Dates

The Handmade Furniture Company, 44 The Quay, Waterford, is holding a “As Green As It Gets “Design Competition in conjunction with GreenMe.ie. Entrants are asked to design a drawing of a finished piece of functional furniture; Entries for the competition will be accepted from the 28^th September until November 30^th

Eligibility

Competition is open to GreenMe.ie members only.  Anyone who has an original design idea, that can communicate that concept and its construction in a drawing of a completed piece of practical furniture.  There is no age limit, all ages of entrants’ will be accepted from 1-100.

Categories

Professional: anyone who has worked or trained in the area of design.

Amateur: anyone one who has not worked or trained in any area of design.

Entries must fill out an application to submit along with design proposal.

Design format

Contestants must design a new piece of furniture.

No borrowed designs will be accepted. This must be the contestant’s original design.

All furniture must be able to be crafted from renewable sourced or recycled natural, solid hardwood.  This is in the spirit of The Handmade Furniture Company’s “as green as it gets” philosophy. How Green can you be?

Chocolate Finish or Natural must be indicated.

Design must be dimensioned in metric.

Prize

Winner will have his or her design made by THE HANDMADE FURNITURE COMPANY and receive 1of these winning pieces of furniture. They will also receive a voucher for €1,000 to be used in our store on the Quay in Waterford.  Prize is not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash

Adjudication

Our own, Rhineheart McLoughlin, a industrial designer an graduate of The Centre for Creative Studies, along with the staff of GreenMe.ie will do the final selection. Our selection of the design and the winner will be posted on The Handmade Furniture Website and Greenme.ie. The Winner will be informed by phone and or email.

So sign up to GreenMe today and be in with a change to have that furniture design you have dreamed of brought to life by one of Ireland’s most prestigious Furniture Company’s.

To sign up to GreenMe today and download you application form, click here.

Developing genuinely recyclable banner products hasn’t been easy though as Carmel explained,” This time last year we noticed a marked trend among our trade show clientele enquiring as to how green our display products were. Naturally in the display industry this was the very question we most hated to answer, as at the time none of our products could be recycled and were only suitable for the dreaded landfill. Thus began a period of intensive research into products from all over the world in our quest to come up with a recyclable product that would look just as good while fulfilling our green agenda.

Eventually we came across a product from North America with the right credentials and on which we can produce an outstanding photo quality print. As there seems to be such discrepancy between the various City & County Council recycling programmes, we developed a closed loop recycling arrangement with Durakerb Ireland. That way we can guarantee clients that when they are finished with their panels we can arrange for them to be recycled here in Ireland for use on Irish roads!”

Focus are serious about helping their customers become more environmentally friendly and also offer to re-panel any existing pull-up stands with 100% recyclable panels. Just call Carmel on 086 2329634 to discuss your Green Display requirements.

As always we are delighted in GreenMe.ie to pass on information on companies we feel will be of especial benefit to our readership. Check out their products on www.focusonline.ie and keep an eye out for our very own 100% recyclable banners at the forthcoming Sustainable Building Show September 17th – 19th.

•    Green Printing
•    Greening your general office behaviour
•    Eco Coffee for the Office
•   The Green Office – click here for the veritable list of  eco-office supplies from stationary to toner to cleaning products to furniture.
•    Commute to work and 5 reasons to get on your bike
•    The lowdown on CFLs
•    Re-inventing the lightbulb

Airtricity is owned by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE).  The renewable-energy company, established in 1999, was the first independent supplier of green energy to customers both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  It has now built up a considerable infrastructure of wind farms across Ireland, with 17 onshore wind farms generating 878 mega watts of electricity – enough to power 180,000 households. At present, the company provides green energy to just over 60,000 customers across the island of Ireland, of which 45,000 are SMEs and 15,000 are domestic customers.

