Environment

Join the world’s biggest beach clean

The Big Beach Clean initiative is back, and Clean Coasts (the Irish environmental charity), supported by Cully and Sully, are calling people all across Wexford to register to receive cleanup kits and join the world biggest clean-up. In 2021, a record number of over 400 clean-ups were organised by volunteers who removed 42 tonnes of litter across the whole country. This represented a 5% decrease in litter found across Ireland, compared to the previous year campaign, which reflects the incredible work that Irish volunteers do all year round to tackle litter, as well as more conscious behaviours by beach users. Last year in Co. Wexford, volunteers organised clean-ups in 19 different locations, removing 1.2 tonnes of marine litter. Moreover, that year Clean Coasts joined the Wexford Subaqua Club Clean Coasts group at Kilmore Quay, where volunteers removed additional bags of marine litter, as well as larger items such as ropes and lobster pots. The Big Beach Clean is an annual call to action and this year it will run from 16th to 18th September, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), operated internationally by Ocean Conservancy. This call to action invites communities and volunteers around the country to remove litter from around the Irish coast after the end of the bathing season. This initiative is also an opportunity for volunteers to get involved in a worldwide citizen science project, which entails collecting the amount and types of litter on Irish beaches and filling in Clean Coasts’ Marine Litter Data Cards. This will help heighten awareness about the issue of marine litter serving as an indicator of the magnitude of the problem and help shape future policies and campaigns. The 2021 results have been shared with Ocean Conservancy and, in Ireland and regionally in Wexford, they have been used to shape Clean Coasts campaigns designed both for registered groups and the general public, tackling the top 10 offenders, such as cigarette butts, plastic bottles and food packaging. This year, Clean Coasts are calling not only Clean Coasts groups and people who would traditionally be involved in environmental activities to join. Clean Coasts, with the support of Content Creators, are asking everybody in the community to get involved and find out more about the benefits of taking part in a beach clean and international citizen science project, which go beyond the environmental aspect of the initiative. Our ocean supports livelihoods and certain businesses, from hospitality to tourism, to fishing, and more, depend on a clean and healthy ocean. People engaged in water sports, whether in a professional way or as a hobby, should join this call to action to protect their “playground”. Some artists might draw inspiration from the ocean, and, for this reason, they will want to do something to protect it. Coastal communities take pride in the beauty of the place they live in and want to keep it clean; moreover, a cleaner place to live means having better health and wellbeing. The ocean does a lot for our mental health and wellbeing, and so some participants might want to give something back to it. Finally, in the overall climate emergency, some people want to be an active part of the solution, and by taking part in this citizen science project, they will be able to play a key role in the establishment of future policies and campaigns. Registration will again be open to all residents of Ireland, no matter how far from the coast they are based. Statistics show that the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities. Getting involved in the Big Beach Clean is a way for residents of non-coastal counties to help prevent litter entering our waterways and seas by holding a clean-up no matter where they are in the country and tackling the problem at source. As sea lovers and sustainability supporters, Cully and Sully are joining Clean Coasts again and are very excited to be supporting the Big Beach Clean. Sinead McCoy, Coastal Communities Manager, stated: “We are asking Clean Coasts groups and any other group that would like to join the effort to sign up to partake in the Big Beach Clean, which runs on the 3rd weekend in September each year, and receive a free beach clean kit. Last year we had a boost in clean-ups with loads more areas on the coast, along lakes and riverways and in our town and villages being cleaned up, we are excited to build on this success and get even more volunteers out cleaning. This year you can find your local beach clean or sign up on www.cleancoasts.org”. To register visit the Clean Coasts website at www.cleancoasts.org Facebook:@CleanCoasts Twitter:@CleanCoasts Instagram:@cleancoasts YouTube: Clean Coasts Ireland Linkedin: Clean Coasts Hashtags: #BigBeachClean2022 #CleanCoasts n

Clean Coasts launch the 2022 Big Beach Clean, sponsored by Cully and Sully. L-R: Elaine Doyle (Clean Coasts Campaigns Officer), Colum O'Sullivan and Cullen Allen (founders of Cully & Sully). Pic: Cathal Noonan Register now for the Big Beach Clean and receive a free clean-up kit.

Did you know?

Did you know that people use a plastic bottle for an average of 11 minutes? Meanwhile it takes up to 450 years to decompose! Reusable bottles are becoming more and more popular and thankfully there are now a number of locations on the streets of Enniscorthy where you can fill them with water for free. So if you want to do one thing today for nature, avoid using disposable plastic bottles. n

These six ‘R’s can save our planet!

