Charting the march of spring:Every year in spring, a green wave moving across Europe can be seen from outer space, which is caused by the opening of buds on trees and hedges.
In Ireland, primary school children are invited to track this phenomenon to see if spring moves from south to north across Ireland or inland from the coast to the centre. Children and their teachers can register on an interactive website when certain species of trees begin to bud and when wildlife emerges.
Teachers are also encouraged to record the mid-day temperature each day. The information gathered will show whether climate change is causing flowers to bloom even earlier this year than last year. The data will be plotted on www.greenwave.ie, an initiative of Discover Science and Engineering.
You are what you eat. Discuss
Food is the focus of two public events in Dublin next week. The first is a debate on GM food organised by the Historical Society in Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Speakers will debate the motion "that genetically modified food should be considered safe to eat and ethical to produce".
The speakers include Senator Déirdre de Búrca, Green Party; Michael Hansen, senior food safety scientist, American Consumer's Union; Prof David McConnell, chairman of the Irish Times Trust and co-ordinator of European Action on Global Life Sciences; Michael O'Callaghan, co-ordinator of GM-free Ireland Network; and Lord Dick Taverne, chairman of the UK organisation, Sense About Science.
The second event is a talk on organic food entitled Does It Really Matter What You Eat? by Dr Con O'Rourke, microbiologist and author. Organised by the Irish Skeptics Society, it takes place in the Davenport Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin on Wednesday at 8pm.
Enabling the geoparks
Geoparks are an emerging means of encouraging people to interact with local geographical and geological features of the landscape. To date, there are two geoparks in Ireland that belong to the European Geoparks Network: the Copper Coast in Co Waterford and the Marble Arch Caves area of Co Fermanagh.
As a means of encouraging others and providing support for existing geoparks, the Geoparks Forum of Ireland has been formed. It will hold its first annual meeting on Tuesday, February 19th at 2pm in the Geological Survey of Ireland offices, Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin 4. Aspiring geoparks in Co Clare, Co Kerry and in the Mourne Mountains will present their cases. Call 01-6782741 for details.
Filling the urban void
How can urban sprawl be curtailed and the social, cultural and physical fabric of cities improved? This is the question posed by Line to Surface: Urban Void/Extended City. The touring exhibition is a collective response to the theme of Urban Void (and the potential uses for abandoned spaces in our city) from 11 architectural groups.
It is on show in the Office of Public Works, St Stephen's Green until February 6th. Then it moves to the University of Limerick from February 14th to 28th and then to the Ballymun Civic Centre from March 6th to 28th. For more details, see www.linetosurface.org
Ecoweb
Find out about activities in Ireland throughout the year to celebrate International Year of Planet Earth.