Help us protect and improve public transport & infrastructure for future generations.Engage in a multi-year process of improving services to make rail transport a successful transport option in the South East of Ireland.

Most of this electronics will be thrown away within three years due to new technologies and planned obsolescence. The average life of a computer has decreased significantly from six to two years, and the average life cycle of today's cell phones is only 9 to 18 months. As a result, up to 50 million tons of electronic waste are produced annually, most of it from First World countries, whose strict recycling laws make safe disposal expensive and tedious. As a result, much of it is exported to third world countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Africa, which are not subject to strict regulations. This export is illegal under the Basel Convention, according to which "hazardous waste must be disposed of in the country of origin". What it does to the environment: Chemicals in e-waste can be mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, and chromium. These compounds can be very persistent in the environment and are absorbed by plants through the soil and by humans through food, water, air, dust, skin contact, and ingestion. What it can do to people: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low levels of lead, mercury and cadmium can cause neurological damage, cancer, lung, kidney, thyroid and liver diseases, and cause behavioral and learning difficulties in children. What can be done: Governments around the world must stop exporting their e-waste to these third world countries and instead try to improve their own waste methods. Governments should feel responsible for managing their own e-waste recycling programs so that businesses can explore this path in a cheaper and more sustainable way, rather than simply shifting the duty to countries that need money.

Don't let the government stop us from having a say in how forestry is developed in Ireland! Sign the petition objecting to the undemocratic Draft Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2020 The Irish forestry industry has been ignoring requirements under EU law for Environmental Impact Assessments before forestry can be planted or felled for many years . This was successfully challenged in court in 2018 by environmentalist Peter Sweetman, but now, instead of dealing with the issues that were exposed and hiring enough ecologists to carry out these assessments, the government wants to prevent people from intervening on behalf of the environment. A new Draft Agriculture Appeals Bill , quietly published at the beginning of August, is an attempt to block public participation in the conservation of public forests and stifle the forestry appeals process. Its proposals severely restrict who can appeal and will make it prohibitively expensive to do so. This Bill contravenes the EU Aarhus Convention which allows for and encourages public participation in decision-making on the environment. Serious concerns about this bill have been raised by Ireland’s leading environmental coalition, the Environmental Pillar, made up of 28 groups/NGOs that seek to protect and promote nature and wildlife. Ireland has only 11% of forest cover as against a European average of over 40%. Government targets for forestry planting have been repeatedly missed and are unambitious as it is, shockingly so in view of the looming climate and biodiversity crisis. The impact of the ruling has been to slow down the industry severely but this is because the government has not done its part to address matters. The public consultation for the Draft Bill closes this Friday 28th August. Sign the petition to tell Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity PIppa Hackett to reconsider this Bill, remove the undemocratic and prohibitive legislative changes it proposes to the appeals process and formulate a new Forestry Programme for Ireland. You can also email your objections to [email protected] by 5pm this Friday, 28th August.

This extensive wetland area is a haven for biodiversity, a feeding ground for endangered hen harriers and a unique habitat to significant species of flora and fauna. The marsh plays a vital role in natural flood prevention and as an increasingly important carbon sink. This site, like hundreds of others across the country, has lingered on the list of proposed Natural Heritage Areas since it was first published on a non-statutory basis in 1995. Due to the lack of statutory protection the Marsh has suffered significant damage in recent times due to inappropriate land use. This damage will continue to occur - to the detriment of this important habitat - unless the necessary protection is put in place. We call on the Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to take the necessary steps to ensure that the full designation of Garrylucas Marsh as a Natural Heritage Area by the National Parks and Wildlife Service proceeds immediately.

In Ireland our individual ecological footprint is approximately 5.2 Global Hectares per Capita (ghc) but the Planet’s actual capacity is only 1.8 ghc: we are living as if there are almost three Planet Earths. This way of life is not only contributing to mass extinction, pandemics and extreme economic inequalities, it means that, in all likelihood, our country will be uninhabitable for our grandchildren. A One Planet Development scheme would give people the option of moving out of the city and into the countryside to pioneer a way of life that goes some way towards bringing the human-nature relationship back into balance. It would allow people to build small low-impact dwellings, to establish community and to work with the land in a regenerative way to bring systemic change to our food systems.

Better traffic solutions for our city.

In these times of Covid19 this will also help people to commute, get to school and exercise safely. Will provide a much nicer environment for the people in Sandymount similar to what has happened in Blackrock and DunLoaghaire. Will mean an end to the traffic jams we're seeing at rush hour. Will provide almost continuous cycle track along the south Dublin coast from Sandymount to Sandycove allowing kids, families and older people to move about safely.

