As the US dept of Energy points out......"Tires can make a big difference in the number of miles a driver gets to a tank of gas. In fact, 20% to 30% of a vehicle’s fuel consumption and 24% of road vehicle CO2 emissions are tire-related. Tires affect vehicle fuel efficiency primarily through rolling resistance....... "Under inflation also increases the rate of wear on tires and are estimated to cause as many as 10 to 25 percent of blowouts......... "A tire that is 20 percent underinflated can increase a vehicle’s fuel consumption by 10 percent. " "because it provides more resistance, causing your car to expend more effort to get going." https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/tires-and-fuel-economy People would be far more inclined to have their tyres checked if it was free and if someone were to do it for them. This was once normal procedure in garages across the country. This could see a huge drop in transport emissions which in the past year saw a 6% rise. We can cut emissions very easily if the will is there. Tyres need to be checked at least once a month for optimum performance. Every sector needs to strive for optimum performance in reducing emissions. Transport can easily reduce theirs with this small and effective action. It is time fossil fuel merchants were asked to do their bit to reduce emissions.

It has been known, since at least as far back as 1998, to Cork County Council, and their successor organisations responsible for Water Services, Irish Water, and Uisce Éireann, that untreated sewage has been escaping from a failed sewage treatment system into a public park in the village of Shannonvale, Clonakilty, County Cork. This area, which serves as the village's sole public recreation space, is situated on the north bank of the River Argideen, upstream from the point where Uisce Éireann extracts drinking water for the entire Clonakilty municipal water supply. Despite the evident threats to public health, this issue has persisted for over 25 years, since it was first reported to Cork County Council.

Access to water is a human right. We are without safe water for far too long. Too vulnerable people in our communities are not able to boil or secure a regular supply of safe water to use. Uisce Éireann need to supply us with safe water and fast track fixing the problem

Over the past few years there have been a soaring number of planning applications across the Island of Ireland to build very large “Solar Energy Farms” covering thousands of acres of agricultural land, with some in high amenity areas. Such projects involve taking over productive food-growing fields with hundreds of thousands of tall solar panels in order to generate “green” electricity for periods typically 35- 40 years. During this period the farms are unable to grow any food crops or raise animals. Only a few exceptions graze sheep, though this is going out of fashion with the developers. The developers usually offer to “improve the local biodiversity” or similar “green” sounding platitudes but there are no guarantees that the existing wildlife will not be permanently impacted or that the land will be even used for grazing. Solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels produce electricity from sunlight, but are very inefficient in producing energy compared to their land greed. Offshore wind power and hydroelectric systems, along with nuclear generation are significantly more efficient for their land footprint and have been chosen by the Government as the primary large-scale routes for energy investment towards our net zero goals. Nevertheless, solar developers are keen to cash in on the publicity of the net zero targets whilst they still can, removing valuable food producing land in the process. Solar panels on individual homes, offices, public buildings, and over car parks can and do contribute to offsetting electricity used in those buildings. The ISEA issued a report in 2022 showing that over 1.3 million homes in Ireland have roof space for solar panels which equates to 13GW capacity meeting 19% of renewable energy targets. County level findings also show that using maximum theoretical potential on each roof that up to 38% of Westmeath’s residential energy demands would be met by solar PV in homes. (https://www.irishsolarenergy.org/_files/ugd/dcb342_31fe5681d3fd4f56b322141c9886af5c.pdf) Energy sent over the transmission network is lost the further it travels, contributing to energy waste. Like a bucket of water with a small hole in the bottom. But this is reduced to almost no loss when installed on a rooftop and used by the building. These industrial solar energy plants, if needed at all, should be located on previously developed “brown field” sites and rooftops, not on valuable agricultural land. And certainly not adjacent to communities and in areas of high scenic and historic beauty, where they will destroy the public amenity and visual openness of the local countryside. Over the coming decades as we face up to the challenges of Climate Change, which is predicted to reduce food yields across the globe, we need to be able to produce enough food for ourselves. It is predicted that we will need to produce more food due to increasing populations. We need to be able to feed sustainably and covering viable agricultural land with solar “farms” is NOT the way to achieve this. It is time to call on the Government to end the development of large-scale Solar Energy “Farms” on prime agricultural land and take other measures to realise the benefits of solar pv such as making it mandatory for a minimum of 50% of all new builds to include rooftop solar power or giving communities the opportunity to participate in community owned projects like those set out in RESS 3 and supported by SEAI. If this gets approved it sets a dangerous precedent and there are more developments (similar in size) in the pipeline taking up large quantities of our prime arable land. If you care about the destruction of our countryside and wildlife (protected and unprotected) in our beautiful lake county then please sign and share for others to sign. We need to stop this now! Imagine acres and acres of glass and metal monstrosities where there once was crops, birdsong and animals grazing. Please Don’t let our Lake county become a Solar County.

