The price of Spanish oranges:The changing mindsets of many farmers across Europe is captured well in a story about orange farmers in Spain in the current issue of tree magazine Crann.
Following citrus farmer protests about low prices for their produce in Valencia, Stephen Lombard explains how farmers set up street stalls, selling oranges for €2 per kilogram, almost half of the supermarket price for oranges. By selling their oranges directly to the consumers, the farmers were getting more than twice the price the supermarkets were paying them. Lombard goes on to talk about how a new juice plant is under construction in the region so that the pulp waste from oranges can be converted into bioethanol. "The Valencian region's dependency on petrol could be reduced by 40 per cent as well as creating 2,500 new jobs and revitalising the citrus sector for the upkeep of 100,000 families," he writes. He then surmises that if this leads to a more limited supply of fresh oranges and lemons, the supermarkets might even have to pay the farmers a fairer price for their produce.
Eco-spree in Lough Ree
Roots - natural, cultural and historical - is the theme of the Lough Ree Environment Summer School and Arts Festival, which begins tomorrow. Now in its 10th year, the summer school continues to have a strong emphasis on increasing environmental awareness within its wider arts and heritage programme. The programme is bookended by an environmental Mass in the Church of the Holy Rosary, Ballyleague, Co Longford, tomorrow at 11am, and an environmental service in St John's Church, Lanesborough, Co Longford, on Sunday, July 8th, at 11.30am. Highlights include woodland walks and field trips led by nature expert Éanna Ní Lamhna, river and lake cruises with environmentalist Dick Warner, and a trip to the Early Christian monastery site at Inch Cleraun led by archaeologist Dr Harman Murtagh. More details on www.loughree.com, 043-27070, loughreecoop@yahoo.ie.
Doran's Dublin
An exhibition of photographs by the late Dublin photographer Hugh Doran is currently on view in the Irish Architectural Archive (IAA), 45 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. A printer by profession, Doran became a widely respected amateur photographer from the mid-1950s onwards. Architecture and his native Dublin were themes he explored extensively. Following his request, a collection of his photographs were donated to the IAA by his widow, Kitty, in 2005. The IAA has published a book to accompany the exhibition. The opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Friday. Admission is free. The exhibition continues until October 5th. More details on 01-6633040, www.iarc.ie.
Summer in the woods
The Native Woodland Trust is seeking volunteers to take part in a tree-planting marathon in Farnaght wood, Co Leitrim, from Wednesday to Friday next. Local volunteers will be joined by a group of American high-school students who are part of GlobalWorks, an American volunteer organisation. More details from Jim Lawlor on 087-2264625. See also www.nativewoodtrust.ie.
EcoWeb
www.groundwork.ie
This summer, you could join a team of international volunteers clearing invasive species of rhododendrons from the oak woods in Killarney National Park. Weekly and two-weekly work camps run until September 9th.
