Horizons

Your local environment The addition of an environmental pillar to the social partnership talks earlier this year was deemed a victory for those with the environmental wellbeing of this country at heart. It requires hundreds of people to join committees on local authorities across the country to ensure environmental issues are considered at every stage of the planning process.

If you can combine a love of the environment with sitting on committees, consider volunteering. To do so, you should be a member of an environmental non-governmental organisation and be willing to attend four meetings a year. Details of the work and terms of reference are on www.environmentalpillar.ie and next Friday is the deadline for application to michael@ien.ie.

Christians on Creation

The period between September 1st and October 4th has been designated Creation Time in churches throughout Europe. The aim is to encourage increased awareness and reflection on environmental issues. A group of Christian churches in Ireland and Britain, ctbi.org, has put together a programme of with the theme Creation in Crisis – A Time For Prayer and Action.

Meanwhile, Ecocongregation Ireland, an interdenominational project involving Christian churches in Ireland, ecocongregationireland.org, is looking for new eco-prayers in the run-up to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December. Send your entry to info@ecocongregationireland.org.

Sculpted nature

Art meets nature in the annual Sculpture in Context exhibition which opens on Friday in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. More than 100 sculptures will be displayed throughout the gardens, ponds, the Great Palm House and the Curvilinear Glasshouses, while smaller works will be exhibited in the gallery above the visitors’ centre. Sculpture in Context was set up in 1985 by a group of sculptors to provide space to exhibit work outside a gallery setting and has been held in the National Botanic Gardens for the last seven years. This year’s exhibition continues daily until October 16th. Admission is free. See sculptureincontext.com

[ sthompson@irishtimes.com ]

Ecoweb

heritageweek.ie

Check out this site for comprehensive listings of final Heritage Week events on this weekend. These include entry to significant buildings as part of Cork Heritage Open Day and Merrion Square Open Day today, and the Irish Landmark Trust buildings tomorrow.