Every year we throw away millions of tonnes of plastic - it never disappears, but breaks down into tiny pieces which finds its way into our rivers, seas, soils and air. Here in Northern Ireland 8 out of ten of the most found items on beaches in Northern Ireland were made of plastic. As the plastic breaks down into tiny pieces it’s consumed by marine animals, and scientists have found evidence that we are ingesting it through the food chain. Photo: A grey seal entangled in plastic, photographed by DAERA (2019)

We have seen the success of the campaign. Dublin City Council (DCC) even hinted at it in their social media campaigns with over 300,000 people having enjoyed the pedestrianised. Yet, despite the popularity, DCC are looking to end the pedestrianisation. We want to see it continued as we still need Covid-safe environments to meet with friends going into the winter. Please also email your local councillor to make sure this happens. List here: https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/mgCommitteeMailingList.aspx?EM=1&ID=0

Because this affects EVERYBODY in Ireland, it is not something that happens to other people - it will impact all facets of business, enterprise, services and the private lives of individuals. Apart from the imminent and real danger to sick people living at home who require a regular, uninterrupted electricity supply and indeed to hospitals and care homes, just reflect on the effects of a power outage on electrical appliances and internet access. It will be too late to protest when the centres have been allowed to be built, most of which are absorbing energy without allowing any facility to use renewable energy supplies. It isn't just electricity supplies that will be affected, an inordinate amount of water is also required to keep these centre running efficiently. It is also important to note that these centres DO NOT employ many people. Many countries in Europe have put a moratorium on the building of these energy grabbing entities because they realise the devastating effect they have on national energy supplies.

For some years now, Fingal Council has shown very little interest in keeping a clean environment around the Broadmeadow Estuary catchment area. Volunteers in "Swords Pickers" were able to remove truck loads of dumped rubbish from Ward River Valley Park and Broadmeadow Estuary in the first half of 2021 alone. If something is not done to fundamentally correct this, plastic & other waste will continue to travel from the parkland in Swords, through the Estuary and out into the Irish Sea. Development of either the full size all-weather playing pitch and/or the Broadmeadow Greenway in 2021 will obviously add to the problem by multiplying volumes of human traffic.

Glyphosate the main ingredient in Roundup is poisonous to humans, wildlife and the environment. Studies recently found that this toxic weedkiller is in most people's bodies [1]. It is being sprayed on roadsides, paths, in housing estates close to where people live. Ireland has the second highest levels of glyphosate in surface water in the EU whilst other countries are banning it. In 2015 the World Health Organisation concluded that the pesticide was 'probably carcinogenic to humans' and again, [2] Despite this many local councils still use it and it is still being sold on shop shelves as Round Up. The EU re-approved the use of glyphosate in 2017 however, in the last few years it has been banned by countries including France, Germany, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, the Netherlands, Argentina, Columbia, Peru and Mexico. The EU licence renewal was due to happen this July 2022 but it's been pushed down the road again until July 2023. Big lobby’s already swooping in to convince politicians to vote to continue its use, ignoring the devastating effect it has on our biodiversity, water and our health.[3] Sign the petition to join the campaign so we can ban Glyphosate once and for all. Notes: [1] https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2022/07/09/disturbing-weedkiller-ingredient-tied-to-cancer-found-in-80-of-us-urine-samples/ [2] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/widely-used-herbicide-linked-to-cancer/ [3] Page 83 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4302/epdf

It’s terrible seeing all these useless face masks ending up polluting the environment and they keep producing more and more and giving them away

In recent years there has been a growing trend in purchasing a cask of whiskey for investment purposes. These casks need to be stored somewhere and distilleries are looking to our countryside to build large warehouses solely for the purpose of storing whiskey. Now West Cork Distillers Ltd. wants to build a whiskey maturation site on 26.5 acres in the heart of West Cork. The floorspace alone for the warehouses amounts to 24,480m2 (6 Acres), a road network is also required around these warehouses. The proposed development is only 1700m from the foot of Carrigfadda, that affords truly the most magnificent panoramic coastal and countryside views in West Cork. On clear days, one can see as far as the Old Head of Kinsale, the Kerry Paps, Hungry Hill and Sherkin Island, to name a few. This Large development doesn’t offer any extra employment into the area as it is mainly manned by CCTV operations or would have a maximum of two people on site. Our country lanes can’t support arctic lorries, the infrastructure is not there to support such a sizeable development. There is a potential for flooding in the area if the development goes ahead. A development of this size will lead to loss of habitat for our wildlife. This is an urban development that is more suited to an urban industrial area. We want to support our local enterprises, but we need our local enterprises to respect our rural communities. And we need your help to help us protect existing rural character and discourage urban style developments.

