Hi IEN,

With the sunny weather comes lots of events and festivals! Learn about permaculture, explore hedgerows and seed collection, celebrate wildlife through photography, discover more about human coexistence with wildlife and so much more coming up in both August and September.

This month the Environmental Pillar is also responding to the public consultations for each county's draft Strategic Policy Committee scheme. You can access our submissions below and are welcome to use them to inform your own. We also have a handy spreadsheet with deadlines and links to each county's consultation.

After all that work, why not sit back and listen to this months radio episode of The Green Room, which explores how we could rethink our economic systems to enhance our wellbeing and underwrite the health of the planet. Learn more about this with recordings from this years popular Rethinking Growth Conference, which welcomed 300 attendees last month.

All this and more below!

Enjoy!

Catherine.

AUGUST EVENTS

Human Coexistence with Wildlife Across Spaces, Ecosystems and Sectors

August 7th - 7pm

Online

"Human Coexistence with Wildlife Across Spaces, Ecosystems and Sectors" with Dr LAURA GRIFFIN, a wildlife ecologist currently working at the University of British Columbia (UBC) as a postdoctoral researcher – We, as humans, share our space with wildlife every single day. Typically, this occurs in ways that we are aware of, but it also often occurs in ways that we don’t think about. Policies and frameworks have historically separated humans and wildlife, assigning space to each as though we do not (or cannot) coexist together. However, as pressures on ecosystems and wildlife populations multiply, it is important for us to acknowledge the ways in which we interact with and impact wildlife on a daily basis.

During this talk, we will explore some of the ways in which humans and wildlife interact, ranging from the global to the local scale. We will also touch upon how we can make choices to better facilitate coexistence.

Book here

Permie Seed Camp Meitheal to set up and co-create All Ireland Permaculture Gathering

August 21st - 23rd

Galway

In preparation for this year's All Ireland Permaculture Gathering (AIPG) at the Slieve Aughty Centre in Co. Galway on 24-25th August 2024, we are delighted to gather with a number of volunteers in advance of the event on August 21st - 23rd to prepare for the weekends events and invite you to join us for our Seed Camp Meitheal, taking place over these 3 days.

Everyone is welcome to come along and to help us to build our camp, gather energy and ideas and co create resources and materials needed for our upcoming All Island Gathering!

More info here

Join Hedgerows Ireland in August. We will be giving hedgerow talks at the following events:

Song of the Scythe Weekend

17-18th August, Rathbeagh, Co. Kilkenny

Join us for a day of scything was and talks and traditional skills workshops.

Book here

Hedgerow Walk

24th August, 11-1 pm, Eadestown, Co. Kildare

Join us for a Hedge Walk in Eadestown, Co. Kildare. We will explore the plants and wildlife of hedgerows, how they protect our land from drought and flooding, and best practices for nature-friendly hedgerow management.

Book here

Wild Child Hedgerow Exploration

with Westmeath County Council

24th August, 10-11.30 am, Hill of Uisneach, Co. Westmeath

Celebrate Heritage Week’s Wild Child Day at the Hill of Uisneach with Hedgerows Ireland and Westmeath County Council. During this event, we will introduce native hedgerows and their importance, we will guide the children through fun hedgerow activities including a scavenger hunt, sound mapping, and leaf rubbing.

Book here

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

2-Day Permaculture Design Course at Cloughjordan Ecovillage

Sept 14th and 15th

10am - 5pm

Tipperary

This introductory 2-day course ‘taster’ will provide an opportunity to actively learn about the principles and see examples of permaculture design in Cloughjordan Ecovillage.

The course offers an opportunity to discuss vitally important issues in a positive, creative and supportive space. Whether your interest is in building community, organic horticulture or engineering, designing a homestead or how to best navigate the transition to a resilient and more self-reliant society, studying the principles of permaculture and regenerative design will be invaluable.

Venue: Community Enterprise Centre, Cloughjordan Ecovillage

During the two days, you will learn about:

• The history of permaculture
• Ethics & principles of Permaculture
• Closed loop and whole systems thinking
• Patterns in nature
• Regenerative design

Book here

Whale Watching Courses

The Irish Whale & Dolphin Group is delighted to announce their return to the wonderful CECAS Ctr, in Leap, West Cork, for their 2024 summer series of Residential weekend whale watching courses. Participants will attend a series of indoor presentations and guided land-based watches, during which they will learn the field-skills required to observe, identify and record these magnificent marine mammals. Incorporated into the weekend will be a 4-5hr boat trip with our partners at Cape Clear Ferries. The second of these two courses is September 20th - 22nd.

Book Sept 20th - 22nd

Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation Course

Sept 21st and 22nd

Full Day

Meath

Learn the basics in wildlife rehabilitation coming this autumn from Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland.

