Forum on the environment: More than 300 academics gathered at the Institute of Technology in Sligo last weekend for what has become Ireland's most important environmental research forum. Research was presented under themes including marine and coastal, ecology and biodiversity, waste, environmental analysis, agriculture and forestry and air and sustainability.
"Up to one-third of the papers were categorised under biodiversity, which means people are finally starting to realise the serious and long-term damage being done to the Irish environment," Tom Bartlett, head of research at IT Sligo, said. Examples of papers presented at the conference include the need to compile a database of bees, a study of organic consumers and farmers' markets, a model for a national litter monitoring system and a look at environmental activism in Ireland.
Sustainable art
An energy-efficient kettle designed by Loraine Clarke and Amanda Whelan of the Industrial Design Department at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) won first prize in the inaugural Sustainable Energy Ireland NCAD Sustainable Energy Project last week. Features of the kettle include a steam-trap to capture heat and keep the water warm, and a visual aid to help the user see whether the kettle needs to be re-boiled. Runners up were John Cuppage, Eoghan Spain and Christian Schultz for their energy conservation ornament, which imitates a flower's response to heat (i.e. closed in a cold room, partially open in a room with ideal temperature and wilted in an overheated room) and to David Delahunty and Darragh Kirby for their shoulder strap, which incorporates a solar panel for recharging mobile phones.
The Overend sisters
Archivist Deirdre Heaphy will share her knowledge of the fascinating Overend family at the Airfield Trust in a lecture there on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Airfield, which has been open to the public since 1998, was the home of Letitia and Naomi Overend.
The lecture will be held in Airfield House, Upper Kilmacud Road, Dundrum. Admission €5. See www.airfield.ie for details of events at Airfield.
On planting trees
The importance of choosing trees appropriate to where they will be planted is highlighted in a new publication from Crann, the broadleaf tree charity. The ABC of Planting Trees is a step-by-step guide to choosing locations, testing soil quality and looking after your tree once it has been planted. It's available from Crann for 5. Telephone : 087-8137997; e-mail: info@crann.ie.