Renewable energy summitPolicymakers, regulators, planners, environmental managers and entrepreneurs in renewable energy technologies will meet on Tuesday at the Irish Renewable Energy Summit in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. The conference, which is organised by Sustainable Energy Ireland, will look at renewable energy policy and strategy in Ireland while experts will expound on wind, wave, biomass and other forms of renewable energy options. See www.energyireland.ie for more details.
Wood: the new coal?
Wood energy has the potential to supply 10 per cent of Ireland's energy needs, according to promoters of wood biomass as an alternative fuel source. It currently delivers about one per cent of Irish energy in the form of domestic and industrial wood heating. Wood Energy 2004, a conference in Cork on October 7th and 8th, organised by COFORD, the national council for forest research and development and Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), will look at ways in which wood heating markets can be developed (drawing on Austria's experience) and the spin-off for agriculture. Opportunities for short rotation crops and agricultural residues will also be analysed. Contact SEI on 023-29146 or see www.sei.ie/reio/reioconfshop.html See also www.woodenergy.ie
Volunteer drive
Interested in participating in an environmental survey? If so, consider the following. The Green Dublin Initiative Action Group needs volunteers who commute at least 10 miles daily and are available to record their driving details during October. Following this initial exercise, the volunteers will be asked to follow energy saving tips and their driving habits will again be recorded to see if they have saved energy and money. Interested? E-mail greendublin@dublincity.ie by Tuesday. See also www.dublin.ie/greendublin
Water quality audit
Coastwatch Ireland is also seeking volunteers to carry out eco-audits of the shoreline between now and October 10th. You can download forms from www.coastwatch.org and get testkits for water quality. E-mail coastwatch@eircom.net for details.
Analysing Cork's whales
An international conference on whales this weekend will put the discovery of fin and humpback whales off the Cork coast into a global context. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group will present results of four years' monitoring at the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery, Co Cork. See www.iwdg.ie
Rossinver Organic Fair
Finally, a reminder that an Organic Fair at the Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co Leitrim, closes this year's Green Festival Northwest. Events run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. Admission €5.