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Blog items for 2009

Young Scientist Exhibition

BT Young Scientist Exhibition 200908th January 2009-10th January 2009 The CHANGE campaign was delighted to sponsor the ECO Theatre at this year’s BT Young Scientist exhibition.  Congratulations to all those students who took part in the...

13 January 2009  

Change.ie scoops another award!

We are delighted to announce that change. ie has won the Best Business to Consumer Innovation Award at the Digital Media Awards on Friday 13th February, beating off many other leading brands in this competitive category. The Digital Media Awards...

18 February 2009  

Earth Hour - Your time to take action.

Irish people and businesses urged to be part of a billion person event for Earth Hour 11th March 2009: Change, Ireland’s national climate change awareness campaign, is urging everyone across Ireland to join with one billion people around...

11 March 2009  

Earth Hour Results

In 1, 000 cities across the world, billions of people turned off their lights for one hour to help highlight climate change. During Earth Hour, iconic international landmarks like Sydney Opera House, the Acropolis, the Bird’s Nest stadium in China,...

17 April 2009  

Celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day is celebrated on the 22nd April this year. It is an annual celebration that promotes an appreciation for the Earth's environment. First started in the 1970's by US Senator Gaylord Nelson, phenomenal interest has grown over the years...

21 April 2009  

The Green Team!

The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government is well on its way to cutting carbon and cutting costs!  The Department has achieved ISO 14001 status since 2003 for best practice in office environmental management enabling it to reduce...

21 April 2009  

DiCaprio's auction for Climate Change!

Leonardo DiCaprio is auctioning off tickets to the premier of his next movie to raise money for a climate change charity. The highest bidder will get whisked off in style to the screening of "Shutter Island" in an eco-friendly car, pose with...

22 April 2009  

APMC Award for Change.ie

Change. ie won the award for best use of experiential marketing for its carbon confession box at the APMC Awards 2009. The confession box was displayed at the Electric Picnic Featival 2008, and the Young Scientist Competition in January 2009. It...

23 April 2009  

Pat the Baker goes green

Pat the Baker has launched a monthly lottery of €5, 000 to promote its half-pan range. The bakery will also promote a number of national initiatives during the campaign, the first of which is Change. ie There are four half-pans in the Pat the Baker...

29 April 2009  

The Carbon Management Tool

Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, launched the Change. ie online tool for organisations to measure their carbon emissions on Wednesday 29th April. The Carbon Management Tool (CMT) provides the facility to calculate emissions from energy,...

29 April 2009  

Free Eco Cabs

Imagine you're drunk. Toasted. No way you're driving home. Too far to walk. No cash in your pocket, and the ATM card's back at home. Then you see it. This little green bug of a vehicle, pulling up to you, and someone says, "Need a lift? We don't...

26 April 2009  

Saving on water heating costs

Heating water is an expensive process. It is especially unfriendly to the environment if you're not using solar energy, but there are some simple things you can do that will minimize your impact on water and energy resources. Heating water or more...

06 May 2009  

The CMT on RTÉ's Six One News

The Carbon Management Tool was launched on the 29th April 2009 by John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Below is a clip from RTE news which talks about this online tool, how important it is for businesses to...

30 April 2009  

National Biodiversity Week

The 22nd May has been set as International Day for Biological Diversity by the United Nations. To celebrate this event, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in partnership with a range of environmental NGOs, including An...

15 May 2009  

Prince Charles Rainforest Awareness Campaign

The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, set up The Prince’s Rainforest Project in 2007, following reports from leading climate change experts about the need to find a way to slow the rate of tropical deforestation. Click on the video below to see...

20 May 2009  

Eco Transport: Fancy a Change?

You crank the pedals in extreme relaxation; it might even inspire you to take it through your local drive-thru, as attempted by these enterprising fellows.   Another great hybrid of human-powered fun is the Walking Bike, combining shoes and...

20 May 2009  

Dublin School Scoops 4th Green Flag

St. Mary's Secondary School, Baldoyle – Awarded a fourth Green Schools Flag Pictured from Left to Right: Cllr. Robbie Kelly, Ciara Richardson, Siobhan O' Connell, Principal, Danielle Byrne, John Gormley, TD, Minister for the Environment, Roisin...

22 May 2009  

Solar Powered Bench

Imagined by designers Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, and Owen Song, the Solar Inside's made with thin-film solar which works in a variety of weather conditions. The rechargeable battery not only turns the bench into a night-light but also provides...

25 May 2009  

Bloom 2009

From May 28th to June 1st Bloom is on at Phoenix Park. Hosted by Bord Bia, it is Ireland's largest and most spectacular gardening event. With over 50, 000 visitors, it has become a national favourite and one of the most anticipated events in the...

