Sir, - A great blight has fallen on the front gardens of Dublin, and lawn after lawn disappears in the current craze for paving. Now one front grassy patch may not seem very much to worry about environmentally, but I'm sure that the man who cut down the first tree in the Amazon rain forest thought to himself "sure, aren't there plenty more there?" Grass, I should imagine, provides a good feeding ground for birds, bees and all kinds of insects. It gives a welcome relief to the eye surrounded by the greyness of buildings and roads; and even gives much-needed drainage in heavy rain. Therefore, I would appeal to the people of our city to think hard before destroying any more grass as every little bit counts where nature is so pressed upon by an ever expanding urban landscape. - Yours, etc.,
Patricia Gillen
Southwood Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin.