A plan on how Ireland can become a global leader in sustainable energy will be unveiled this morning by Sustainable Energy Ireland.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan will attend the event, which will outline a five-year strategy on how Ireland can fully exploit clean, low-carbon technologies and enterprise.

A report completed last year suggested 80,000 jobs could be created in Ireland’s emerging green economy – a strategy the Government said would be implemented.

However the Labour Party says that while the Government ‘talks a good game’, it has simply failed to deliver.

via: rte.ie

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is inviting farmers’ markets to sign up to the Code of Good Practice for Farmers’ Markets. Markets operating to the Good Practice standard receive a certificate and banner which they can display to inform the public that they source a substantial proportion, ideally 50%, of local produce from the county or neighbouring counties.

They also agree to accommodate seasonal and local garden/allotment produce and to comply with food safety/labelling rules and criteria on good governance.  34 markets were awarded the good practice banner in 2009.

Applications may be made up until 31 March.

The hulking Hummers you see ruling the road will soon be a thing of the past.

General Motors has announced that it will stop production on its popular line of SUVs after an attempted sale of the brand to a Chinese company fell through. According to the Associated Press, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery had to back out of the deal because it wasn’t able to obtain manufacturing clearance by the February 28 cut-off.

“We are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed,” said GM Vice President of Planning and Alliances John Smith. “GM will now work closely with Hummer employees, dealers and suppliers to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner.”

While Hummer is headed for the scrap heap, GM has said that it will continue to honor standing warranties.

via: S2Smagazine.com

The Environmental Protection Agency has secured a High Court injunction preventing the operators of a controversial landfill near Naas in Co Kildare from accepting further deposits.

The EPA had argued the landfill was causing environmental pollution through the emission of serious odours, which had led to more than 300 complaints from the public in a matter of months.

The Kerdiffstown landfill near Naas is operated by Neiphin Trading – a company associated with the major firm A1 Waste.
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EPA inspectors found strong odours, from landfill gas and composting activities, were emanating from two sites on the facility.

One local resident said the smells had been so severe they forced him to vomit on a number of occasions.

Neiphin Trading argued an injunction would ‘effectively shut down the business’, making 106 employees redundant, when the company had plans to tackle the problems.

However, today Mr Justice Sean Ryan granted an injunction to the EPA, saying he did not accept this would put the company into a condition of extreme financial peril.

He said that potential devastation had to be weighed against the public interest to be free from environmental pollution.

The EPA is taking separate court action against Neiphin Trading and others over the illegal disposal of 1.1m tonnes of waste in a separate part of the Kerdiffstown landfill.

via: rte.ie

‘THE BIG SWAP’ is the theme for Fairtrade Fortnight 2010, which will also highlight the continued growth in Fairtrade sales and support in Ireland.

“The Big Swap is all about encouraging people to swap some of their usual purchases – tea, coffee, chocolate and bananas for example – for a Fairtrade Certified product,” says Peter Gaynor, Executive Director, Fairtrade Mark Ireland.

“Thousands of Irish consumers have already made the big swap; regularly switching some of their spending to Fairtrade products and in doing so making a real difference to the lives of producers indeveloping countries.” (more…)

NUI Galway (NUIG) and the University of Limerick (UL) yesterday unveiled details of how they plan to work closely together in what was touted as an unprecedented collaboration in Irish higher education, due to the sheer scale of the venture.

The significance of the new strategic alliance was underscored by the presence of Taoiseach Brian Cowen at the announcement in Dublin yesterday, along with Tanaiste Mary Coughlan and Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe. Mr Cowen described it as a “key building block” for the country’s ’smart economy’ project and promised it would make a major contribution to economic and social development. (more…)

An energy saving scheme in Northern Ireland has cut business bills by more than £200,000, it has been claimed.

Efficient lighting, refrigeration and heat recovery devices were used to slash costs, energy company Energia said.

First launched in 2005, Belfast International Airport and Curley’s supermarkets are among companies embracing the new technology.

Energia chief operating officer Tom Gillen said: “There is now a great opportunity for businesses to cut their overheads significantly through the use of grants which will cover at least 20% of the investment.”

The energy efficiency scheme for commercial premises was introduced by the Northern Ireland energy regulator and assisted by the Energy Saving Trust.

Energy efficient lighting was first installed in 2005 with variable speed drives and heat recovery devices were brought in later.

via: independent.ie

The development of the first ecological community in the west of Ireland will be discussed at a public meeting hosted by the Galway Sustainable Community Project in the Westside Library this Tuesday.

This will be the first in a series of public meetings which will be designed to encourage interactive discussion and invite new people to get involved in the project. The Galway Sustainable Community Project is a group of people based in Galway city whose vision is to create a small, purpose-built, settlement in the west of Ireland where residents will produce some of their own food and energy and form a strong, close-knit, community. The village will be designed by its future residents and will be built and run in a way that is environmentally sustainable. (more…)

he High Court has been told that one million tonnes of waste have been lodged at a landfill site near Naas in Co Kildare.

The amount of waste is in breach of the site’s waste licence and the court heard that the situation is now ‘critical’.

The statement was made by Nuala Butler, Senior Counsel for the Environmental Protection Agency. (more…)

Irish company Ocean Energy, which designs turbines capable of converting wave power into electricity, has signed a major development deal with a US multinational.

Ocean Energy’s CEO John McCarthy said the agreement with Dresser-Rand would significantly develop wave energy in Ireland and should lead to the creation of thousands of jobs. (more…)