Airtricity has also just announced that they are to create 200 jobs in the Irish market, in the areas of sales, customer support, billing and support services. Fifty of the positions will be created in Airtricity’s headquarters in Sandymount, Co Dublin, with the remaining 150 comprising outsourced roles.  Green, clean, and profitable: these are the kind of green shoots that matter.

Sustainable Development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Based on this concept you can continue to prosper with regard for the environment and nature and sustained growth that can benefit everyone. The idea of sustainable business is based on the same concept. It describes enterprise that strives to have no negative impact on the environment, society or the economy – meeting the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. A business is truly sustainable by balancing success in each of these areas.
There are many ways of introducing sustainability into your business:

• Greening processes
• Greening products
• Greening manufacturing activities
• Introducing social responsibility initiatives
• Other philanthropic endeavours

Whatever combination of these is chosen, initiatives are introduced while meeting customer needs and maintaining a viable profit to operate the business.

In a recent survey by PWC, 43% of Irish businesses said that they had measured their carbon footprint. It is clear that sustainability is becoming a recognised part of business. Importantly it is becoming an essential measure of a business’ brand image. Slowly the message is working through the chain: from consumers to businesses and beyond. An interesting example of just how far it can go is in Costa Rica. During the 1990s they put energy, mining, environment and water under one ministerial portfolio and now get 95% of their energy from renewable sources. This one country has proven that environment and enterprise need not be mutually exclusive.

But can we really accomplish this in Ireland? In fact we are perfectly situated to become leaders in the green economy if we so choose. More and more companies are considering sustainability as part of their overall strategy, and going forward for accreditations such as ISO 14001, a framework for environmental management against which your company can be certified. Can we meet and exceed the goalposts set by Costa Rica? Just how far we are willing to take it remains to be seen.

Starting at the beginning of life, Hug the Bundle is an Irish eco-parenting blog set up by a mother in order to share her experiences, generate discussions and generally provide a place were like minded mothers can ‘meet’ in order to chat about anything! They also stock great products like a new range of bamboo cloth nappies direct from Little Comfort based in Donegal Town.

Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses. The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers.

In the same vein, Global Goods Partners are dedicated to alleviating poverty and promoting social justice by strengthening women-led development initiatives and creating access to the US market for marginalized communities in Asia, Africa and the Americas.  The goods are all fair trade and you get to see a photo of its creator and learn more about the enterprise group they’re working with.  Unfortunately, they only ship to the US, but maybe you know someone there who would like a present?

At Etsy.com you can buy and sell all handmade goods; it’s a great outlet for small designers without a corporate brand behind them.  This means that some of the goods are a little, well, quirky, but there are also high-quality pieces that are worth looking for.  If you love making discoveries, this is the site for you. And to keep it local you can browse in the shops in Ireland.

Tom’s Shoes are really gorgeous, and for every pair sold, one pair goes to a child in a developing country.  They also have vegan styles – that don’t look it! – but ship only to the UK and Northern Ireland.  If you have friends in either place who might receive them for you, they really do have beautiful shoes, as well as being for the good.

For the rest of your body, check out Mountain Rose Herbs.  Since 1987 they have been delivering quality certified organic products with a strict emphasis on sustainable agriculture. From their bulk organic herbs and spices, to essential oils and herbal teas, the quality and integrity of what they offer is “unparalleled with smiles guaranteed.”  They also support organic agriculture, offer info on herbal education and sustainability projects.  You can order online to Ireland – and they also ship wholesale.

If you’re not ready to buy in bulk, thanks to Susan Mulholland for the tip about Jo Wood Organics – a must if you want to pamper yourself with a guilt free eco conscience.  In a word, yum.

The Irish company everyone must have heard of thanks to the rock n’ roll connection, Edun specializes in Organic Clothing, Graphic Tees, and Eco Clothing with a mission to drive sustainable employment in developing economies. The company was founded in 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono.

