A freelance writer’s online musings
Calvin posted this on May 29th 2008 under Animals, Climate Change, Environment
Very brief post: just came across this really cool, public domain Graphical Representation of Geologic Time from the USGS, and thought it was worth sharing here… enjoy! You’ll find more on geological time from Wikipedia here.
Calvin posted this on May 21st 2008 under Children, Education, Environment, Evening Echo Column, Government, Parenting, Photography, Wildlife, Writing
Published in the Evening Echo 21/05/2008
Watching “Wild China” on the BBC tonight was amazing. I never knew, for example, that wild Asian elephants still survive in the forests of central China, or that gibbons – which I thought confined to South East Asia – still roam the canopy in some of China’s forests. The sheer diversity of life unfolding on the screen was staggering – plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals.
But like so many of the world’s wild places, the amazing biodiversity of these Chinese forests is under threat. Much of China’s virgin rainforest has been felled to make way for rubber plantations – rubber that’s helping to fuel the inexorable rise of one of the world’s fastest growing economies. The economic imperative, as so often seems to happen, overrides the environmental one: short term gain taking precedence over long-term vision.
Much closer to home, we’d spent much of the day looking at biodiversity on a much smaller, but equally fascinating scale in one of Ireland’s wild places. Ireland’s National Biodiversity Week is running from 18 to 25 May this year, scheduled to coincide with the United Nations International Day for Biodiversity on 22 May.
“Biodiversity Week is Ireland’s contribution to a global celebration of biodiversity which aims to increase awareness of the importance of biodiversity and promote action to tackle the loss of many of our species,” said Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, TD, as he unveiled the nationwide programme of events last week. “This is the second year that my Department has supported Biodiversity Week and already it has developed to the extent that we now have over 200 events taking place throughout the country.” And I have to say it’s a laudable effort in a country where we have plenty to redress when it comes to our environmental credentials.
Keen to get involved, and to expose the children to more of the wonders of Irish nature, we headed out to a Biodiversity Day event at the Irish Natural Forestry Foundation’s headquarters in Manch Estate, Balineen.
Calvin posted this on May 14th 2008 under Education, Environment, Evening Echo Column, Parenting, Wildlife
Published in the Evening Echo, 14/05/2008
A non-too-bright thrush has chosen to build this year’s nest in the bush outside our kitchen window. What’s wrong with that, you might ask… well, there’s nothing wrong with the bush per se, it’s just where it’s situated.
The bush is pretty big bush, with lush, dense foliage that offers plenty of cover and shelter. It’s also high enough to mean the nest is pretty safe from ground-dwelling predators. All in all it’s a pretty good nesting site – apart from the fact that it’s just outside the back door, which puts it on the children’s flight-path as they head from the house, to garden and back again. With the weather improving, they’re doing a lot of coming and going… and peace and quiet around that particular bush is going to be in short supply.
I spotted the nest a few weeks ago. Standing at the kitchen sink one morning I noticed the parents flying to and fro. A quick look when they were out of sight revealed the nest wedged firmly between the boughs of the bush at about my shoulder height. Chancing a quick peek inside I counted three perfectly formed, beautifully speckled eggs nestled in the moss-lined cup. Having confirmed the nest was in use I beat a hasty retreat to allow mum to return to tend her clutch.
Ever since I was a little boy I’ve felt a rush of excitement at finding a birds nest in spring. There’s something wonderful about being so close to the genesis of new life that’s both fascinating and inspirational. Seeing the parents come and go, hearing the chicks clamouring for food, and witnessing their incredible journey as they grow and eventually fledge.
I guess when you think about it it’s like the whole parenting palaver distilled into a few short months: finding a partner, setting up home and bringing youngsters into the world, followed by a frantic and exhausting struggle to provide for them until the day they finally fly the nest. In one way I guess the birds have it sussed… they have the whole process done and dusted in short order, and then take the rest of the year off. We, on the other hand, sentence ourselves to the best part of twenty years of hard labour.
The girls were thrilled when they arrived home from school and I showed them my discovery. I lifted them up and showed them the nest very briefly, explaining that we had to be careful not to disturb the mother to make sure she didn’t abandon the nest. They were so excited… and that filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction.
There are those who would argue that letting the children see the nest is wrong – that nature should be left well alone. In the interests of environmental conservation, they argue, we should shield nature from people, isolate it, protect it. I couldn’t disagree more.
By letting children experience and understand nature first hand, you’re doing far more good than harm. You see, when you shield nature from children, you’re also shielding children from nature, and that’s a mistake.
Books and classrooms are all very well, but the relationship between children and nature needs to be hands on: kids need to experience nature first hand to foster and encourage their inherent fascination with the natural world. Fail to do that, and they disengage; disengaged children grow to become disengaged adults… and we’re all painfully aware of the environmental damage they can cause.
Calvin posted this on May 8th 2008 under Blog, Children, Competitions, Environment, Evening Echo Column, Internet, Parenting, Reviews
A few weeks ago we spent a wonderful weekend at what has to be one of the most enchanting houses in the whole of West Cork, perhaps the entire country. Nestled on its own little island between a fork in the Glengarriff River, this thatched former hunting lodge of the Earl of Bantry is like something straight out of a childhood fantasy.
Set in three acres of beautifully tended gardens, surrounded by mature trees that blend seamlessly with nearby native woodland, the fairytale house sits gently in this idyllic rural landscape. As we drove over the little wooden bridge onto the island I had to pinch myself to make sure what I was seeing was real. This was Glengarriff Lodge… and it was absolutely breathtaking.
