Sustainable Ireland Research

Sustainable Ireland Research

This website was set up to promote policies and initiatives for sustainability in Ireland. There are many organisations you can contact. The following websites are a good place to start: Irish Environmental Network Cultivate - Sustainable Projects Ireland Comhar Sustainable Development Council Transition Towns Ireland FEASTA Get Ireland Growing SEAI Association for the Study of Peak Oil ThinkOrSwim Blog Ireland's Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and Interactive Map Ireland's Campaign for Fluoride Free Water Sustainability Guidelines 1. A whole-systems approach. Sustainability initiatives involving energy, transport, food, industry, waste and the environment should be addressed as part of an overall systems approach rather than being addressed as separate unrelated sectors. Use a whole-systems approach to sustainability, such as The Natural Step sustainability framework. 2. Get off oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create our own energy from alternative sources. 3. Increase food security and create clean sustainable water systems. 4. Support and create Irish goods, services and systems that utilise eco-innovation, resource efficiency and sustainable design principles, such as ‘Cradle to Cradle’ design. 5. Stop polluting the environment with mixed waste, toxic metals and toxic chemicals. The human body now contains traces of hundreds of manmade chemicals, some are toxic. Use bio-degradable products. 6. Protect bio-diversity and stop encroaching on natural systems. Natural environmental systems help keep water systems clean, regulate climate, keep land fertile and produce the oxygen that we breathe . 7. Education for Sustainability needs to be integrated into society and all levels of the education system. 8. Local and national resilience planning. In light of the flooding, the freeze, and the economic downturn we urgently need national and local community resilience planning. Support and planning law needs to be directed to creating more ‘self-reliant’ villages, towns and regions in terms of food, energy and water and local economies. Local initiatives and co-operatives, such as ‘Transition Towns’ require greater support to ensure initiatives don’t hit bureaucratic barriers. 9. The people of Ireland should not be forced by our own government to pay the debts of what were privately owned banks and gambing debts of international bondholders - it is not our debt. Article: Four bailout truths Ireland cannot ignore Describing the sustainability challenge: Science informs us that we must overcome the challenges of diminishing global oil reserves, global warming, environmental destruction, massive increases in global population and consumption, declining global resources such as fish stocks, arable land and fresh water reserves.These trends and very little adherence to sustainability principles has left Ireland over dependent on imported oil, foreign investment, imported goods and borrowing. We need a new vision and design for the future direction of Ireland that is based on sustainability principles. The integration of sustainability principles is desirable to support the creation of more resilient and successful Ireland. We live in an era of peak oil and this means freight, shipping and aviation will become more expensive. Current agricultural systems are dependent on oil as pesticides and fertilsers use oil. Organic farming does not use these inputs. The International Energy Agency has revised their estimate of peak oil to 2006, therefore sustainability projects for communities, towns, regions and Ireland as a whole makes sense. The Natural Step is an example of a scientifically endorsed sustainability framework that is being used by hundreds of communities. corporations and local-governments to save money and strategically move toward sustainability. The framework utilises a whole-systems approach to sustainable development and is free open-source. The above constraints create a squeeze on society, impacting prices, access to resources, and profitability. These constraints are design challenges and opportunities for eco-innovation. Societies, businesses, organisations, governments and communities that take a systems view and have the foresight to develop strategies in alignment with sustainability principles will capitalise on the strongest long term trend globally. See also article A system in crisis: Is eco-innovaton enough? This website is live since 2009 to promote sustainability in Ireland.