REASONS TO DRINK BEER?
Greener is Cheaper is the catchy subtitle for science writer and broadcaster, Mary Mulvihill’s new book, Drive Like A Woman Shop Like A Man (New Island Press €8.99). And, by the time you get through the 101 easy tips in the book, you’ll have saved hundreds of euro. For example, how many of us only boil the water we need when making a cup of tea? Some of the advice is recycled (yes, we know cycling is the fastest way to get through Dublin) but more is worth passing on (eg donate your unused paint via rediscoverycentre.ie) And, next time you’re celebrating, choose French wine for its low carbon footprint, beers brewed in Ireland for its even lower one or, best of all, draught Irish beer.
GARDENING ADVANCES
Future Gardens: Evolution or Revolution? is the title of the Garden and Landscape Designers Association seminar on February 21st in UCD. Speakers include Nigel Dunnett, expert on green roofs and sustainable species for roadside planting and Julie Messervy, designer of the award winning, Toronto Music Garden. See glda.ie for full details or Tel: 01-2940092.
WONDERFUL WETLANDS
The Irish Wildlife Trust’s Wonderful Wetlands exhibition opened this week in ENFO in Dublin 2. It celebrates wetland, wildlife and habitats from coastal salt marshes to inland fens and bogs. Continues until February 23. www.iwt.ie
EARTH CALLING
The search for solutions to climate change and natural disasters as well as ways to improve sustainable energies and promote nature conservation are the aims of the Earth Systems Institute at University College Dublin. The current series of public talks on Fridays at 12.30pm in the Royal College of Physicians, 6 Kildare St, Dublin, is an effort to share the science of climate change with a wider audience. Forthcoming speakers will look at birds as indicators of climate change (Feb 13th), what we can learn from 200 million year-old plants (Feb 20th) and soils (Feb 27th). See ucd.ie/earth for full programme.
Ecoweb
www.earthmind.net
Lots of interesting reading on the website of Earthmind, the Geneva based not-for-profit sustainability association. Latest updates include questions by Gideon Rachman on whether deglobalisation is necessary for sustainability and how ethics needs to be the fundamental basis of corporate social responsibility. The nearby gathering in Davos, Switzerland also provoke some comment.
