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.

More than 30 dogs are abandoned every day in Ireland. These animals don't have a place to call home or an owner to cuddle with. Think twice before paying hundreds for a new puppy. There are a lot of animals in cages, sad and unloved, who are willing to find a new home.

My name is Laura Warren, and I am from Kilkenny, Ireland. I am a multi-award-winning Nutritionist, Naturopathy Practitioner, and Yoga Teacher predominantly on Facebook & instagram as Elite Living Nutrition. I work with people online to help them improve their health and nutrition. I am also passionate about raising awareness about health and safety, particularly regarding the dangers of sunbeds. I want to share my story—one that highlights a preventable tragedy. I was diagnosed with Stage 1b Melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, after years of using sunbeds and exposing my skin to ultraviolet radiation. In my youth, I was encouraged to use sunbeds to get a “base tan” before holidays—a practice that has proven to be extremely dangerous. I also suffered from acne, and beauty therapists advised me to use sunbeds for clearer skin. I wore inadequate sun protection, believing I was safe. This reckless exposure nearly cost me my life. My melanoma was just about to invade deeper into my skin on my left breast, threatening my vital organs and lymph nodes. I underwent two surgeries to remove the cancer, and I was lucky to survive. But my battle didn’t end there. Over the next two years, I faced multiple tumours, including a 3.3cm suspected follicular cancer in my throat which had to be removed by Dr. Paul Lennon (Dublin) who specialises in Throat & Neck Cancers, he had to remove half my Thyroid in the process to ensure he got all the tumour.   Some months later I discovered a 3cm tumour in my left forearm which was suspected as a rare soft tissue tumour called liposarcoma. Thanks to the skill of Ireland’s top surgeons, I am now cancer-free and in very good health. My story is a stark warning: Melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers, and its incidence is rising rapidly in Ireland. Yet, despite the clear links between sunbed use and skin cancer, Ireland remains one of the few European countries still allowing the indoor tanning industry to operate freely. Countries like Australia and Brazil have already banned sunbeds—so why is Ireland still lagging behind? The evidence is irrefutable. Sunbeds increase the risk of melanoma and other skin cancers. They are a public health hazard, yet they continue to be promoted and accessible. It’s time for Ireland’s government to take decisive action. We need a comprehensive ban on sunbeds to protect our citizens—especially our children and teenagers—from preventable cancer. Every day we delay, more lives are at risk. Melanoma can spread rapidly and is often deadly if not caught early. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and future generations to act now. Banning sunbeds would save thousands of lives and prevent millions in healthcare costs.  The fact is there are new sunbed salons popping up every week in Ireland and anybody can walk in off the side of the street and use them for as long as they want, because they are not policing them.  There are mothers taking their young kids into the salons to wait for them in the waiting areas while they tan themselves exposing their babies and young kids to the deadly UVA & UVB that travels from sunbeds. Our government must prioritise public health over industry profits.  Ireland was able to bring in legislation to be the first country in Europe to bring in the smoking ban, our government can legislate when they want to so why are they hiding behind Europe now and waiting for them to make a move?  Australia and Canada made the right decision years ago—what is Ireland waiting for? We demand answers and immediate action for a full ban on the use of commerical sunbeds in Ireland or at the very least stronger policing and rules and regulations with them. I am calling on every Irish citizen to stand with me. Sign the petition. Demand a ban on sunbeds. Let’s make Ireland a safer place—free from the preventable dangers of indoor tanning. Together, we can save lives. It’s time for change. It’s time for Ireland to ban sunbeds.

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

May 25th is five years since the Repeal referendum when the people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly for choice, compassion and care - after an historic mass movement forced the government to finally let the people decide. Now, an official review has found many serious problems with the abortion law. Instead of acting quickly to fix them, the Government wants to delay, to drag things out and avoid taking decisions until after the next election. That’s why on May 25th this year, People before Profit is introducing a Pro-Choice Bill in the Dáil to fix the problems in the law and provide for real choice. The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2023 would: abolish the patronising and medically unnecessary 3 day wait to access abortion care fully decriminalise abortion to end the chilling effect for doctors - a draconian 14 year prison sentence still applies to medical professionals if they perform abortions outside the law. This is hindering access in cases of fatal foetal anomaly and for pregnant people suffering serious risks to their health or life. The number of abortions provided on life or health grounds is no larger than it was before repeal, forcing women in medically dangerous situations to travel. reform the fatal foetal anomalies law to ensure care is available here for all those who need it. Currently, half of parents in this tragic situation are still forced to travel to access abortion care. abolish the rigid 12 week limit and allow abortion on request until viability to provide real choice. The 12 week limit makes no allowance for women and girls pushed over the limit by failed procedures or inability to access medical appointments. It fails those with irregular periods who didn’t realise they were pregnant in time; women whose situations change, for instance being subjected to domestic violence, which often begins during pregnancy when they are at their most vulnerable; and many others in the myriad other difficult situations that pregnant people can face. We need your support to pressure politicians to vote for the Bill so that it becomes law.

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

Encourage & facilitate use of public transport. Currently women, girls, people in wheelchairs, with bikes & buggies are either afraid or cannot access station.

SUVs are 20% more polluting regular cars. They are bigger, more dangerous and take up more room in parking spaces and on the street. Even SUVs that are fully electric are emissions-intensive, because of their battery size and the amount of energy they require. SUV and crossover sales are growing rapidly in Ireland: 55,000 were sold in 2021 (nearly 55% of all new cars). Many people do not actually need an SUV for their daily usage. SUVs popularity is driven more by fashion and marketing than practical considerations. Most SUVs are not designed for off-road use, and their larger size and weight can make them less efficient and more difficult to manoeuvre in urban areas.

SUVs are 20% more polluting regular cars. They are bigger, more dangerous and take up more room in parking spaces and on the street. Even SUVs that are fully electric are emissions-intensive, because of their battery size and the amount of energy they require. SUV and crossover sales are growing rapidly in Ireland: 55,000 were sold in 2021 (nearly 55% of all new cars). Many people do not actually need an SUV for their daily usage. SUVs popularity is driven more by fashion and marketing than practical considerations. Most SUVs are not designed for off-road use, and their larger size and weight can make them less efficient and more difficult to manoeuvre in urban areas.

Hundreds of low-paid workers who run Tesco Ireland's online shopping operation have been told that their work schedules will change in May. This will result in these workers losing thousands of Euros in income and interfere with their ability to fulfil family caring roles.

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.