The Local Planet

Sunday, 26 May 2013

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Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Homeowners in Northern Ireland considering installing renewable energy technology will be able to make an informed decision after attending a new ‘Renewables Awareness’ course. Anita Gribben, a Science Communication Consultant, will be running a course on March 20th-22nd, and two in May: 19th-21st and 29th-31st. The course provides participants with an understanding of the issues surrounding the installation of renewable energy technologies in the domestic setting. It covers solar hot water, wood boilers, heat pumps, solar electricity, wind power and small-scale waterpower.
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Community Food Project

Written by Andy Hallewell
Tuesday, 09 October 2007
There is no hard and fast set of rules for setting up a Community Food Project (CFP). What you need to get going will depend on local circumstances – what suits one community may not suit another. Different groups have different resources they can draw on but most projects will share certain characteristics needed for success: Step 1 – Land The amount of land required will depend on the size of the group and other factors. In general no more than 100 square metres is needed. It is important to allow for access for delivery of compost material to the compost area. If the gardener and participants are only working in the garden once a week it will be necessary to make provision for watering/maintaining protected growing areas such as greenhouses, polytunnels and seed propagators if they are used. It is also important that participants have easy access to the garden; that toilet and hand washing facilities are available nearby; and that shelter from inclement weather is also available. Security may need consideration, particularly if the garden might be vulnerable to vandalism.
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‘Peak Oil’ & 'Peak Water'

Written by Judith Hoad
Sunday, 01 July 2007
‘Peak Oil’: There Are Alternatives ‘PEAK WATER’: There Are None! You and I are 70%-80% water. Without a wholesome supply, we can die within days. Yet water is so ever-present that we abuse it, regularly. Yes. People dump rubbish into streams and rivers; they poop and pee into water reckoned to be of drinkable quality; water authorities fire in Chlorine, Aluminium sulphate and Sodium flouride – all, especially the last, dangerously poisonous substances; the same authorities allow hazardous parasites to slide into the water supply from agricultural excesses – as has happened to the supply for Galway City in recent months.
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A Passive House Builder

Written by The Local Planet Editorial Team
Thursday, 19 October 2006
In this exclusive interview with Lars Pettersson of Scandinavian Homes, The Local Planet first asked him if it were obvious when he first came to Ireland that the houses here weren't efficient .
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Facing Reality

Written by Richard Douthwaite
Tuesday, 30 November 2004
Feasta seeks to establish the principles on which sustainable economic systems will have to be run Is there anyone who believes that humanity can go on causing extinctions on a massive scale and polluting the planet so much that it’s causing the climate to change without having to face rather nasty consequences somewhere along the line? But if we all know it’s wrong, why do we behave this way? There are two schools of thought. One is that our greed is responsible – we are never content and always want more.
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Content Snippets!

For the second in my series of reports on studies in the area of Renewable Education in Ireland, I had the good fortune to meet up with Mr. Larry Staudt who is the Course Director of post graduate Renewable Education studies at Dundalk Institute of Technology.
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ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
The Local Planet has covered Steiner education in previous issues but John Donaldson asked to relate his very happy experiences with the change and choice he made for his son. We would like to cover other educational alternatives, from Montessori to faith schools; home education to learning all subjects through art - or even an exceptional ‘conventional’ school. Would you like to write and share the educational decisions and experiences (whether very positive or not so good) you and your children have had?

A chance meeting and conversation with a total stranger in a coffee shop near Kilkeel, County Down lead to a decision to educate my son James in a Steiner school. He spent his first two years in a Kindergarten at a Camphill community outside Kilkeel. Then, two years ago we relocated to East Clare so that James could start his education in Ireland’s largest Steiner school.