26 May 2009  

Time Square goes Green

New York City's Time Square is being transformed into a car free zone. Vehicles will be banned between 42nd and 47th streets at Times Square and 33rd and 35th Streets at Herald Square. The move is intended to reduce pollution and pedestrian...

26 May 2009  

National Bike Week 14th – 21st June 2009

The Minister for Transport has recently made two major announcements in relation to cycling.  As part of a wider package of sustainable travel measures, these initiatives aim to tackle undue reliance on the private car as the nation’s primary travel...

28 May 2009  

World Environment Day 2009

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on the 5th June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. WED (as they like to call...

28 May 2009  

European Climate Teach in Day

There is a need to foster awareness about climate change in schools and universities. The aim is to engage young people and future professionals to come up with solutions on global warming. Eurpoean Climate Teach in Day will be held on the 5th June...

03 June 2009  

Communities in Action!

Check out what tidy towns around the country are doing: The Frenchpark Tidy Towns Battery Recycling Collection Scheme & Community Wildlife Park have visited local schools giving presentations on battery recycling to pupils, distributing battery...

05 June 2009  

Solar Power in the Sahara?

Can the vast solar power potential of the Sahara be utilised? Even though the logistics of building huge solar power arrays in the desert and then transmitting that electricity back across the Mediterranean isn't exactly simple, to say the least. A...

16 June 2009  

Giant human hourglass

Climate campaigners called on the government to take stronger action against climate change by creating a giant human hourglass on Sandymount Strand on Saturday 13th June to start the 'Climate Countdown to Copenhagen.' Created by a crowd of about 1,...

29 June 2009  

Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof..

Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof back global climate change campaign Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan has teamed up with Bob Geldof and Havas Worldwide for a campaign encouraging people to contribute to a digital video petition against climate...

30 June 2009  

Walkers crisps 'cut carbon'

Walkers crisps cut carbon footprint to retain carbon label Improving its green credentials, Walkers' crisps becomes the first company in the UK to retain a carbon reduction label, after cutting its carbon footprint by 7 per cent in two...

30 June 2009  

Green Week 2009 in Brussels

It's a bit of a read, but a very interesting speech from Stavros Dimas, a Member of the European Commission, who is responsible for the Environment Act and Adapt: Towards a New Climate Change Deal Green Week 2009, Brussels, 23 June 2009 Good...

30 June 2009  

Deforestation's Graphic Reality

Google Earth Shows Deforestation's Graphic Reality If you happen to have Google Earth, you can take a look at the new layer, by David Tryse, showing the current status of forests around the world. Colour coding shows how bad the state of these...

01 July 2009  

'Dragons Den' style climate hearing

Last weekend climate change "hearings" were held in Manchester. The idea behind them was simple: we are constantly hearing about the havoc unabated climate change will wreak, about long-term emissions targets and diplomatic wrangling over who will...

15 July 2009  

Activists scale Mount Rushmore

Activists scaled Mount Rushmore and hung a banner urging US president Barack Obama to get tough on climate change next to the carved face of Abraham Lincoln challenging America's leaders to stop global warming. "Our brave climbers rappelled down...

15 July 2009  

Irish more aware of climate change

Irish people have become more aware about climate change in the last year, a new EU survey released today has revealed. Two-thirds of Irish people now say they are well informed about the ways to tackle climate change, up 7% on 2008. Although...

15 July 2009  

Carbon cost of Jackson's death

Within hours of Michael Jackson's death Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were all groaning under the strain as millions of people turned to the web to pay tributes, watch MJ videos, upload their attempts at moonwalking and, inevitably, to share a...

15 July 2009  

Bruce Willis loves solar design

Did anyone else know the Bruce Willis owns a small ski resort? Well, it’s for day-skiing only, but the actor owns a day lodge and apparently the rights to skiing on Solider Mountain in central Idaho. Earlier this year, an accidental fire destroyed...

15 July 2009  

McDonald's EV Charging Point

About a decade ago, a lone McDonald's in Phoenix, Arizona installed an electric car charging station in the hopes that one day consumers would be driving to its store on electrons in lieu of fossil fuels. A decade has since passed but at least one...

15 July 2009  

Does Recycling make a difference?

It can be difficult to contextualize the real impact of dropping a few cans and bottles into the blue bin, your recycling really does make a big difference. Over 390 million aluminium beverage cans are sold in Ireland each year, all of which are...

