A cycle of bad habits: GOOD INTENTIONS to recycle can be
overridden by existing bad habits, according to new research from
Scotland, writes
Sylvia Thompson.
The study found that if people are already in the habit of throwing things away, they will not necessarily use recycling facilities. The researchers questioned more than 250 people aged between 16 and 66 to examine the relationship between people's attitudes and their household waste disposal habits. They found that most people had a positive attitude to recycling but this did not necessarily lead to them actually recycling on a regular or habitual basis. Younger people were less likely to recycle than older people. The research, carried out in Glasgow Caledonian University, was presented at the British Psychological Society conference in Dublin earlier this week.
Wanting well-being
"Behind the concerns today about waste, climate change, global warming, resource depletion and poverty lies a fundamental desire for planetary well-being." So says Tony Weekes, one of the speakers at a one-day conference next Saturday entitled Re-inhabiting the Earth. The event aims to encourage dialogue and reflection with a panel of contributors who have creatively integrated this desire for well-being into their life, work and community. Other speakers include Anne Harnett from Global Action Plan in Dublin, John Woods from Friends of the Earth, Northern Ireland and Danny Acton of Faith and Ecology Group, Belfast. The venue for the conference is the Drumalis retreat centre, Larne, Co Antrim. Cost £10. See www.drumalis.co.uk/Wellbeing.htm or e-mail drumalis@btconnect.com or tel: 048-28272196 for more details.
Heritage Council grants
Heritage training for Garda recruits, a survey of butterflies in Donegal and creating wildlife gardens in schools in Ballymun are just a sample of the projects that have received grants this year from the Heritage Council community grants fund of €3.5 million. Other projects that secured funding are workshops on traditional boat building, public awareness campaigns on the archaeology of Achill Island and a survey of bats in the Phoenix Park. "Each year, we see an increase in the range and quality of applications for funding. The voluntary work carried out by community groups and individuals across the country to bring these projects to fruition will be enjoyed by this and future generations," says Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. www.heritagecouncil.ie
Nature for families
Investigate, Participate and Celebrate is the theme of the fifth Cork Lifelong Learning Festival which runs from Monday, April 7 to Sunday, April 13. Families should take note of a guided nature walk next Saturday, led by wildlife expert Jim Wilson at the Atlantic Pond, next to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Little egrets, small white herons which were once rare visitors to Ireland, now breed at the pond. A family fun day on Sunday, April 13 from 2.30pm-5pm in Fitzgerald Park will include a nature-based treasure trail organised by the Mandala of Community Gardens. Cork Environmental Forum is showing free screenings of Al Gore's Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth on Wednesday. For more details on all events, tel: 021-4924527.
www.vsi.ie
Check out this site for information on volunteering on community and environmental projects at home and abroad. The VSI Volunteer Book 2008 will be launched this afternoon in the Ilac Central Library, Henry Street, Dublin.