Clare County Council has developed a strategy to develop Ennis and set up a company, Ennis 2040 DAC, to implement it. The strategy aims to enable Ennis to prosper as a vibrant civic, commercial, cultural and residential centre. We support these aims but NOT the project they are starting on now - a multi-storey commercial block on Abbey Street car park and a later project for two commercial blocks on Parnell Street car park. We ask Clare County Council to stop the plan to build on our riverside car parks because: • It removes car parking that our businesses and mobility impaired people need – a vibrant town needs vibrant businesses • It is a speculative development for high cost office and large retail that could end up as a white elephant in a prime location • It hands valuable open public space to private interests, space that is ideal place for our community to gather and enjoy river and town views • This generic development in the heart of the town could destroy what people love about Ennis - a medieval town with narrow, winding streets and laneways with the beautiful river Fergus meandering through it We ask Clare County Council not to transfer this public property to Ennis 2040 DAC, a company that can sell it on without consent by the county council or councillors. There are many vacant sites that exist in Ennis that are ideal for regeneration and development. We ask Clare County Council and Ennis 2040 DAC to focus on these. Do you want large private buildings on our riverside car parks? If not, please sign our petition and share it with others who also want to stop this madness. You can also sign this petition in person at many of the businesses in Ennis Town Save Ennis Town is a group drawn from the general public including community, business, retail and political representatives. It formed after a public meeting on 4th May 2023 in the Temple Gate Hotel with over 200 people, all concerned about elements of the Ennis 2040 plans. We aim to have constructive engagement with Ennis 2040 DAC and develop a plan that will enhance our town for everyone.

Trees are essential to our existence. They provide us with oxygen, reduce carbon and give life to the world's wildlife. Saving our trees will reduce greenhouse gases, protect our wildlife and bees, and make sure our environment and communities can be enjoyed by future generations.

Keem bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world but despite that there is no plan for sustainable tourism. This is putting Keem at risk. There should be no campfires allowed as they are destroying the land and risking a large fire taking off in the area. Also, there should be staff employed to enforce this and clean up the beach after every day. Yes, it would be perfect if people cleared away their own rubbish but that doesn’t happen so the council needs to come up with a plan. Keem brings in thousands of tourists to Mayo every year and yet there is no effort to protect it from the impact of that many people lighting fires and leaving rubbish.

If we don't speak out, nothing will change. The Earth is now on a trajectory towards total ecosystem collapse. How far along that trajectory it goes depends on us, on the actions we take. Ireland is failing miserably at cutting it's carbon emissions and protecting its environment. It beggars belief that that the native tree stocks in our hedgerows are not currently being safeguarded, and are allowed to be decimated at a such a rate. It's time to take a stand, join me.

