A decision is imminent on the Bill to insert into the Constitution an amendment which would rule out any future privatisation of water, or water services. Forty TDs have signed the Bill including Independents4Change, Sinn Fein, AAA/PBP and a number of independent TD’s. A number of others including the Green Party, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats have said publicly that they would support a referendum on public ownership of our water, so the Bill has a real chance of passing. However, this Bill will only pass if supported by Fianna Fail. We are calling on all TD's to prove they oppose water privatisation by supporting the Bill. At this very moment in time, any government, including the current one, could legislate to sell off our public water system. Furthermore, even if a government did not want to sell off our water, the EU, IMF or ECB could force the sale in the future – like they did in Greece and Portugal – so we have to protect our vital public water system now! The devastating impacts of water privatization have been felt all around the world. In the UK, one in four people are now experiencing water poverty. In the US, Rome and parts of France, tens of thousands are having their water shut off. We can prevent much of this by putting ownership of our water in the Constitution. More information here: http://tinyurl.com/zqn5gt6

Everyone is very aware of the fight that has been taking place for our water since 2011 and hit the headlines in 2014 when 100's of thousands marched on our streets. The expert water commission is not setup to allow for a referendum on ownership of our water so please sign this petition and demand that Fianna Fail TD's support the bill next week.

There is a Bill to ban fracking coming before the Dail on Thursday 26th Oct. But despite wide cross party and public- support, the government wants to stall its progress until at least June 2017. Fracking is a dangerous form of gas extraction. It involves pumping chemicals and water deep underground at high pressures that create explosions to fracture the rock and release pockets of gas trapped within it. The evidence is clear that fracking poses serious risks to public health, the local environment, the climate and jobs in farming and tourism. This evidence has led countries, including France and Germany, and US states such as New York, to ban the process. The bill to ban fracking was introduced as a private member's bill by Sligo-Leitrim TD Tony McLoughlan. It has received wide support from across the parties, including Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein, the Greens and People Before Profit. The government has accepted the bill but now wants to stall its progress in the Dail until June 2017. They claim this is to allow time for the Enivronmental Protection Agency study on fracking to be properly considered by the Department. This study has already been discredited as being conducted by the fracking industry itself, as well as failing to take into account the crucial issue of public health. The government should allow the bill to move forward without delay. We have the evidence. Fracking damages health, community, environment and jobs. It is incompatable with action on climate change. We can't afford to wait for a year. It's time for TDs to #BacktheBill and ban fracking now!

Plastic pollution is now choking the world's oceans, killing marine life and leaching toxic endocrine-disrupting chemicals into the food chain. Despite this terrible truth, plastic production is set to quadruple by 2050 and plastic food packaging in our supermarkets is increasing. In Ireland we generate 20 million tonnes of waste a year, the second highest of any developed country. This huge figure is, in part, due to the volume of packaging in our country's supermarkets. Compostable bio-plastics made from plants have been easily and competitively available in Ireland for the past eight years and yet our supermarkets refuse to use them. With a turnover of €4 billion a year, Musgraves, which runs SuperValu and Centra shops is the largest grocery distributor in Ireland. The company has publicly committed to drive sustainable sourcing and consumption. Therefore, it is the natural candidate to lead Irish consumers away from petro plastics to bio plastics. We are calling on Musgraves to become leaders on this island nation and commit to phasing out its plastic packaging in favor of a compostable variety.

Our local businesses, environment and democracy are under threat from a trade deal currently being negotiated between the EU Commission and the USA. The deal is called TTIP and could outlaw local authorities’ support of local businesses, allow multinational corporations to sue us if councils deny fracking permits and open up services like water, health and education to privatisation. What’s up for grabs are the rules and regulations that force corporations to abide by standards that protect our health, our rights, our jobs, services and the environment. These regulations for example stop corporations releasing chemicals and products into the market before they are proven to be safe. They also make sure workers get their rights and that local communities are protected from environmental disasters. But if TTIP goes ahead corporations will get to have a say on policies that govern our daily lives - before we or even politicians get to see them. And if they don’t like the rules they will be able to sue governments when they make changes or bring in new policies that could potentially affect their profits. Right now in Canada a fracking company Lone Pine Resources Inc., is suing the government for its decision to not allow fracking in Quebec. They are able to do this because of an ISDS clause in another trade deal. In Egypt the government was sued by water company Veolia for attempting to bring in a minimum wage. Germany is being sued by Swedish energy company Vatenfall for €4.7 billion because of Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power. TTIP also removes barriers to US companies who want to sell their products in Europe. Right now the sale of US beef in Europe is very limited. Hormone injected beef is banned outright. Hundreds of councils across Europe have already said they don’t want TTIP. Because of people power politicians are waking up to the threat TTIP poses and to the fact that people aren’t going to stand aside and let our democracy and rights be sold off. In addition to that a similar Trade agreement named CETA if the TTPIP fails will deliver a similar agreement between the EU and Canada, with similar legal provisions thus providing a backdoor for the same restrictive legal provisions to be implemented: CETA summary: http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/wp/16-03CETA_ES.pdf

