Nature events and notices
Take trains, not planes
Journeys of less than 400 miles should be taken by train rather than by aircraft and passengers should take public transport to airports, according to a new British report on the environmental dangers of air travel.
Airlines should pay an environmental charge equal to the damage of polluting gases from aircraft exhaust fumes, say Prof John Whitelegg and Howard Cambridge, of the University of York, who wrote the report.
Whitelegg and Cambridge set out a model for dealing with aviation over the next 30 years in the EU. Suggestions include ending the tax-free status of aviation fuel and imposing environmental taxes on flights. If such recommendations are taken on board, the end of cheap air travel may well be in sight.
Lead-free electronics
Lead will be banned from most electrical equipment in the EU from July 1st, 2006. The implications of the ban have been compared to the introduction of the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) ban in the 1980s as it will require all electronic manufacturing industries to change to lead-free soldering.
The Stokes Research Institute at the University of Limerick is currently offering e-learning courses to staff of Irish companies that will need to choose alternative alloys and change processes and equipment. For details, e-mail Claire.Ryan@ul.ie.
Sustaining the environment
There is no doubt that an environmental consciousness is developing in Ireland but how many of us genuinely include environmental factors in our decision-making?
For example, do you still always choose the car for travelling to work or for leisure, even though you could sometimes cycle or take public transport? Do you leave your appliances on stand-by for convenience rather than switching everything off in the evenings? And do you buy packs of fruit and vegetables?
If you answered yes to these questions, you should go to the Sustainability Begins At Home exhibition, which opens at ENFO, St Andrew Street, Dublin 2, on Tuesday. Mounted by Sustainable Ireland, the show will explain how we need to operate in the knowledge that society, the economy and the environment are parts of an integrated system before sustainability will be achieved.
The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continues until August 21st. Admission free.
People and plants
The interaction between plants and people is the theme for this year's Garden Day at the Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim on Sunday, July 18th, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. As well as seeing the gardens at the best time of the year, visitors can learn about maca, the Native American potency plant, and hear of the medicinal uses of St John's Wort.
Gardener and author Joy Larkcom will speak about her search for exotic vegetables throughout Europe and Asia. There will also be guided tours of the orchard and Neighbour-Woodland scheme. Admission €5. See also www.theorganiccentre.ie.