Blog Archive
PfG Your questions answered
Posted on July 01, 2020 by Friends of the Earth
In advance of our webinar on the Programme for Government (June 23rd), we asked our supporters to submit questions about the proposed Programme that we could put to our panellists. We received over 300 questions, which were grouped into topics that then formed the basis of our webinar discussion. Unfortunately, we didn’t get time during the webinar to address every question or topic, but here is a flavour of what issues did come up, and what was particularly important for our supporters to have more information on.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange
Sick of Plastic Supermarket Postcard Campaign
Posted on June 30, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
Sick of Plastic had to cancel this year's Shop and Drop - but the action to demand change from supermarkets keeps going!
Shoppers, anti-plastic activists and local Sick of Plastic groups are planning to send their signed Sick of Plastic Postcards to Supermarkets with a personal note asking their local supermarket to make changes and eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging from its produce.
The action is kicking off this week for Plastic Free July!
You can get started by signing a digital postcard here on the action page.
Physical postcards are available at hubs across the country so you can sign and send in your own postcard, find your nearest hub here on this map.
Permanent link | Categories: waste
Colonialism, Capitalism & Patriarchy – some words from the Galway Feminist Collective
Posted on June 22, 2020 by Guest Blogger
As an intersectional feminist group we think it is important to organise around environmental issues. We recognise that the same system of domination that harms us also harms the planet and that the struggles against sexism, racism and climate change are connected.
We see that the root of a lot of different crises can be found in the systems of capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy.
Permanent link | Categories:
Coming up for Growing Together
Posted on June 18, 2020 by Triona Reid
The Growing Together Activists are busy planning their next actions - watch this space for the following events, publications and activities!
July - Growing Together will be hosting a weekly social media take over showcasing the inspiring work of regenerative farmers, urban growers and other food activists around the country! If you are a farmer, grower or activist and you would like to be featured get in touch with Triona by emailing info@foe.ie.
August - Some of our Growing Together activists have been researching food sovereignty in the Irish context over the past few months. We will be releasing their much anticipated ‘Booklet on Food Sovereignty in Ireland’ in August with an online webinar. The booklet will be available for distribution online and in print.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • foodandfarming
Catching up on Growing Together
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Triona Reid
COVID-19 has brought our global food system into sharp focus. There is a thirst for knowledge and an eagerness to source local, sustainable food that is produced in harmony with nature and provides a living wage to farmers.
The Growing Together activist group, which is supported by Friends of the Earth, have been busy creating opportunities for people to learn more about food sovereignty in Ireland and how we can promote and engage with it. Here’s a quick round up of what the team have been up to over the past few months. Sign up here if you'd like to get involved!
Permanent link | Categories: activism • foodandfarming
Catching up on Sick of Plastic
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
Through the Break Free From Plastic global network, of which we are members of, we screened the newly released film ‘The Story of Plastic’ in May with our Sick of Plastic partner VOICE Ireland. To build on the conversation and bring the issue closer to home, we hosted awebinar to discuss the plastic free movement in Ireland.
Permanent link | Categories: waste
Catching up on Movement Building
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Meaghan Carmody
We haven’t let social/physical distancing stop us from delivering our movement building trainings and events which aim to bring people together for sharing and building skills and knowledge to increase our collective impact and power in creating change.
Mobilise.Resist.Transform course, now in its third year, included sessions on intersectionality, extractivism and climate finance, communications, solidarity and moving forward. It was a pleasure to explore these issues with this year’s enthusiastic group of 25 people - we can’t wait to see what they do next.
For our final session in the System Change for a Just Transition seminar series we teamed up with the Galway Feminist Collective to present a webinar called ‘Women Resisting Climate Change in the Global South’.
Permanent link | Categories: activism
Catching up on Gas Campaign
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Meaghan Carmody
To bridge the gap between gas and plastic, Meaghan, who is our Head of Mobilisation, joined the panel for our Sick of Plastic webinar and spoke of the connection between the global glut of plastics on the market and the fossil fuel companies.
Permanent link | Categories: energy • gas
Catching up on Community Energy
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Kate Ruddock
Covid-19 created some delays for our Solar Schools 2020 winners but we will soon be back on track getting solar panels on their roofs. This year we had 8 winners and 8 runners up. Our winning schools will be generating their own clean energy and championing the solar revolution in Ireland.
Congratulations to all our winners!
We can’t wait to work with these primary and secondary schools and get going with their local climate action projects.
Special congratulations to St Munchins in Limerick who became the newest Solar School this month! Their newly installed6 kw array of solar PV panels will generate about 5,070 kWh per year for the school, to power lights, computers, photocopiers etc., saving about €800 while avoiding 3,000kg of CO2 a year.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy
Catching up on Climate
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Catherine Devitt
Following the general election this year, Friends of the Earth have been hosting TD call-a-thons with people from across the country. Calling TDs is a really effective way for constituents to communicate their concerns to their political representatives, and influence them to take action.
Engaging with TDs can be intimidating, it can be hard to muster up the courage to do this alone. That’s why we decided to bring people together!
Each online call-a-thon involved a quick briefing on the issues to discuss with TDs and space for people to ask questions to our climate policy experts. Then everyone called their TDs. Together we contacted almost every TD in Ireland - and many more than once!
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange
