One of these giant fishing vessels has been seen less than 40 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland in the past week - the FV Margiris has been called the 'Death Star of the Ocean' and can land up to 250 tonnes of fish a day, 14 times what a regular Irish trawler might take, while often leaving tonnes of unwanted 'by-catch', marine life including marine mammals, dead in its wake. The vessel has already been banned from Australian waters - is undoubtedly causing untold damage to marine life off Ireland’s coast. In February of last year, French authorities launched an investigation after pictures of a huge 'carpet' of dead fish left behind the FV Margiris caused international condemnation from environmental groups. Up to 100,000 dead by-catch from the huge ship, were left floating in the water and it led to calls for the ship to be banned from French waters. The mega trawler - the second largest of her type in the world, is banned from some international waters, where countries have decided the cost of these types of factory fishing operations is just too high. https://www.independent.ie/news/environment/alarm-for-marine-life-and-local-fishing-crews-as-monster-super-trawler-fishes-in-irish-waters-for-a-third-day-42388536.html https://afloat.ie/port-news/fishing/item/58163-controversial-supertrawler-margiris-currently-fishing-off-irish-coast https://mobile.twitter.com/TrawlWatch_EU

Another 7 wind turbines are proposed to be built on a mountain above Glencar in Leitrim, which already has been exploited by the wind industry more than any other Irish county. These turbines would carry the name "Charafenna wind farm" and would expand and connect with the pre-existing Carrickeeney windfarm, as well as the additional and current proposal for another 18 machines on Dough Mountain to the East. It would require excavations to create a cable connection across 9 Kilometres of farmland to the electrical substation at Manorhamilton, a significant widening of the high mountain road, the addition of a new circular industrial service road on the top of the mountain, plus 7 additional buildings (one for each turbine). Each machine would be at least 150m tall and very visible from the head of the Glencar Lake Valley and the world famous Devil’s Chimney waterfall. They would overshadow a great many residential homes in close proximity as well as their turbary rights on the mountain above, producing severe noise pollution and shadow flicker, devaluation of property and a loss of local jobs in tourism and other fields. —— From this elevation there are magnificent views across the Glencar and Glenade valleys as well as an astounding vista right across Donegal bay to the distant mountains above Killybegs. Home to hen harriers, barn owls, golden eagles, sparrowhawks, buzzards, kites, grouse, red squirrels, pine martens, hares, bats, foxes, badgers and bees - This is quite simply one of the most pristine places in Leitrim and indeed Ireland. —— And whilst of course the world is in dire need of better solutions to our energy issues, it is easy to understand that this old technology cannot possibly be the best solution. - Firstly we need widespread education to encourage every household to wake up and cut their own energy usage…there are a myriad of simple ways to do this. - For energy generation we need to be investing in far more progressive thinking than we currently do - this could perhaps include offshore windfarms instead (although not good for marine life), wave power generation, solar collection and other far less obtrusive and destructive technologies. - Wind turbines have a life expectancy of approximately 20 years and are not biodegradeable or recyclable. They end up in landfill. - They create a significant loss of biodiversity - in this case, affecting a rich and specific local fauna which includes rare and protected species. —— When making decisions which directly affect the community, our ancestors traditionally considered the impact upon at least 7 future generations. Would that we in Ireland were still this wise and forward thinking… What will our children and grandchildren say about us when they realise that we selfishly made irreversible, ignorant decisions which altered and destroyed the mountains and inhabitants of these very special places? These lands were beloved of W.B.Yeats, our great poet and thinker, who would surely be turning in his grave to see Glencar progressively overshadowed by major industry? —— In recent years Leitrim County Council has had a history of leniency in its responses to such applications, a stance which now needs to be scrutinised and reevaluated to be in line with the future, not the past. It is time that our authorities cease to think in purely monetary terms, ticking boxes to benefit themselves and their industral partners, but instead to begin to lead with impeccability and forward thinking so as to leave behind a legacy from which everyone in Ireland may benefit. Please add your voice and your intent to this petition, so that together we may share and cherish this precious land for many more centuries to come, and wisely show the way into the future for new generations who may better care for it as well as for one another…

Printing doesn't have to cost the Earth - we can use recycled paper and cardboard, non-toxic ink, set-up multi-use purposes for printed material, re-fill ink cartridges. Let's start with our ink - printing wholesalers to offer consumers ink-fills for costly cartridges.

Hedgerows are our single most important landscape feature. They are vital for our wildlife (including most of our songbirds and pollinating insects), flood control, shelter, shade, beauty, AND.... they store massive amounts of carbon. It makes NO SENSE to allow the destruction of up to 3000 kilometres of hedgerow every year.

We need to petition UCC to make a shift in their current energy sources to protect the environment. As Ireland’s most sustainable university, it is time that UCC took a well needed step forward and pledged to installe PV Solar Panels on all UCC Building Roofs by 2025. Ireland is heavily reliant on fossil fuels for our energy consumption, which places us at the mercy of Oil & Gas Producing Companies & Corporations. Show UCC that this is something that the students care about. Sign this petition and help us to call on UCC to pledge to install PV Solar Panels on all UCC Building Roofs by 2025.

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.

Rural Ireland needs balanced afforestation that protects communities, farmers and biodiversity. Large scale corporate owned plantations will accelerate the destruction of livable communities and nature.

There is nothing more important to us as a nation than to care for, nurture, protect and preserve the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren. A very close second is the need to protect and preserve our natural environment for those generations that follow us, who will depend upon it. A recent submission to the Citizens Assembly examining Bio-Diversity Loss in Ireland confirmed that our natural freshwaters are being deliberately, unlawfully polluted by 5000 defective (leaking) slurry/effluent storage tanks that were built on NI farms, thousands of which were built in the border counties of Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh. * Updated to: https://citizensassembly.ie/wp-content/uploads/396_Redacted.pdf The toxic contents leaking from those defective tanks pollute/poison local streams rivers and lakes that flow across the 310mile border and pollute/poison the freshwaters in the border counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and the counties beyond them, killing the marine life and flora and fauna that exist in those freshwaters and causing/contributing to the pollution recorded by the EPA in their reports. RTE reported the EPA Studies that confirm the levels of pollution in our natural freshwaters. https://www.rte.ie/news/environment/2022/1014/1329164-epa-water-quality/ https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1020/1330259-epa-sewage-report/ Those streams, rivers and lakes are the source of the water that we all use/drink every day. Think of this when you pour your next cup of tea/coffee or hand your child a glass of tap-water to drink. *Update: On 26-01-23 the European Commission referred Ireland to the European Court over its failures to protect its freshwaters from pollution and maintain acceptable standards of drinking water.* Please sign this petition and forward it to your elected representative and please also share it with your friends and family and ask them to do the same.

To save these wild native brown trout.

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Initiative The burning of fossil fuels is the prime reason for the exacerbation of the climate crisis and – already today – responsible for one in five premature deaths worldwide. The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative calls for a global treaty that would govern the phasing out of fossil fuels in line with the 1.5 degrees goal agreed upon in the Paris agreement. The treaty has been endorsed by the European Parliament, the Vatican, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, the WHO, 70 cities and subnational governments, 101 Nobel laureates, and over 3000 scientists and academics.

Gorse fires destroy biodiversity and cause climate damage

It's important that we can educate our kids in a non religious environment. As well as having a low cost School for those who struggle with paying for uniforms ,book etc.