We all have a right to adequate access to drinking water. The UN has told the Irish state that according to international human rights law, all levels of government are under an obligation to provide urgent measures, including financial assistance, to ensure access to affordable housing, and essential levels of drinking water and sanitation services.

Merlin Park meadows has been conserved as a public amenity space for many generations and is a vital green space for the people of Galway. With 84 acres of land already zoned for development within the Merlin Park hospital complex, it will have an adverse impact on the community - once it is gone, it can never be replaced. With the expansion of housing and commercial lands surrounding the area, it is a healthy environment for the ever increasing population who depend on it as an escape from polluted environments, a place for mental relaxation and physical activity. Along with the Merlin Park Woods it is the only known habitat in the city where Red Squirrel are thriving and sightings from other areas of the city are of roadkill. It is home to thousands of mammals and wildlife species such as butterflies, bumblebees and dragonflies providing a safe haven for them with huge declines in the number of these species and many threatened species in recent years. It is home to a variety of Orchids and wildflowers similar to the protected Burren in Co Clare. This is a very unique meadow within the city of Galway and is totally natural. Galway has been awarded the European Green Leaf Award for 2017, to allow development on public land and destroy this meadow would totally go against this.

The people of this community have the lowest density of green space in the state. The council refuse to discuss their plans for the site and intend to sell the land to developers. They are threatening to close a Community Garden which is thriving by delaying the allocation of allotments to residents of the Community that have applied. The area is socially deprived and has .7 % of green space per resident when the World Health Organisation recommends 9% per resident pet community.

Lough Key Forest Park is a national treasure and must at all costs be kept in public ownership. We're really worried that plans are afoot to sell it or part off, similar to what happened at Newcastle Forest where publicly owned land of which we the Irish people are the stakeholders of was leased to a foreign private company for profit gain. Una Bhan is a 'high' POEM / song in the Gaelic tradition,which tells the tragic love affair she had with a rival of her father.It is widely sung the length and breath of Ireland,and it symbolises our rich gaelic culture.She is buried on an Island close by......our heritage belongs to everyone, and no one!

This is a popular beach but a lot of sharp branches are being washed on shore and are sticking out of the sand which is a hazard, especially for young kids.

The Marine Institute has applied for a 35 year lease for an offshore electricity generating station in Galway Bay off of Spiddal. There are 5 applications relating to this all to be found on www.environ.ie. Although, there have been a couple of public meetings about this, the most recent meeting in the Connemara Coast revealed that a huge amount of people have very little or no information about what this entails. Indeed, there are too many Galwegians and Clare people who have no idea that this is the plan for Galway Bay. We would like to inform people of the details and have asked the Marine Institute and Simon Coveney, who has the power to sign off on this, for more time to examine the applications and the consequences for Galway Bay and its surroundings. Please help us spread the word quickly as we only have until August 2nd for submissions on this. Unless our TDs and Councillors stall the deadline for us.

The salmon farming industry is detrimental to wild salmon, peoples health and the ecology of the bays where the cages are. Sea lice from the salmon cages easily infest little salmon making their journey to sea, and many don't return to breed. This massively effects angling tourism, coupled with escaped salmon who spread disease. The antibiotics and food used to farm these "organic" salmon is far from healthy. The E.U definition of "organic" is shocking, and I have never in my life heard of antibiotics growing in a field! Mussels and other native life is effected by the salmon farms, they must be stopped! For more information or to help the campaign further contact Tom Moran via the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pbpcastlebar Thank you!