General News Campaign

The Department of the Environment released its new Draft Statement on Waste Policy on July 15^th 2010.  VOICE urges you to make use of the public consultation period ending on October 1^st, to have your say on how Ireland can better manage its waste.  The policy statement is to provide the framework for Ireland to meet, or ideally exceed, EU targets for waste management.  The policy also aims to underpin the contribution of the waste management sector to our economic recovery.

You can find the Draft Policy and the form for making a submission, by the deadline of October 1^st, on the Department of Environment’s website at http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Waste/News/MainBody,23402,en.htm

Climate change hasn’t gone away and this year the Irish Government will make crucial decisions about how it will tackle climate change, now and into the future. Our Government has committed to a passing a Climate Change Bill by the end of 2010, including binding targets for reducing our carbon emissions.

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The 15th Convergence Festival started yesterday May 26th and runs until Tuesday the 1st of June. It is run by The Village Project in Cloughjordan, Cultivate,  Transition Ireland and many more and it features talks, conferences, workshops and world café discussions on how urban and rural communities can adapt and thrive in these uncertain times. This festival brings together people from a wide variety of sectors to strategise on how we develop the resilience of our communities. The events explore new ideas for going ‘green’, demonstrating local food growing projects, and best practices in reducing our fossil energy use and carbon emissions. There will also be opportunities to learn from the global South and from innovative Irish and international initiatives. Discussions will be hosted on energy smart communities, smart grids, smart transport systems, energy efficiency, carbon reduction and community energy supply. The festival will also explore how sustainable regeneration, energy descent, the green economy, low carbon cities, and transition towns can all contribute to the development of local resilience and community based livelihoods and jobs.

For more see Cultivate’s website and for the full schedule for the festival click here.