And finally, ladies, if you want an eco alternative to going through the average 12,000 tampons or pads/pantiliners in your lifetime, check out the Diva Cup. It’s not, I stress, any kind of spongey/cloth thingy of which I have a horror. As blogger Mrs Micah testifies: “I can say without a doubt that it’s one of the few products which have revolutionized my life.”  And they’re available in Ireland from thebabyorchard.com, which is worth checking out anyway for cool stuff.

And if you change your mind about any of your purchases, now even ebay is getting a social conscience!    “When your shopping shapes the world” – fair trade and socially conscious goods of a variety almost equal to the old-school ebay and with a clear conscience to boot.

What is ethical investment?
Ehtical investments  focus on generating the best return financially, environmentally and socially othewise known as the triple bottom line. By putting your money in green investments, you’ll be supporting growing green companies that are contributing to a more equitable, sustainable world.

Socially reponsible investment funds on offer in Ireland

Bank or Ireland New Ireland Smart Funds/Ethical equity funds

Bank of Ireland Asset Management Limited, which manages these funds, has a dedicated ethical committee to provide guidance in the formulation of policy which determines the selection of investments for the ethical funds.

Dolmen Butler Brisco Gren Effects Fund

The Green Effects Fund invests only in companies which are on the Natural Stock Index. This is an index of about 30 shares which have very strong ethical principles.

EBS INdexed Ethical Global Equity Fund

The EBS Indexed Ethical fund is 50pc invested in the FTSE4Good Europe 50 Equities Index and 50pc in the FTSE4Good Global 100 Equities Index.

Friends First Forest Stewartship Fund

The Stewardship Fund avoids investing in companies which cause environmental damage.

Hibernian Socially Responsible Inestment Funds

Hibernian offers five ethical funds: a Managed Fund, a European Equity Fund; a Global Equity Fund, a High Yield Equity Fund and a Bond Fund. The companies are selected by Hibernian’s sister company Morley Fund Management,.

Where to start
Speak to a financial advisor about green and ethical funds, or if you are a shareholder in a company whose corporate social responsibility is far from perfect, consider letting them know ,as a shareholder you can ask them to get a better environmental policy (or you could just sell the stock and invest the money somewhere else). Money is a powerful tool. Use it for good.

These ideas often strike me as far fetched, costly, and difficult, and I can’t help thinking it would be simpler, cheaper and quicker to find ways of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

But one ingenious idea caught my eye this week. It comes from Iceland where, let’s face it, they need a little good news these days.

CarbFix plans to turn CO2 into stone. Powered by Iceland’s unlimited geothermal energy, they will chemically convert the gas into calcite, the carbonate mineral that is a major component of limestone. Unlike sequestration, this would permanently lock the gas into a stable mineral form, so there would be no fear of the gas leaking out catastrophically.

Another story that caught my eye is a US project to harness solar power from space. Solaren Corp. plans to launch solar panels into orbit, convert the power generated into radio transmissions that can be beamed to earth, and then fed into a power grid. You can read an interview with the Solaren CEO here, on the Next100 website.

Another potentially good news story is research that suggests bacteria can digest oil-tar to yield a cleaner gas resource.  If you’ve heard of the controversial Canadian tar-sands, you’ll know that these enormous deposits are costly and dirty to extract, and to process and refine into a useable form. But as oil prices rise, they are becoming an increasingly important Canadian resource.  This latest research suggests a new, more acceptable way to extract value from the sands.

Bad news however, from a WWF report into fishing fleets, which confirms what many people feared: huge amounts of catch are wasted, and commercial fleets discard a stunning 40% of what they take.  It’s an unsustainable situation, and a disaster in the making unless something radical changes fast.

Not so good news either from a UK report this week into ‘greening’ and future-proofing existing homes.  Most of the homes will still be in use in 50 years time, but improving insulation and energy efficiency will, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Technology Strategy Board reckon, be ‘a herculean task’. The same is surely true in Ireland.

And still with the bad news . . . much of the Canadian province of Manitoba is now underwater, with mass evacuations in place.  (Nasa satellite view here.)