Parks should be public amenities that serve the physical and mental wellbeing of city residents. Even before the pandemic, many people living in cities are confined to cramped indoor living conditions during the summer, with parks providing an important refuge from this reality. Four Masters Park in the heart of inner city Dublin has the potential to be one of those thriving community spaces. However, at present it is closed off to the public despite Dublin City Council paying for its upkeep. Local residents and politicians have all repeatedly called for the park to be opened up but the Sisters of Mercy won't budge. The days of religious orders controlling our parks, our bodies, our hospitals and our schools are numbered. It is incomprehensible that public funds are being used on a space that can't be enjoyed by the people. Renewed media attention and the wider issue of church control in Ireland has brought this issue to the fore. Now is the time to put pressure on the Sister of Mercy nuns to release their hold on the park.

Residents in the Callenders Mill estate and surrounding estates do not want a shop built on the green area in front of their houses. This green is filled with children playing every day. Residents want to keep this green space as there is already a lack of green spaces for children in Celbridge. Callenders Mill is clearly a residential area. The proposed shop will be open from 7am to 10pm, which will cause serious disturbance and noise pollution for residents. There is already insufficient parking for residents in the estate. There are already a significant number of other shop in the vicinity. There are also vacant shop units within walking distance of the proposed site. We do not need or want a shop in Callenders Mill, Celbridge!

The Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy Railway is a vital piece of national rail infrastructure but it needs a more holistic approach to investment and upgrading in order to deliver a proper service that will attract passengers. Public transport throughout the Midwest region is not good enough. I would hope people throughout the Midwest and supporters of the rail network throughout Ireland would support our campaign. Our requests are not unreasonable, they are modest practical requests that would massively improve the services available on the line. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

This petition is in response to Galway County Councils proposed destruction of Gort Uí Lochlainn Woods for a new housing development: https://consult.galway.ie/en/consultation/part-8-la0921-development-31-no-houses-coill-bhruachl%C3%A1in-gort-u%C3%AD-lochlainn-moycullen-co-galway Gort Uí Lochlainn woods is a beautiful mature, natural, broad leafed deciduous woodland that is used extensively by the community. This woodland harbours rich biodiversity with over 200-year-old native deciduous trees, inc. beech, holly, birch etc., a rich understorey and a stream releasing freshwater from the boggy uplands down to the limestone lowlands, all harbouring species of endemic flora and fauna, the latter including mammals such as foxes, badgers and bats; birds such as jays, sparrowhawks and a visiting barn owl; woodland and aquatic invertebrates. The present pandemic has highlighted the intrinsic value of outdoor recreation to human well-being; taking this woodland away from the neighbouring community is an affront to all human needs for natural resources for mental health and wellbeing and it is a natural classroom to teach our younger generation respect for their natural environment. Galway County Council proposes to destroy the woods without even conducting an environmental impact assessment, and in so doing are ignoring that: - The woods is a habitat to multiple wildlife and a variety of flora and fauna - The woods act as a flood protection system - The destruction of woodlands negatively impacts our fight against climate change

The Hawthorn tree has been an important part of Irish life since time began and appears in many of our ancient legends and folklore. The haw, or fruit of the Hawthorn can be eaten and was often referred to as the poor man's apple or fairy apple possibly due to the fact it resembles a tiny apple. The connection to fairies continues with lone Hawthorns in fields being called The Fairy Tree and so being protected by the landowners. They also appear at many of the Holy Wells around the country. The Hawthorn is particularly spectacular in May/June when it is in full bloom and is a stunning feature on the landscape quite as spectacular as the Cherry Blossom is in Japan which is celebrated there and rightly so. We should honour the Hawthorn in the same manner. By acknowledging the Hawthorn we will keep the stories alive while also helping towards reminding us to protect our biodiversity as Hawthorns grow in our hedgerows and are home and food for many of our native creatures. By making it our national flowering tree we can educate our people on biodiversity, heritage and culture and use her beauty to attract visitors during the months of May and June.