling allocation.

The full Beverage Industry Sector Guidance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting, Version 2.0 can be downloaded from the BIER website.

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