HORIZONS:If you live in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area, you can influence how the local authority manages its open spaces, from parks and gardens to woodlands, beaches and outdoor sports facilities. A short questionnaire covers how and why you use these open spaces, and any improvements you'd like to see. You can also make general comments on any of the county's 2,200 green acres.
Although it is international best practice to seek the public’s view, this is the first time such a survey has taken place in Ireland. The findings will help inform Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county council’s open spaces strategy to be completed by the end of the year. Surveys are available in the county hall, libraries and at strategicleisure.co.uk/dlr.htm
ALIEN NATION
Well-known invasive species such as the grey squirrel and rhododendron have been joined by myriad others. There are alien freshwater plants such as floating pennywort and parrot’s feather; creatures such as zebra mussel (right), Chinese mitten crab and New Zealand flatworm, and invasive plants such as giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam.
Invasive species are the second greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide after habitat destruction. To report an alien species and for more information see invasivespeciesireland.com.
PERSONAL PLANT FOOD
Recycling nutrients from the food we eat makes perfect ecological sense. Admittedly it’s not what most of us think about as we flush the toilet, but what enters our sewers does ultimately end up back on the land.
One simple way to capture some of your own plant food, and reducing your daily water usage, is to make a strawbale urinal beside your compost heap. The carbon in the straw balances excellently with the nitrogen in the urine, producing great compost after about six months. The urine is best applied directly, hence strawbale urinals are gender-biased. For one man’s experience, see transitionhouse.blogspot.com
ECOWEB
sustrans.org.uk
Looking for some quiet cycling? This site has details of thousands of miles of marked cycle routes in Ireland and Britain. There’s everything from short day-trips, such as the riverside route from Lisburn to Jordanstown, to long-distance trails from Holyhead to Cardiff.