15 July 2009  

Cool Earth Exhibition

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Environment & Culture Department are proud to present the 3rd Annual Cool Earth Exhibition, a two day environmental exhibition that will illustrate simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint! Sat 29TH and...

15 July 2009  

ESB's energy efficient lighting guide

ESB has launched a lighting guide to help you choose the best possible energy efficient lighting for your home. They have also built a lighting calculator showing the full range of cost saving light bulbs available and how they can reduce your bill....

07 August 2009  

EC open forum on the environment

As part of the ‘TalktoEU’ series of local listening events and public discussions, the European Commission has announced a special open forum on the environment - designed to promote greater public understanding of the EU’s environmental policies...

12 August 2009  

Ireland for global energy industry?

Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) and National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) have announced the creation of a new joint Energy Standards Consultative Committee, whose role will be to develop world-class standards in the field of energy...

12 August 2009  

Tap water is smarter

1. Used water bottles tend to end up in landfills and account for 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year, so they're not the most eco-conscious. Filling a reusable bottle with tap water is the better way to go as far as the environment is...

21 August 2009  

Obama's Grandmother gets a solar upgrade

Remember last autumn when Barack Obama’s Kenyan step-grandmother was dealing with thieves attempting to steal her solar panels? The technology was a gift to her from an airline executive who wanted the 86-year-old to be able to watch her grandson’s...

21 August 2009  

The problem with palm oil

You may have noticed palm oil in the news recently. For those unfamiliar with The Palm Oil Problem please understand that palm oil is in everything. Food, cosmetics and even cleaning supplies. Palm oil is also in demand as a feedstock for bio-fuel,...

24 August 2009  

Carbon confessional box at Electric Picnic

This September the Change Team together with ESB and Cultivate will bring back the Carbon Confessional Box to Electric Picnic. The move celebrates the decision by ESB to introduce energy efficient lighting at the event. Visitors to Electric Picnic...

25 August 2009  

Arctic Pics Reveal Cold Truth

These photographs from the Arctic show the largest, floating glacier with massive cracking; proof they are melting faster than scientists predicted.   Five billion tonnes of ice are expected to break from the largest floating glacier in the...

25 August 2009  

Incandescent bulbs to be phased out

Under EU Regulation, inefficient incandescent bulbs will be phased out throughout Europe with effect from today the 1st September 2009 and will be replaced by more efficient alternatives such as halogen and compact fluorescent bulbs. CFLs, as...

01 September 2009  

30% leap in bike sales

You wouldn’t have believed it could happen five years ago – but the country is now enjoying something of a two-wheeled revolution with the neighbourhood bike shop reporting 30% sales increases in the past year. The Department of the Environment’s...

09 September 2009  

16 year old shows how to green a town

A 16-year-old has succeeded in reducing the carbon footprint of his hometown by 33pc in just four years. Ballina, Co. Tipperary student Eamonn Hayes, along with his school mates, managed to reduce the average energy use in his community by...

11 September 2009  

Des Bishop is about to See the Light.

Comedian Des Bishop has made it his mission to make his home as energy efficient as he possibly can. To make that happen, he has enlisted the help of ESB Customer Supply energy efficiency expert, Jim Curran, who will be with him every step of the...

29 September 2009  

Earth Conga line at Electric Picnic

This year there have been a number of events to mark the countdown to the crucial US summit which takes place in Copenhagen in December. These events were organised by the groups Friends of the Earth and Stop Climate Chaos. So far the groups have...

29 September 2009  

Woody demands Green Zombies!

If you thought Woody Harrelson was cool before, you’re really gonna think he’s cool now! Woody refused to work on the movie unless director Ruben Fleisher agreed to meet his super green standards –including reducing his waste and electricity during...

29 September 2009  

Push for Irish Climate Law

Friends of the Earth believes that a climate change law can be a cornerstone of a low-carbon recovery that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Putting our long-term emissions targets into law will give certainty to businesses...

29 September 2009  

Get the bus. Save tax. Taxsaver.ie

Have you the right change? Cut the cost of your commute with a Taxsaver ticket. With a Taxsaver Commuter Ticket from Dublin Bus, you can save up to 51% on your bus fare with tax and PRSI* savings. You must order your ticket through your company;...

30 September 2009  

Turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen

Change will not happen unless the people demand it. That’s why Hopenhagen exists – to give you a rallying cry and the tools to demand a positive outcome in Copenhagen. Signing the UN Climate Petition is only the first step. We need your help...

12 October 2009  

Climate challenge to create jobs

A new and emerging energy management industry could grow to employ thousands of Irish people if this country decides to play a leading role in climate change solutions, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and Sustainable Energy Ireland...

14 October 2009