Bord Gáis Energy (BGE) has launched its
'Think Beyond' App for the iPhone,
which is the first of its kind in Ireland
from an energy utility and is the first step
in Bord Gáis Energy’s commitment to develop
smart phone applications in line with customer
requirements.
The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation
has announced that over 250,000 old mobile
phones have been collected on its behalf by
school children all over the country since
September 2009.
Finavera, the wind energy group based in
Dublin and with major projects in Canada,
has announced that it has sold a majority
interest in the grid connection for Ireland's
largest onshore wind project to Scottish and
Southern Energy for €8.4m.
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Economic
Regulatory Affairs has invited the Commission
for Energy Regulation (CER) to an emergency
meeting this week.
IFA President John Bryan has said that
the outcome of the nitrates review has the
potential to make or break the Government’s
Food Harvest 2020 growth strategy for
the agri-food sector, which is essential to
national economic recovery, exports and job
creation.
Northern Ireland Environment Minister,
Edwin Poots has issued a call for everyone
to reduce the amount of single-use carrier
bags that are used each year.
Northern Ireland
entrepreneur, Brian Lockhart,
a Director of Craigavon-based Wilson's Country,
has developed a unique water cleaning system
and has set up a new company - Lock-Hart Environmental
- to bring it to market.
The environmental challenges and opportunities
facing Irish farming will be the focus of
the Teagasc Agri-environment Conference, which
will take place in the Ballykisteen Hotel,
Co. Tipperary and afterwards at the Solohead
Research Farm on Tuesday, 7 September 2010.
The Lough Hyne Research Team within the
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental
Sciences at University College Cork, has been
involved in two major community education
events within the last two weeks, aimed at
helping young and not so young to appreciate
the marine environment.
An Irish countryside community is aiming
to create the world’s first rural zero carbon
district under a plan that would see it switch
totally to green power, transport and production
within 10 years.
A major Chinese generator manufacturer
is in Northern Ireland to explore investment
opportunities which could create over 600
jobs in the renewable energy sector.
Environment Minister, John Gormley marked
the fifth anniversary of the implementation
of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment) Directive in Ireland and congratulated
the Irish people in making the scheme such
a success and demonstrating their willingness
to tackle the problem of waste in a responsible
manner.
Government plans to regulate against large-scale
incineration will have no impact on the potential
multi-million euro liability faced by Dublin’s
four councils if they fail to provide enough
waste to the Poolbeg incinerator.
The Government has introduced sweeping
changes for public bodies and state agencies
agreeing work and service contracts with private
companies, following a probe of its procurement
operations.
Bord na Móna is kicking off its first consumer
sponsorship activity in several years by linking
up with Rehab to back a two-week campaign
called the Great Irish Waterways Adventure.
Northern Ireland Environment Minister Edwin
Poots has launched Wright Recycling and visited
their new facilities in action at their Newtownards
recycling centre.
Construction firm Kingspan recorded its
first operating profit growth in the three
years in the first six months of 2010, despite
the impact of the severe weather earlier this
year.
Spanish energy giant Endesa must provide
more information on environmental issues as
part of its planning application for a €500
million gas-fired power plant at Tarbert.
The head of Ireland’s largest research
funding body - Science Foundation Ireland
(SFI) - is to resign his post and move to
take up a new appointment in Australia at
the beginning of next year.
Strangford Lough’s unique horse mussel
reefs could be doomed if the authorities don’t
“get their act together”, according to the
Ulster Wildlife Trust.
A Dublin shop assistant has been announced
as the lucky cyclist who took the one millionth
journey on the capital’s Dublinbikes scheme
- winning a trip to Paris including flights,
accommodation and €2,000 in cash.
Plans for a 2,000km national network of
cycle paths connecting cities and major town
across the Republic have been drafted by the
National Roads Authority (NRA).
Lifetime Lab at the Old Cork Waterworks
has become the first tourist attraction in
Ireland to receive the internationally recognised
ECO centre accreditation from An Taisce.
Concern at the proposed extraction of 500
million litres of water daily at certain times
from Lough Derg has been expressed by a Tipperary
marine biologist.
Global warming has turned 35! - Not only
has the current spate of global warming been
going on for about 35 years now, but also
the term 'global warming' has celebrated
its 35th anniversary.
Microsoft has revealed that it is working
on a major project with Reading University
designed to highlight the energy savings that
companies can realise by switching to its
latest Windows 7 operating system.
Capgemini next month will open what it
calls the 'world's greenest' data center
in Swindon - and, appropriately enough, will
be hosting the UK's Environment Agency as
its first tenant.
Kyocera Group has planted edible 'green
curtains' stretching thousands of feet
across facilities in Japan, Thailand and Brazil
in a bid to keep its buildings cool and greenhouse
gas emissions low.
Mobile operator O2 is introducing an Eco
rating scheme for the phones it sells, enabling
buyers to see which handset is the most environmentally
friendly before purchasing.
Shifting opinions on sustainability means
that biodegradable and compostable plastics
are no longer seen as destined to replace
all traditional packaging - but are now viewed
as one option among many, according to a new
report by industry experts.
Statoil announced last week that renewable
energy projects must demonstrate their long-term
profitability for the Norwegian company and
other oil and gas producers to invest in them.
We've been hearing a lot more about solar
powered streetlights recently, since, for
too long, these 'urban dwellers' have
just been hanging around, sucking energy off
the grid.
Tackling waste in construction will become
easier for building firms as the BRE SMARTWaste
tool and WRAP Waste to Landfill Reporting
Portal become compatible.
The first beaver kits to be born in the
wild as part of the Scottish Beaver Trial
have been spotted in Knapdale Forest, Mid-Argyll,
Scottish Beaver Trial staff announced.
For countries with adequate space and little
recycling infrastructure, disposing of bottles
in landfill generates a lower carbon footprint
than recycling or incineration.
The Prince of Wales is to embark on a tour
of the UK to meet the guerrilla gardeners,
ethical fashion designers and eco-conscious
pensioners doing their bit to tackle climate
change.
New research just published - 'Insights
around the domestic refrigerator' and
'Understanding consumer use of the freezer'
- suggests that better use of fridges and
freezers in the home could help reduce the
£12 billion worth of food and drink that is
needlessly thrown away each year.
Portland, Oregon continued its relentless
march in developing itself as a major green
tech hub in the United States by announcing
that Vestas, one of the largest wind turbine
builders in the world, would be placing is
North American headquarters in the city's
downtown region.
In the UK, speculation that government
ministers are far more concerned about a future
supply crunch than they have admitted has
been fuelled by the revelation that they are
canvassing views from industry and the scientific
community about 'peak oil'.
In recent years the electronics industry
has gained notoriety for creating an endless
stream of disposable products that make their
way at life's end to developing countries,
where poor people without safety gear cut
and burn out valuable materials, spilling
contaminants into their water, air and lungs.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has acknowledged
that a key UN conference on climate change
in Mexico at the end of this year might not
produce the definitive agreement the world
body is seeking.
NHS building projects are the focus of
guidance launched this month aimed at minimising
construction waste and reducing the cost of
essential building work throughout the health
sector in the UK.
Business advisors from WRAP (Waste & Resources
Action Programme) will be available at this
year’s Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition
(RWM) to offer recyclers and reprocessors
free, practical assistance for their recycling
business.
The United Nations board that oversees
a £1.7 billion market intended to cut heat-trapping
gases may snuff out funding for a practice
said by European and US environmentalists
to be a huge scam.
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF)
Annual National Conference & Luncheon will
take place on September 10th 2010 at the Convention
Centre Dublin, Spencer Dock, Dublin.
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