Green & Eco Programme for Galway City- August - September 2011

Information session on Garden Herbs
Tutor: Dolores Keegan
Venue: Lus Leana Community House
Date/Time: 7-9pm, Wednesday August 4th
For further information, contact Caitriona at 086-8537434




Guided tour of Gortard/Slieveaun Allotments
Clarinbridge Community Open Day
Information on seed planting, poly tunnels
Date/Time: 12.00-4.00pm, Sunday August 7th
For further information, contact 086-8351230
www.galwaybayallotments.webs.com


Galway City GIY
Kay Synott of Living Gardens will be talking to us about 'Keeping the vegetable garden going through autumn and winter.' All invited.
Date/Time: 8pm, Tuesday, August 9th, Áras na nGael, Dominick Street, Galway city

For further information, contact Mary at whiteravenie@yahoo.co.uk

Zoology Museum Guided Tours, NUI Galway
Guides: Eoin McLaughlin, Prof Noel Wilkins & friends
Date/Time:: Saturday August 20th, 10am & 12noon
Archway, NUI Galway
For further information, contact Galway Civic Trust, 091-564946. Email: info@GalwayCivicTrust.ie

A Walk in Terryland Woods, Galway city
Guide: Michael Tiernan
Date/Time:: 10am & 12noon, Saturday August 20th, Black Box carpark
For further information, contact Galway Civic Trust, 091-564946.
Email: info@GalwayCivicTrust.ie



Historical Overview of Galway Fishery
Guide: Seamus Hartigan, Inland Fisheries Ireland
Date/Time: 3pm Wed August 24th, Spanish Arch
For further information, contact Galway Civic Trust, 091-564946. Email: info@GalwayCivicTrust.ie


Herb Walk, Barna
Dr. Dilis Clare
Date/Time: 3pm. Thursday August 25th, Cappagh Rd. sports ground carpark
For further information, contact Galway Civic Trust, 091-564946. Email: info@GalwayCivicTrust.ie

Birdwatch Walk, Nimmos Pier, Galway city
Guide: Tom Cuffe
Date/Time: 10.30am, Saturday August 27th, Nimmos Pier
For further information, contact Galway Civic Trust, 091-564946. Email: info@GalwayCivicTrust.ie


Exploring an Esker: Tullykyne
A guided walk along an esker ridge explaining how this feature has shaped the wildlife and landscape in the locality
Guide: Caitriona Carlin
Date/Time: 2.30-4.00pm, Sunday, August 28th
For further information, contact 091-495921 or elaine.oriordan@nuiglway.ie

Clean-Up of new Castlegar 'Off the Beaten Track' Route
Community Clean-up of new potential walking and cycling route in Castlegar along the perimeter of Curraghline bog along a botharín connecting Headford Road and Tuam Road near Clooncauneen Castle.
All welcomed!
Date/Time 10am, Saturday Sept 3rd, Ballindooley Stores, Headford Road
Contact: Councillor Frank Fahy, 087-2345852

Clean-Up of Liosbaun Woodlands, Terryland Forest Park
Under the Glan Suas Gallimh initiative, the residents of Lisbrook House Asylum Seekers Accommodation Centre are organisign a clean-up of the neighbouring Lisbaun woodlands that forms part of the Terryland Forest Park
Date/Time: 2pm, Saturday Sept 3rd Lisbrook House
Contact 087-2935106, speediecelt@gmail.com

Ballinfoile Mór Harvest Festival
The residents of the Ballinfoile Mór are hosting a community festival to celebrate locally produce organic vegetables and fruits in the Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden. As well as food stalls, there will be music, face-painting, bulb-planting, bike maintenance workshops, crafts exhibits, scarecrow displays, nature walks of neighbouring woodlands...
Date/Time: 12.00-2.30pm, Saturday Sept 10^th in 'An Ghairdín', Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden

New Community Clean-up of Galway city's Forests & Parks Gets Underway

In spite of the atrocious weather, over 80 people turned up to the Terryland Forest Park to take part in Galway city's inaugural clean-up organised by Galway City Council working in partnership with the Friends of the Forest group.
The initiative, known as 'Glan Suas Gaillimh, was a great success with thousands of pieces of litter were gathered from one section of the Terryland Forest Park. However beverage cans represented the largest class of items collected at 35% followed by drink bottles at 32%.
Time now for John Gormley, the government Minister for the Environment, to finally take action on our proposal to re-introduce a national refundable levy on drinks cans/bottles. We have been lobbying him on this issue without success since 2007.
For more information on the Terryland Forest Park clean-up and the refundable levy proposal click here

Rally Calls for Introduction of Park Wardens & a Refundable Levy on Drinks Cans & Bottles to Clean Up Our Forests & Waterways

On a miserable rainswept windy Monday night, around fifty ‘Friends of the Forest’ supporters joined our protest outside a meeting of Galway City Council to highlight the need for increased protection of local parks and natural heritage areas.
As no vote has yet been taken on the proposed road through the Terryland Forest Park, we adopted a 'softly softly' approach towards the city councillors, most of whom came out to meet and discuss the issues with us in a friendly and courteous manner.
We asked them to lobby the government to introduce a refundable levy on all drink cans and bottles purchased at off-licences and other retails outlets. Discarded drink cans and bottles are probably the number one cause of litter in Ireland. Hence a refundable levy on drink cans and bottles would have an enormous positive impact on our environment by providing an economic incentive for people to keep our Irish parks, roads, waterways and public spaces clean.
Such a monetary pay-back scheme existed in Ireland until a few decades ago and is very successful today in other parts of the globe.
Considerable savings in litter management would be immediately made by the state that could then be used to reduce anti-social behaviour by encouraging greater public use of wonderful green spaces such as Terryland Forest Park by funding the provision new departments of park wardens, regular outdoor family activities and park facilities such as picnic areas, community gardens and eco-learning centres.
In the interim, there is no reason why the council could not now implement a year-long public events programmes for our parks and woodlands or encourage the setting up of a unit of voluntary community park support wardens.