Disposable Vapes are a product that have surged in popularity in recent years. These products are a threat to: 1. Public Health - With disposable vapes nicotine is delivered through an aerosol vapor which has been shown to have inflammatory effects on the respiratory system. As well, experts have warned of the potential of disposable vapes to act a gateway for smoking, especially for young people and adolescents. 2. The Environment - Disposable vapes are single-use items that contain plastic, electronics, and lithium-ion batteries. Disposable vapes are more frequently becoming a source of litter on our streets. This can result in harmful waste materials, such as mercury and cadmium, being leached into our environment, negatively impacting human health and biodiversity. These risks are simply not worth the convenience of a single use product! 3. Waste of Valuable Resources - The opportunity cost of global disposable vape production for the green economy is massive. The very materials such as lithium and copper are the precious materials needed for greener technology. It is estimated 90 tons of lithium and 1,600 tons of copper were used for the global production of disposable vapes in 2022. To put this into perspective, this amount of lithium is equivalent to the amount needed to produce 11,000 electric vehicles and is enough copper for 1.6 million electric vehicle charger units So let's put an end to the madness that is disposable vapes. Let's protect our health, our young people and our environment. Sign the Petition! Interested in reading more, check out the following source: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/minister-defends-plan-to-ban-disposable-vapes-theyre-making-the-world-worse/42071990.html https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/new-laws-to-ban-sale-of-vaping-products-to-under-18s/42141930.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220718111558id_/https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/378/bmj-2021-065997.full.pdf https://www.ft.com/content/6d5ed980-8b91-4372-9e7e-14eda5419325

We're calling for Dublin City Council to take part in #NoMowMay and cease mowing the grass of parks and green spaces during the month of May to support wildlife. Why DCC should take part in #NoMowMay: - Pollinators, like bees and butterflies, are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem. They rely on early flowering plants such as daisies, dandelions, and other wildflowers as a valuable source of nectar. - The longer grass provides welcome cover for foraging wildlife such as birds and hedgehogs, as well as a wide variety of insects to snack on. - A healthy lawn with long grass and wildflowers can help in the fight against climate change by absorbing pollution and locking carbon away in the soil. Dublin City Council has signed up for the All-Ireland Polinator Plan which recommends reducing mowing to 5 times a year (Once in mid April and then not again until end of May) but this clearly is not being observed. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan notes reducing mowing as the most cost effective and impactful way to provide food for pollinators and other insects. Visible improvements have been made by DCC in parks around the city to encourage biodiversity and this is welcomed and appreciated! All we ask is that DCC ease up on mowing wherever possible to give our vital pollinators the best chance at survival. Further reading: Why bees matter? Bees are the most important pollinator of crops and native plant species in Ireland. They are a key component of our wildlife and one of the busiest, least appreciated work forces we have. A study from the Department of the Environment found that bees are worth €53m a year to the economy. In Ireland crops such as apples, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, blackcurrants, peppers, courgettes and pumpkins are reliant on bees for pollination. It is estimated that almost three quarters of our wild plants rely on insect pollinators, of which bees are most important. But bees are declining at a record level in Ireland. Due to habitat loss and the use of pesticides more than half of Ireland’s bee species have undergone substantial declines since 1980. The distribution of 42 species has declined by more than 50%. (Source: pollinators.ie) All-Ireland Polinator Plan: https://pollinators.ie/no-mow-may/ All-Ireland Polinator Plan for councils: https://pollinators.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Councils_actions-to-help-pollinators-2018-WEB.pdf

Widening the Douglas Road will destroy the local environment, heritage and character of this historic Cork road forever. There are much cheaper, faster and greener ways to improve public and active transport than this proposal. It will not only reduce the quality of life for many residents in the area, but also for those who use the Douglas Road. When there is more congestion around Douglas Village and on the side roads (as the plan doesn't help parents who bring children to school in the area), we will wonder why we let it happen. There will be no going back once the mature trees and walls of architectural heritage are torn down. Destroying the road is not the solution - there are alternatives. Road reallocation, school bus services etc. Please help us in our campaign to save the Douglas Road

The Columban Way is a rural community driven project focused on connecting communities using low impact walking tourism to provide socio-economic opportunities where large ticket tourism offerings are scarce on the ground. The project is staffed through 100% volunteering with support from Carlow County Council, Carlow Tourism and Failte Ireland. With your support we will be able to continue our work towards Bangor, Co. Down and through Europe to Bobbio, Italy.