The Athlone to Galway Greenway being routed through Ballinalsoe is essential to: - REJUVENATE much needed economic activity to revive a rural gateway to the west town and its surrounding hinterland. -STIMULATE huge tourism activity in the area creating sustainable employment and endless business opportunities. -ENCOURAGE health and well-being in the area to combat rising physical and mental health issues.

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Which is great! Green areas have been allowed to flourish with flowers growing through them. Widespread population declines of bees and other pollinators from habitat loss are a growing concern. However, spontaneous flowers like dandelions and clover can provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season....... Therefore, please don't mow, don't spray, let them grow!

Far too frequently, this supply line bursts and impacts upon thousands of people from Buncrana, Fahan, Inch, Tooban, Burnfoot, Bridgend, Muff, Netwoncunningham and Killea. This impacts on the way of life for thousands of residents. It affects out schools, medical facilities, community centres and businesses. It is simply unacceptable and would not be tolerated anywhere else in Ireland. We are simply calling for a consistent water supply as would be expected anywhere else.

As Covid 19 cases have started to rise again across the country and in Limerick it is vital that covid mobility measures, put in place to facilitate social distancing, are kept in place for the forseeable future. South Circular Road runs parallel to Ballinacurra and O'Connell Avenue in Limerick City. It is a residential street and over the past month as a result of these Covid mobility measures, locals, both living on the street and in the surrounding neighbourhoods, have found it a pleasure to walk or cycle along, to bump into neighbours and have a chat in the open air, at a socially safe distant, without battling the noise of heavy through traffic or risking their lives as cars speed through. This has all been facilitated by the new one way traffic system, blocking incoming traffic from the Dooradoyle side and preventing the use of the street as a rat run for people accessing the city centre. Now locals from South Circular Road itself and from the suburbs of Dooradoyle and Raheen can use it as a safe cycle route into the city, a quiet, comfortable walking route in the evenings and a place to meet and chat to each other. South Circular Road could become the ideal road for young people to cycle and walk to school when they return in a few weeks. Over 6,800 students attend university or primary or secondary school on the SCR and many more use it as an access route to other city centre schools. Many of the children attending these schools are local to the city but are driven to school or creche by anxious parents as there currently is no safe road for them to cycle or walk. South Circular Road can be that safe route - reducing traffic in the city, improving the quality of the air we all breathe, giving our young people confidence and independence as they make their own way to school and creating healthy habits that will last them a lifetime. For those that need to drive to school access is retained via the Dock road and Ballinacurra road. Please sign this petition to show Limerick City Council that the one way system needs to stay and that we, as the people of the city, are in agreement on this.

Covid 19 infection rates are rising again. The crisis is not over and requirements for social distancing are still vital. Any removal of mobility measures designed to facilitate safe movement into the city is dangerously premature. Shannon Bridge is a crucial transport corridor for schools. Over 3,500 children will soon travel to schools directly served by Shannon Bridge. Provision must be made for safe active travel to these schools. This is mandated by the National Transport Authority, Green Schools Ireland, and the Department of Education; The Department of Transport guidelines state 'use public transport only for essential journeys, walk or cycle if possible.' The COVID-19 Response Plan by the Dept. of Education for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools states 'promote alternative means for children to get to school in a safe way, including walking, cycling and more generally in reducing the impact on public transport'. (July 2020). The Green Schools Plan 'An Ideas Document for Safe Access to Schools' also reiterates the need to prioritize active travel, including walking and cycling, and suggests the implementation of 'a cycle bus or walk-and-stride facilities'. (July 2020). In installing a cycle lane to provide safe travel for cyclists and a safer passage for pedestrians along the pathway- now insulated from motor vehicles- the Council has acknowledged the need for such infrastructure. Removal of such infrastructure is a retrograde step for the Council, when other local authorities across the country are introducing cycle infrastructure to support people who cycle and those that want to cycle but feel its unsafe to do so due to fear of accident, driver hostility and current route layout. Up to 40 children and parents from the Cycle Bus (which serves 2 primary schools in the city centre) use the inbound lane to cross the Shannon each morning on route to school and work. Before the lane was opened exclusively to cyclists and pedestrians, these children shared a lane of traffic with cars, vans, buses and HGV’s on a daily basis. It was, all would agree, the most unsafe aspect of the Cycle Bus’ journey each morning. If Limerick wants to support the increasing numbers of people cycling, then the Council must support 'people first' measures like maintaining a safe segregated cycle lane on one of our bridges.