Environment: Re-use, repair, recycle
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010The waste hierarchy in Ireland is skewed towards landfill and incineration, rather than prevention, recycling and energy recovery, leading environmental consultant Jack O’Sullivan tells Meadhbh Monahan. “The logic of how we do things in Ireland beats me,” O’Sullivan begins. Although things have gotten better since the regulation of landfill sites began in the 1970s and the overall rise in awareness of ‘green’ issues, Ireland’s waste policy is dictated by private waste companies. “We’ve let that get to the stage where big waste companies are dominating the policies....[full story]
Health: Primary care
Friday, January 1st, 2010The HSE remain optimistic about its primary care initiative despite progress being “slower than initially hoped.” A “modern, patient centred service” that can be accessed easily and where patients will get “up to 90 per cent of the care they will ever need” will be available across the country by 2011 according to Health Service Executive (HSE) Chief Executive Professor Brendan Drumm. The HSE plans to have 200 centres in place by 2011. Currently only eight centres are completed. One has been delayed due to the crash in the construction industry and nine are in the final stages...[full story]
Environment: Sustainable cities: Frank J Convery
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009Professor Frank J. Convery, Heritage Trust Professor of Environmental Policy at University College Dublin, reflects on sustainability-related issues during a recent stay in Boston and on universities as agents for change. Boston In scale, atmosphere, demography and sociability, Boston reminds one of Dublin. Irish names everywhere; the Irish national colour everywhere, as the green-attired basketball team – the Boston Celtics – were in the play-offs, and the grass and trees in the Public Gardens and Boston Common were in full growth. And the same Irish fatalism about the weather and...[full story]
