Blog Archive
We have to fight every fight.
Posted on November 11, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
The Climate Emergency exposes our politician’s true motivations. It’s easy for the Irish Government to say stoping climate change is a priority. But when actions have the opposite effect, those words are lies.
The Irish Government recently supported a proposal to build a Liquified Natural Gas import terminal in Shannon. It’s for fracked gas.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
Building Resilience, for Sustaining Action
Posted on November 10, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Watching and being a part of the rise in climate action across the world has been exciting and empowering to say the least. More and more people are joining the movement, and we need to ensure we're forming a strong community of activism that can last!
Burnout can happen to any of us, and it's something the Friends of the Earth team are acuetly aware of. Because we work so closely with activist groups (and many of us are in actists groups), in supporting skills and capacity building and helping amplify grassroots actions and campaigns, we feel it's important to not only promote community wellbeing within the movement but also provide opportunities for activists to gain skills in this area.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • climatechange
Power Up! Movement Building Skills
Posted on November 07, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Power Up! is a series of workshops to help upskill and support the growing activist community in Ireland. Meaghan, head of Education and Activism, has identified where activists need the most support and has seeked out those with the relevant skills to deliver these trainings.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • climatechange • climate movement • power up •
Friends of the Earth Facilitators and Trainers Network!
Posted on November 01, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Do you want to inspire, empower and egage people nationwide to join the climate justice movement?
Join our new Facilitators and Trainers Network!
Friends of the Earth have connections around the country, ample experience in campaigning, education & organising, and the resources to support people like you in developing the skills needed to train other activists around the country.
We want to use what we have to enable youto do the impactful work of facilitating others to increases their understanding of the interconnectedness of the issues we collectively face, and upskill in the capacities needed to fight these injustices.
Friends of the Earth will support you with:
- Training in facilitating and organising skills
- Access to workshop delivery opportunities
- Promotion of your self-organised events
- Connection to a peer support network
- Quarterly campaign-specific training
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange
Plastic Bottle Rally - Let's Demand DRS!
Posted on October 31, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Join us for a Plastic Bottle Rally 1pm November 6th!
Back in January 2018, we 'Ditched Our Plastic at the Dáil' in support of Zero Waste activist Dianne Forsythe's Uplift petition calling on government to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for the recycling collection of plastic bottles in Ireland.
It took Minister for the Environment, Richard Bruton, a whole year to respond, and the best he could do was commission a study to see how DRS could operate in Ireland. (Despite existing evidence proving that it works).
Permanent link | Categories: waste • sick of plastic • deposit return scheme •
Briefing for Budget 2019
Posted on October 28, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
In advance of Budget Day on October 8th, we prepared a briefing on key discussion points related to proposals to increase the carbon tax in Budget 2020.
In response to the Government’s announcement to allocate the revenue raised from the tax increase to climate action measures, this Coalition called on the Government to enshrine ring fencing of the tax intake into legislation.
Stop Climate Chaos also called on the Government to follow up on the recommendation made earlier this year from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action that it carry out a review on the impacts of energy poverty as a result of the tax hike, and implement the appropriate supports that will minimise the burden on those most affected.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • stop climate chaos
Good Food, Good Farming
Posted on October 25, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Through October Friends of the Earth were celebrating the Good Food Good Farming Days of Action as part of our Growing Together project by championing the change makers who are shaping a fairer food system here in Ireland.
Good Food Good Farming is a European civil society alliance that calls on decision makers to support for peasant farmers, environment- and climate-friendly agriculture which is tied into local economies across global food chains.
Permanent link | Categories: biodiversity • foodandfarming • growing together •
Fair Farming in Ireland
Posted on October 18, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Supporting the launch of Talamh Beo!
In support of the growing community of sustainable growers and farmers in Ireland, Friends of the Earth joined the launch of Talamh Beo, a new grassroots organisation of farmers, growers and land based workers, launched outside the Department of Agriculture where they presented an oak tree to Minister Creed.
In preparation for the launch action Friends of the Earth hosted two film screening and banner painting sessions to encourage citizens to stand with small sustainable farmers and call on the government to support the vision of Talamh Beo - a living landscape where people and ecosystems can thrive together.
Check out Foodture and Talamh Beo to find out more on how to support your local, small, sustainable farmers in Ireland!
Permanent link | Categories: biodiversity • foodandfarming • growing together •
Thank you for standing with the school strikers!
Posted on October 15, 2019 by Aine O'Gorman
Between the 20th and 27th of September 7.6 million people globally took to the streets to demand climate justice as part of the Climate Strike.
In Ireland, 50,000 people took part across every corner of the island.
Thanks to those of you that donated to our Climate Strike Fund we create a resource pack of stickers, social media graphics, posters and more. We recruited a team of 15 volunteers who worked from our office to support the 60 people across the country organising strike support actions. And we were able to fund equipment on the day including the stage which was fully solar powered!
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • climate strike
What's driving the fracking boom? Spoiler: it's plastic!
Posted on October 07, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Last week 4,500 people took the email action to tell our politicians that we don't want to import fracked gas!
Public pressure is working! On Friday we got the debate in the Dail, and now Government must undertake a review of Irish energy security before any further support for the Shannon LNG project can proceed.
We need to keep the pressure on, to make sure the review is independent and Paris Aligned. This fight is only beginning.
If you haven't yet signed our petition to Stop Shannon LNG (the terminal planned to import gas) please take action now and share it widely with your friends.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy • gas • waste