I’m in Canada for 6 months, where the top news story for the last month has been the annual Red River floods in Manitoba and in North Dakota, so I don’t know if this story has reached Ireland yet.  Amazingly, given the scale of devastation, the floods have claimed just one life, so it’s possible the story hasn’t yet reached a threshold that would bring it to European attention.

The floods come with the annual snow melt, excacerbated this year by the long winter, the frozen lakes (which have effectively dammed the river at its northern outlet), the frozen and waterlogged ground which can’t absorb any more water, and even frozen sandbags (which don’t make for a watertight seal).

What has been especially interesting for me as an outsider, is the different approach taken in Canada and, south of the border, in North Dakota which lies upstream.  Canadians are happy to take government intervention, and this has led to major flood prevention works, including a massive canal to diver the flood around the provincial capital of Winnipeg, which seems to have held, despite this year’s record flood level.

North Dakotans, however, don’t take kindly to government intervention — action that would be viewed as socialism! — and there it is every man for himself. Hence the floods have hit harder there, despite the fact that they are upstream of the worst. It’s an interesting socio-cultural difference in approaching climate and environmental problems. You can read about it here – though I see Toronto’s Globe and Mail charges for access to its stories!

And finally . . . know anyone who will take a tonne of metal across the sea this summer for you, and not charge you a penny?  Provided the metal has four wheels, the cross-channel ferry companies are happy to oblige it seems.

Veteran British environment and science writer Fred Pearce is taking on the ferry companies and the fares policy that favours motorists over foot passengers, in his GreenWash column at the Guardian.

If you haven’t already discovered Fred, he’s always worth a read.

(c) Mary Mulvihill 2009  http://marymulvihill.net/

Mary’s new guide to easy, sustainable living is Drive Like a Woman, Shop Like a Man (2009).  Click here to suggest a tip, and be in with a chance to win a copy of the book.

Undoubtedly many people were sceptical that it would actually be possible to generate a large volume of jobs, especially in the current “economic climate”. However the recent announcement of the creation of 3700 jobs within the next four years heralds a new beginning for Ireland and the start of the new green economy.

The state owned energy supplier, ESB, have announced the creation of these jobs. Many will be skilled and will require training for those to fill the posts. The areas in which they will be created include:

• Development of electrical infrastructure
• ESB Recruitment
• Apprentice Training.
• Renewable Power
• Clean Electricity
• Energy Efficiency, including smart metering

Alongside the announcement of the jobs, the ESB have also announced their intention to forge ahead with the development of their business, planning for up to 25 years ahead. They will continue to borrow and invest in the business. This type of forward planning demonstrates commitment to sustaining their business, and is an important element of the New Green Economy.

For a business to be truly sustainable they not only need to have created a green model within which to work, but also need to plan for the future. Ensuring that your business remains viable long into the future is an important element of sustainability. Booms and recessions will come and go, but a truly sustainable business will be able to weather them all.

From its inception, sustainability was never about restricting or preventing development, just about considering others and the future when doing so. Sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This is why sustainability is such a vital part of any business, especially in the future economy.

Making a difference

• A sustainable future. Bank at institutions with an eye on the future – those committed to reducing waste and pollution, conserving natural resources, and addressing global climate change.
•  Save some spondoolicks. Some banks give borrowers a break for loans that will improve the energy efficiency of your home or car.
•  Keep the bills at bay.Seek out banks that offer free online checking and bill pay. You reduce your eco-footprint and will never have to buy another book of cheques. And, if you sign up for automatic bill pay, you’ll never pay a bill late again.
  

Interested?

AIB are offering up to €2000 home loans cashback to fund a renewable energy system in your home they also have an E statement initative for doing your banking online.

Permanent TSB has a green loan which rewards you for being environmentally friendly.

Ulster Bank are offering a Green Investment Bond which helps you take advantage of the emerging green business sector while at the same time make a difference to the environment.

Rabo Direct has collaborated with the WWF to offer a climate card which offsets your  purchases.

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Photo courtesy of flickr.