Walking World annual: Dust off those walking boots - Walking World Ireland 2003 Annual is out. It lists all the walking events and festivals for the year, as well as featuring travel articles.
The calendar kicks off with the Burren Spring Guided walking weekends on March 7th to 9th and March 14th to 16th (details: 065-7074036). The St Patrick's Day weekend is also celebrated with walking festivals in Achill, Co Mayo, tel: 098-47353; Ardara, Co Donegal, tel: 086-2341061; and Mourne, tel: 028-41769965.
Animal Medicine
Tales of animals healing themselves stretch back to ancient civilisations but it is not clear how much is true and how much anthropomorphism is folklore. However, there is little doubt that some animals can self-diagnose and find natural medicines for their condition. Elephants roam miles to find clay they need to deal with toxins, while monkeys, bears and birds protect themselves from insect bites by rubbing plants and insects on to their skin. In Wild Health (published by Phoenix, £8.99), animal behaviourist Cindy Engel brings together research and anecdotes which show that nature is a pharmacy for wild animals and looks at how humans learn from animals' medicine.
Hedge schools
Traditional countryside skills which have almost died out are being revived by Conservation Volunteers Ireland. Learn the art of willow sculpting at a weekend course February 22nd-23rd (€130) at Greenmantle, Templemore, Co Tipperary. Bookings are now being taken for courses in hedge-laying (on February 8th and February 22nd) at CVI headquarters, Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin (€ 70). CVI is looking for volunteers for a working weekend (February 20th to 23rd) focusing on the management of the habitat of Natterjack toads and native tree planting at the Raven Nature Reserve, Co Wexford. Cost: €44 for food, accomodation, and transport from Dublin. Tel: 01-4952878 E-mail: info@cvi.ie Website: www.cvi.ie
Plastic pollution
Plastic bags as environmental polluters are becoming an issue around the world. Between 3,000 and 5,000 workers in Taiwan protested against the introduction of charges for plastic bags and plastic cutlery last month. According to the government, each Taiwanese uses 900 plastic bags a year, but critics claim the move could result in the loss of 50,000 jobs.
In Australia, where 6.9 billion plastic bags are used each year, the government is setting retailers a 50 per cent recycling and reduction target over the next two years. In South Africa, where eight billion are used each year, plastic bags will soon have to be double the current thickness - in the hope that the added expense will make retailers charge for them and consumers think twice before throwing them away.
And here at home, where 1.2 billion bags had been used each year, numbers fell by more than 90 per cent in the first three months of the "green" tax.