Horizons

Water talk in Temple Bar:Water - the Defining Crisis of the 21st Century: How Should We Respond? is the title of a talk by environment journalist and writer Fred Pearce, which will take place next Friday at 7.30pm in Cultivate, Temple Bar, Dublin.

Pearse is a former news editor at New Scientist and is currently that magazine's environment and development consultant. His most recent book, When the Rivers Run Dry - water the defining crisis of the 21st century points out that economists now say that by 2025 water scarcity will cut global food production by more than the current grain harvest of the United States. In the book, Pearce focuses on the dire state of the world's rivers and the growing world water crisis. See www.cultivate.ie for more details or tel: 01-6746396.

Old chestnuts and horse sense

Did you know that the Horse Chestnut was so-called because in the 16th century, conkers (inedible to humans) were given to horses to cure their coughs? Or, did you know that when cows sit down en masse, it is often a sign that rain is on the way? Just two tiny facts from The Armchair Naturalist - How to be Good at Nature Without Really Trying by Johnson P Johnson (Icon Books, UK£9.99). Published this week, the book will make its readers instantly appear knowledgeable about mammals, birds, insects, trees and flowers in the countryside. Its author is a self-taught naturalist who, we're told, had to be convinced by his many admirers in Britain to share his knowledge with a wider audience.

Connemara conference

Whales and Dolphins and their habitats is the theme of this year's Connemara Sea Week conference from October 27th to 29th in Letterfrack National School, Co Galway. Held as part of the annual cultural and environmental festival, the conference will be addressed by Simon Berrow and Padraig Whooley from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, and film-makers Doug Allen and Sue Flood, who work on the BBC Planet Earth series.

Tel: 095-41034 or e-mail lfrack@eircom.net for details.

See also www.ceecc.org.

A look at old Dublin

Medieval Dublin - from Vikings to Tudors is a new interactive DVD aimed specifically at primary schoolchildren. The superb interactive features allow children to explore life in a medieval city in a stimulating way. For instance, they can see the medieval city defences grow from wooden fences to thick stone walls. They can also look at daily life of the monks at St Mary's Abbey. The DVD, which was commissioned by Dublin City Council, was made by the production company, The Farm, in partnership with the Office of Public Works, Dublinia, Christ Church Cathedral and the National Museum of Ireland.

To view a trailer of the DVD, click on www.dublin.ie/medieval. The DVD will be sent to all primary schools in Dublin free of charge and will be on sale in shops.

 Eco Web

www.greenpages.ie

The website of Ireland's first National Green Pages directory offers readers a sneak preview of how from next year, they will be able to source green products in 26 categories including agriculture, forestry, waste, recycling, fashion, health and fitness. Sponsored by the Department of the Environment among others, the directory promises to be Ireland's first carbon-neutral publication and will be distributed free to homes and businesses from January.