Refuse single use plastics (bags, cups, etc) Rethink your choices Reuse as much as possible Repair before you replace Recycle all packaging and plastic bottles Rot all your organic stuff and put it back into the soil n

No excuses!

With the generous support of the Environment Department of Wexford County Council, two Mutt Mitts bag dispensers and bins have been installed in Ferns village and also at several locations around Enniscorthy. These dispensers contain easy to use biodegradable bags to dispose of your dog’s poo. So no excuses! Bag it and bin it!! n

Get involved in Ireland’s first Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) week from 20 – 26 September 2022, in conjunction with European Sustainable Development Week. To take part in SDG week, organise an event – however big or small – or highlight an activity or project that promotes sustainable development and join the new annual week of action for the SDGs. More information on sustainable development, SDG week and ideas for taking part and to register your event: https://esdw.eu/

Sustainable Enniscorthy – welcome on board

Attendees at the Sustainable Enniscorthy public meeting on 20th June 2022.

The Slaney News is delighted that the Sustainable Enniscorthy group has come on board with a new monthly column in our magazine. See their column on page 19. If you would like to get involved in Sustainable Enniscorthy and to be kept informed about its initiatives, please follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SustainableEnniscorthy or email: sustainableenniscorthy@gmail.com A full list of planned and potential future activities/projects is in its Strategy document on its website: www.myenniscorthytown.com n

Kennedy Summer School to host new Sustainable Futures event

Senator Grace O’Sullivan, Michael Kelly and Anabel O’Hora.

In a brand new event, the Kennedy Summer School, which is set to take place in New Ross, this September 8th to 10th, is set to host a panel discussion exploring how we can all work towards a sustainable future, working together for policy and political change in combination with personal responsibility. Opening the Kennedy Summer School events on September 8th at 10.30 am will be panellists Senator Grace O’Sullivan; Dr Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland; Michael Kelly, Founder of GIY; Jo Linehan, lifestyle and sustainability journalist, co-founder of GAFF Shop, and host of The Futurist Podcast; Alannah Wrynn and Anabel O’Hora, youth activists.

David McCullagh, journalist, RTE news presenter, historian, and author of many books including, most recently, 'The Great Irish Politics Book' will moderate the panel. Alannah Wrynn is a seventeen-year-old activist, and 5th-year student from Dunmanway, West Cork. Growing up on a farm, the natural world has always played an important role in her life. She is an active member of Fridays for Future Cork where she has campaigned for a just transition to more sustainable methods of food production and the protection of Ireland’s biodiversity. She serves as Chairperson of Cork County Comhairle na nÓg (Youth Council) which is currently working on the topic of Gender Equality and is a delegate to the Irish National Youth Assembly. She has also worked with the YMCA as part of the Future Generations Climate Justice Project, which works to capture youth voices and educate them on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Anabel O’Hora is sixteen years old, she was born in Manhattan and moved to Ireland aged six to be closer to family. Anabel is passionate about sustainability, the environment, biodiversity and particularly climate action. She is a member of a range of different youth environmental organisations and became involved with ECO UNESCO through the Youth for Sustainable Development programme, she now represents them at the newly founded National Youth Assembly of Ireland. In June 2022, Anabel was a panellist at the National Biodiversity Conference and is a member of the Youth Advisory Group for the Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. Senator Grace O’Sullivan is a mother of three, an ecologist, and an environmental education specialist. She is also a former Greenpeace activist, a former Irish surf champion, and a green entrepreneur. At the age of 21, she took a job with Greenpeace, where she spent the next 20 years of her career travelling the seas and oceans of the world, taking part in actions for peace and climate justice. She was a crew member of the Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed by the French Foreign Intelligence Service in 1985. She continues her work as a peace and environment activist, these days within the political sphere. Dr Matthew Jebb undertook his primary degree and D.Phil at Oxford University. His PhD looked at the taxonomy and tuber morphology of the rubiaceous ant-plants. Following a 5-year appointment as Director of the Christensen Research Institute at Madang, Papua New Guinea, Matthew took up a 2-year post-doc position at Trinity College Dublin. This work involved the preparation of a revision of the Araliaceae for the Flora of Thailand project. Jo Linehan is a lifestyle and sustainability journalist, co-founder of GAFF Shop, and host of The Futurist Podcast. Jo’s work is all about highlighting and celebrating ways we can all live more eco-friendly lives. She is currently a columnist with The Sunday Times, and Irish County Magazine and is working on her MSc in Management for Sustainable Development at Dublin City University Michael Kelly is the founder of GIY, a social entrepreneur, author, TV presenter and hacker grower. Working with an amazing team of change-makers, he has built GIY into a leading social enterprise and developed a home for the movement GROW HQ in Waterford. He co-presented/produced three series of Grow Cook Eat for RTE which are now watched around the world on Amazon Prime. He is an Ashoka Fellow and a member of The Irish Food Writers Guild.

