Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Environment
Are you helping to make Ireland greener?
Taking action on environmental issues is not as difficult as you might think. We can all make a difference. The environment is the responsibility of each individual, not just of the government and businesses.
You can make a positive difference with small steps such as taking showers instead of baths, or you can choose to become more involved and take pro-active steps by setting up environment campaigns in your community, volunteering on environmental projects or by taking part in protests and campaigns on environmental issues. There are lots of environmental organisations (that provide lots of useful information) that need and want your support.
Go ahead and jump in to save our planet!
Why go green?
Climate change and damage to the environment affects everyone. It doesn't matter if you live in Africa or Ireland, if you work in a sweatshop or in a posh office. We all live on the same planet and share the same food, water, air and medicine sources. Our current lifestyles depend on natural resources. It’s up to us to tackle environmental issues individually and to also ensure that our government works to make Ireland greener.
Some issues to think about:
- In Ireland we produce over twice as much household and commercial waste as we did 10 years ago. A lot of waste is buried in the ground (landfills). This can cause toxins to leak into land and water.
- Ireland has a long way to go in doing our part to help tackle climate change, and to meet international targets on reducing green house gas emissions. Every time we use energy (driving, turning on a light, using a computer or CD player) we produce green house gas emissions, so it is the responsibility of each of us to reduce the amount of energy we use.
- Who knows what toxic chemicals leak into our rivers and oceans? These chemicals trickle down into our food chain. Nowadays, women of child bearing age, for example, are advised to consume only three pieces of fish weekly due to concerns about mercury. Things will only get worse if we do not act. We need to look out for environmental issues to protect our health as well as the planet.
- If we keep overusing soil and farming in an environmentally unfriendly way, we will eventually find ourselves without good quality fields to put out animals or grow food in. We will also sizably reduce our food production. This could well lead to a global famine.
Important information:
Tips from the Environmental Protection Agency on what you can do to make a difference.
Information on how to make an environmental complaint.