Book your tickets here

OCTOBER & NOVEMBER EVENTS

All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships

Oct 5th - 9am

Kildare

We also invite people to register for the 2024 All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships on 5th October in Monasterevin, Co. Kildare!

Hedgerows Ireland is delighted to announce the 2024 All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships, taking place on Saturday 5th October at Milland House Stud, Oghill, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare. The Championship starts at 9am, and continues to approximately 3.30, with prize-giving at 4pm.

More info

Start your own tree nursery and save and collect seeds

Oct 5th - 10am

Galway

Join us for a fun, one-day outdoor workshop with Saul Mosbacher, former CELT Tree Nursery Manager, renowned for his wealth of knowledge about native trees and the wide variety of local seeds available for collecting at this time of year. 

We all know Trees are essential to life and with increasing awareness of their vital role in tackling the crisis of global warming and biodiversity loss, we wish to support and empower people and communities to take action, engaging in NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS and playing a part in restoring trees to our Irish landscape..

More info

No Dig Gardening

with Charles Dowding

Oct 26th and 27th

10am-4pm

Leitrim

Join pioneer Charles Dowding for his Irish visit in a truly memorable course. He will join the Organic Centre for two, one day events, Sat Oct 26th and Sunday Oct 27th, 2024. Learn about the No Dig gardening method with this international acclaimed instructor, in the backdrop of the grounds of the Organic Centre.

More info and book here

Advanced Wildlife Veterinary Treatment Course

Nov 16th and 17th

Full Day

Meath

For veterinary professionals, further your knowledge the in treatment of our native wildlife with this fantastic course coming this autumn from Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland.

Book your tickets here

The Green Room

with Caroline Whyte

Rediscovery Centre

“What if our economic and financial institutions were re-designed and re-purposed across our island, the European Union and further afield to enhance our wellbeing and underwrite the health of the planet?”

Every month, Claire Downey and Steve O'Reilly from the Rediscovery Centre host a circular economy takeover of the Green Room Radio Show on 103.2 Dublin City FM. This month they were joined by Caroline Whyte from FEASTA to discuss the hugely successful Rethinking Growth Conference held in Dublin.

Listen here

Statement to Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action

Rediscovery Centre

On 18 June, at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, Rediscovery Centre CEO Sarah Miller and Policy & Research Director Claire Downey shared our vision for the future of consumer durables in Ireland.

This is a future where Ireland's consumption is dramatically reduced, where our ambitious statutory national reuse and future repair targets drive sectoral change, and where social enterprises are supported and celebrated in their role in driving the sector. To make this happen, Ireland must be engaged, informed and enabled to transition to a circular economy, with an enabling environment for prevention, reuse & repair, alongside investment in prevention, reuse and repair infrastructure.

Beyond the Rediscovery Centre's opening remarks, discussions at the committee focused on barriers and enablers to the circular transition for citizens and communities, including points on insurance, textiles, financial instruments, and systems change.

Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/ewbaUgr8

Rethinking Growth Conference Ireland 2024

A huge thank you to everyone in the IEN staff and membership who helped and participated in the 'Rethinking Growth: Towards a Wellbeing Economy for Ireland' conference at TCD, which was organised by Feasta, Cultivate and our Wellbeing Economy Ireland Hub partners, at the end of June.

It was a big success, with approximately 300 participants from a wide range of sectors, including - as we had hoped - artists, academics, activists, politicians and policymakers. Liam Ó Maonlai, Mary Murphy, Julia Steinberger, Minister Paschal Donohoe, Saoirse Exton and Dr Tony Holohan were along the many voices heard.

Conference topics included ‘Why do we need to rethink growth?”, “Where are there tensions and where is there convergence on rethinking growth?”, “Decolonising the social imaginary” and “How should we define economic progress?”, and themes discussed included housing, finance, enterprise, food and agriculture, poverty and inequality, health, extractivism, peace, the arts, and faith and ethics.The roles of universities and students in rethinking growth, and the content of economics curricula, were also explored.

You can watch the videos of the conference plenaries now on its website at www.rethinking-growth.ie, and we'll be uploading more material from it in the coming weeks.

Public Consultation

Strategic Policy Committee Draft Schemes

All County Councils are now looking for input into their draft Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) Schemes. 17 counties currently have their drafts published for input, with the remainder being published over the coming weeks.

The Environmental Pillar has put together their own submissions to support the inclusion of seats for Environmental Representatives and highlighting the need for meaningful participation through the PPNs.

You can view the Environmental Pillars submissions here, and are welcome to use them to inform your own submissions. You can also find a spreadsheet of the deadlines and links to each county's consultation here.

Public Consultation

Longford Biodiversity Action Plan

Longford County Council is undergoing pre-draft public consultation to create the Longford Biodiversity Action Plan 2024-2029, and are looking for your ideas and opinions to help inform this plan, including any opportunities, threats and issues for local biodiversity that you can identify and share with us.

Deadline: August 23rd

More info here