David McCullagh, an author and journalist with RTÉ, will moderate the panel. His most recent book is The Great Irish Politics Book, a guide to politics for younger readers, which was published in 2021. This event has been created for secondary school students and will be hosted in conjunction with the OPW at the JFK Memorial Park.

The Kennedy Summer School programme of events and tickets are now available online at www.kennedysummerschool.ie or call St. Michael’s Theatre on 051 421255. n

Calling all primary and secondary School teachers

Registration is now open for the autumn GLOBE Air Quality Campaign, kindly supported by EPA Ireland – a fantastic opportunity for teachers to participate in citizen science with their students.

The GLOBE Ireland Air Quality Campaign is a citizen-science campaign to assess traffic-related air pollution at schools. This is an educational project designed to raise awareness about air pollution, engage students in the scientific process, promote action around clean air and showcase the potential of citizen science to gather unique datasets and insights into our environment. There have been seven campaigns since 2019, with over 600 teachers registering to participate in a campaign. The campaign is a 6-to-8-week inquiry-based learning project where students are encouraged to participate in the scientific process of observing the environment, asking questions, developing a hypothesis, planning an investigation, gathering data, analysing, and interpreting data and communicating the scientific results. Students are encouraged to engage with GLOBE Atmosphere protocols to support their air pollution investigation. Each school that registers to participate in a GLOBE Ireland Air Quality campaign will receive three diffusion tubes to measure nitrogen dioxide outside at their school. The diffusion tubes are positioned at three locations at each school, one near a main road, one at a car park/drop off location, and one in a relatively sheltered area and are left up for a 4-week period. n Please get in touch with globe@eeu.antaisce.org for more information. Registration for the September 2022 campaign is now open. You can register here: https://arcg.is/1aGi Read more here: https://www.globe.gov/web/ireland/home/overview-of-airquality-campaign https://www.globe.gov/documents/14322/0/GLOBE_Ireland_Air+Quality+Campaign_2022.pdf/4bb1575b-f7306efc-4726-61e223cc3060?t=1660293185275 n

Spring into action –recycle old mattresses

Wexford County Council will hold a Mattress Amnesty at its four Household Recycling Centres on the specified dates listed on the opposite page. For further information, please contact Wexford County Council on 053 9196000 or customerservice@wexfordcoco.ie n Energy saving Expo

Sustainable Enniscorthy will host an Energy Saving Expo on Saturday 1 October from 10am to 2pm in the Seamus Rafter Suite of the Riverside Park Hotel. The Energy Saving Expo will be an opportunity for people to learn how to save energy, save money, and help the environment. Any suppliers of energy efficiency products or services who are interested in participating in the Energy Saving Expo should contact Sustainable Enniscorthy at: sustainableenniscorthy@gmail.com For more about this event: https://fb.me/e/o3VRZfzT0 n

World Clean-Up Day

This year, International World Cleanup Day is taking place on Saturday, 17th of September 2022. To mark the occasion, why not do a 2-minute street clean to show how much you care about keeping your community and world clean. n

Enjoying the Tractor Run were Monica, Martin and Denis Morton.

At the Pat the Chap Vintage Club Tractor Run in Oulart were: Carmel Sinnott, John Dempsey and Ted Sinnott.

Left: Eddie, Ross and Mary O’Grady. Right: Ger and Danny Dempsey. Below: Catherine Leacy. Below right: Jack Travers, Pat Murphy and Kayleigh Travers. Below far right: Faye and Edward O’Grady.

Tractor Run in Oulart

ON 21ST OF AUGUST 2022, BYGONE DAYS STORYTELLING HOUSE IN OULART JOINED FORCES WITH PAT THE CHAP VINTAGE CLUB AND JOAN AND FRIENDS TO RUN A FUNDRAISING EVENT IN OULART VILLAGE.

Above: Enjoying his pipe at the Pat the Chap Vintage Club Tractor Run in Oulart was John O’Connor.

Below: Shona Laird and Sharon Proctor.