Making your VOICE heard on the Irish environment

Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin has been awarded the county’s first Ecocert certification, recognising the steps it has taken towards sustainability.  The Environmental Protection Agency, Local Authorities and environmental consultancy, Econcertive formed part of the steering committee which approved the award.

The certification will be valid for 3 years, during which time the Centre will be continuously surveyed to ensure its adherence to the Ecocert programme.   New projects to increase the Centre’s sustainability include a waste minimisation pilot study, a water conservation programme which will examine the potential to use rainwater harvesting or spring water for toilet  and washdown uses, and reducing energy consumption with solar paneling.

For more information on Ecocert, please click here.

The UK appears to be following up on EU marine legislation with its proposal to designate 127 areas as Marine Conservation Zones.    According to the article excerpt from the Guardian below, it is expected that more than 37,000 sq km will be included in a list of protected areas. VOICE hopes that the Irish government will take similar steps soon to protect our marine wildlife and habitats.

127 areas to be proposed as English marine conservation zones

John Vidal, Environment Editor
The Guardian, Thursday 8 September 2011
Much of the sea around the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly , major estuaries and islets off the east coast, as well as reefs, trenches, sandbars and remote places seldom seen by humans, are included in a list of 127 sea areas that have been proposed as new nature reserves.

The zones range from a giant 5,800 sq km (2,240 sq mile) patch on the edge of British territorial waters in the western Channel to a minute 0.09 sq km speck of rock off Dorset, from the sea floor below some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world in the Channel to the muddy waters off the northern Irish coast where Dublin Bay prawn thrives.

The total area expected to be named as new nationally important marine conservation zones (MCZs) is more than 37,000 sq km – about twice the size of Wales.

You can read the full article here.