Rash of real nappies: It may sound hippy dippy, but the use of cloth nappies instead of disposable ones is a growing trend.
An estimated 15 per cent of parents in Britain are opting for cotton, washable nappies for health, financial and environmental reasons. In Ireland, a growing number of parents are making the switch and online suppliers, such as www.thebabyorchard.com and www.cottonbaby.net, offer a selection of washable nappies with Velcro or popper fastening. The annual Real Nappy Week runs from April 7th to 13th. Events in Ireland include a nappy workshop on Tuesday from 10 a.m. in the Newpark Hotel, Castlecomer Road, Kilkenny (contact Sadhbh O'Neill on 056-7794482), and displays of cloth nappies in the Foxhunter pub, Lucan, Co Dublin, on Thursday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and at Jury's Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick, on Monday, April 15th from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. See also www.wen.org.uk for background to the Real Nappy Project.
Forest Finns: One in five Finns owns a forest. In other words, Finland has one million small forest owners. The centrality of this natural resource to life in Finland is keenly exposed in a photographic exhibition on the forests of Finland which opens in ENFO, 17 St Andrew's Street, Dublin on Monday. Acclaimed Finnish nature photographers Hannu Hautala and Lassi Rautiainen take a wide cultural view of Finnish forests. Bear and elk-hunting and the importance of paper-manufacturing feature alongside beautiful shots of forest fires and log cabins. The exhibition runs until May 5th,
10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Admission free. See www.enfo.ie
Environment debate: Nervous tension will be high on Wednesday at the Sligo Institute of Technology where students from six third-level colleges will compete for this year's Jones Environmental Award. From 11 a.m. to 6.40 p.m., they will present their research on water or environmental management to an audience of fellow students, adjudicators and the general public. Local Environmental Science degree students will highlight issues such as the effects of noise on Sligo town while out-of-towners such a Gordon Clarke from Queen's University, Belfast, will speak about Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. The result will be announced at 6.50 p.m. The awards are open to students under 25 in the Republic and the North. Tel:
071-55388 or see www.itsligo.ie
Dublin transport: the history: The story of transport in Dublin is the theme of a free lecture series this month in the restored Dublin City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. Running on Tuesdays from 1.10 p.m.-1.45 p.m.,
subjects include the early days of motoring in Dublin by Bob Montgomery, from the Royal Irish Automobile Club, the Dublin buses, by Michael Corcoran, from the National Transport Museum, Howth, Co Dublin, and the elusive Liffey ferry by Prof Sean de Courcy from University College, Dublin. Tel: 01-6722204 or see www.dublincity.ie/cityhall for details.