Horizons

Shutting down SellafieldDespite many reports on the dangers of an accident at the nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield, England, the Irish public remain unconcerned.

One such report, commissioned by the European Parliament, concluded that "the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel at Sellafield and La Hague constitute the world's largest man-made releases of radioactivity into the environment corresponding to a large-scale nuclear accident every year". It also stated that there has been a significant increase in the incidence of leukaemia in the surrounding regions. In his book, Fearing Sellafield

(Gill & Macmillan), Colum Kenny examines Britain's most dangerous nuclear dump, explains why the Irish Sea is one of the most radioactive stretches of water in the world and concludes that Sellafield can and should be shut down. Ignoring the problem doesn't mean it will simply go away.

Cutting the gas

The race is on to reduce Ireland's carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources is one of the best ways forward and one group interested in developing renewable energy sources is the Irish Bioenergy Association. Formed five years ago, the group focuses on such areas as encouraging farmers to consider alternative crops to produce liquid biofuels - already very popular in Germany - and developing the commercial use of wood-burning stoves Such topics will be discussed in a seminar on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Ambassador Hotel, Kill, Co Kildare. Contact Michael Doran on

tel: 048 71358215 for full details.

Organically fashionable

Ecology fashion may not have reached the department stores yet, but there is growing interest in T-shirts, trousers and jumpers made from organic cotton or handwoven fabrics. People Tree started 13 years ago in Japan and gradually built up contacts with Bangladeshi women's groups to produce a fashion collection solely using hand-woven products and natural dyes. Now, People Tree is a £2 million business operating in 20 countries. "People have the impression that organic clothes are oatmeal and miserable and made of string but the clothing looks great and feels great," says Safia Minney, founder of People Tree. Fashion designer and supporter of the Make Trade Fair Campaign, Katharine Hamnett would approve. See also www.ptree.co.uk.

New Wicklow nature reserve

Birdwatch Ireland has received an EU Life Nature grant to purchase and manage an 89-hectare (220-acre) site at Blackditch Wood, Newcastle, Co Wicklow. The site includes a birch forest, natural grasslands and a conifer plantation. The four-year restoration project will focus on restoring and managing important habitats. Volunteers interested in working on the project should contact Oran O'Sullivan at Birdwatch Ireland's new headquarters, Rockingham House, Newcastle, Co Wicklow. Tel: 01-2819878. Also, a reminder for anyone keen to count garden birds this winter that the start date for the Birdwatch Ireland Garden Birdwatch is Monday.