Activism for all: How important is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Should human rights be an integral part of all social and economic policies? How do you organise a successful demonstration?
Amnesty International is running a course on human rights activism to provide people who are new to activism with the theoretical framework and practical tools to effect social change. It starts on September 21st and runs for six consecutive Tuesdays at St Andrew's Community Centre, near the Holiday Inn on Pearse Street, Dublin. Cost: €20 for Amnesty members/€30 for non-members. Booking: 01-6776361. www.amnesty.ie
Mind how you grow
Growing vegetables without pesticides is easy once you know how. Learn how to garden organically and which salad crops to sow for winter eating at Growing Awareness's Summer Gardening workshop from 11 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. next Sunday, August 15th. Forthcoming courses include Forest Foods, Growing Native Trees, Seed Saving and Autumn Gardening. Courses cost €25 and take place in Glebe Gardens, Baltimore, Co Cork. Booking: 028-20232. More details: www.growingawareness.org
52 ways to leave your light off
Improving the world seems like a daunting task; how on earth do you start? One way might be with a new book entitled 52 Weeks to Change Your World, which suggests a different action each week to help repair some of the damage done to the planet. Ideas range from the easy - such as switching to low-energy light bulbs, buying Fair Trade chocolate and recycling rainwater - to the more challenging, such as building your own green home or becoming president of the US.
The book costs £4.99 and is available from the Centre for Alternative Technology at www.cat.co.uk or tel: 0044-1654705980.
Give a little bit
"Every little helps" could be the motto of World Environment Day, held in June. This year, more than 2,000 families in Northern Ireland pledged to turn off their computers and televisions instead of leaving them on stand-by; almost 2,000 people promised to replace one light bulb with an energy-saving bulb, which will reduce annual CO2 emissions by 158 tonnes; and more than 1,000 people promised to select products with less packaging, which will reduce, by 100 tonnes, the amount of waste going to landfill. In addition, more than 1,000 people undertook to put a "Hippo" water-saving device in their toilet cistern. This will save over 4,000 litres of water per household over the next year.
Construct a currach in Clare
Currach building is undergoing a revival and next week the only professional currach builders in the country will be running a workshop to build three currachs from scratch in six days, with a group of local fishermen. Anyone interested in following the progress is welcome to drop in to St Joseph's School in Spanish Point, Co Clare from Monday to Saturday between 5.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. For details of the end-of-course launch, contact: currachs@thisbetterworld.org