Calvin posted this on Apr 16th 2008 under Business, Career Moves Column, Climate Change, Environment, Writing
Published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on Monday 14 April 2008
CSR; when I first heard it I thought it was another one of those far fetched American crime dramas. Then I discovered it was an acronym for Corporate Social Responsibility… and remained none the wiser.
So I Googled it (interesting aside: did you know that the name Google was an accidental misspelling of the word googol – the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes), and was promptly presented with 4,530,000 results on everything anyone could ever want to know about Corporate Social Responsibility.
First stop, Wikipedia, that font of online knowledge, which informed me that CSR: “is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.”
When I got my breath back I read it again.
CSR then is basically a commitment by an organisation to do business in a socially responsible way… to go that extra mile, to be a good corporate citizen and to look after the people and the environment it interacts with. It’s about businesses looking outside the corporate box and acknowledging their broader responsibility to society as a whole.
Which all sounds very laudable. But are businesses really doing it?
Plenty of high profile Irish organisations profess to be. That Google list I mentioned earlier contains links to comprehensive CSR Statements from the ESB, Coillte, Tesco Ireland , KPMG, Repak and others. But are they just words, or is the concept of CSR really resonating with organisations and punching through the profit-skewed view of Irish CEOs?
How many employees, for example, really and truly believe their employers are putting their best interests ahead of the corporate bottom line? Or that management would opt to go with a more costly supplier simply because they could demonstrate better environmental credentials? Would your HiPPO (Highest Paid Person in the Organisation) choose to forsake profit for the greater good? Some might answer yes, but my guess is that the vast majority would have to say no. Or at least not yet.
But that could be changing. The pressure on businesses to become more environmentally and socially responsible is growing all the time, thanks largely to the high profile of environmental issues surrounding climate change. Higher consumer and employee awareness of these issues and of how corporate entities are responding to them means that addressing them is moving out of the realm of positive spin and PR, and is fast becoming an economic imperative.
People are demanding more accountability from the companies they do business with, and the companies they choose to work for. These days if a company can’t demonstrate that its taking its social responsibilities seriously it can potentially impact the calibre of its future workforce and erode its customer base. Corporate Social Responsibility isn’t just about doing the right thing any more… it’s about staying competitive in a rapidly changing world.
Technorati Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility,CSR,Evening Echo,Career Moves,Business
Calvin posted this on Mar 11th 2008 under Blog, Business, Climate Change, Environment
Tom Raferty of “Tom Referty’s Social Media” has just set up a new blog to explore green issues. He ran a competition on his blog to suggest a domain and ended up choosing lowerfootprint.com — which was one of my offerings.
Tom passed on a Fire Eagle invitation (thanks Tom) for the winning suggestion. Fire Eagle is Yahoo’s new geographically aware platform that, in theory, will let other applications “know” where in the world you are at any given time, allowing them to tailor their services accordingly. I’ve signed up, but so far there’s no user-level application for the technology… although I see there are a few things in the pipeline. I’ll write more when there’s something to report.
Meanwhile I’d like to wish Tom all the best with his new venture. The more we can all do to bring the issues surrounding climate change to a mainstream audience, the better. Check it out, subscribe to the RSS feed, comment, encourage debate, spread the word, raise awareness.
Businesses are slowly coming around to the fact that they need to become more ecologically responsible — and the greener application of technology certainly has a big huge role to play in that transition. At present jury’s still out on how many are doing it for ethical/environmental reasons and how many are simply jumping on the eco-PR bandwagon — but the fact that they’re doing it at all is, I suppose, a step in the right direction.
Technorati Tags: climate change,environment,lower footprint,carbon footprint,Tom Raferty,fire eagle
Calvin posted this on Mar 10th 2008 under Climate Change, Environment, Technology
I was intrigued to read this week that UK scientists are developing a technique to coat the steel sheets used in fabrication of industrial buildings with a solar powered paint which could, theoretically, result in warehouses whose entire surface area could convert solar energy into electricity.
Steel sheets are painted rapidly in steel mills by passing them through rollers. A consortium led by Swansea University, UK, hopes to use that process to cover steel sheets with a photovoltaic paint at up to 40 square metres per minute.
The paint will take advantage of dye-sensitised solar cells. They’re less efficient than conventional silicone based cells, but are also much cheaper, and can be applied to surfaces as a liquid.
“We should see a commercial cell in two-and-a-half years,” Dr David Worsley, leader of the Swansea team, told New Scientist.
There are still plenty of obstacles to overcome — but it’s an intriguing technology with potentially enormous global potential for harnessing the sun’s energy.
Technorati Tags: Environment,solar-power paint,New Scientist,climate change
Calvin posted this on Feb 21st 2008 under Children, Education, Environment, Evening Echo Column, Parenting, Wildlife
Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 13/02/2008
“Look dad, a Robin,” called one of the twins as we stood waiting for the school bus.
The object of her scrutiny was perched on the branch of a nearby ash tree. Head cocked on one side the little bird was watching us as intently as we were watching it. Suddenly it fluttered to the ground just a few feet away, pecked at a few crumbs, then hopped back up to its perch, where it continued its vigil.
Of all the birds that visit the garden (and there are a lot of them at this time of year) the girls have developed something of a special bond with the Robins. With their bright red breast, distinctive plump shape, upright stance and a tendency to sudden, jerky movements, these were the first bird they learned to identify, and will always be one of their favourites.
Calvin posted this on Feb 7th 2008 under Children, Environment, Evening Echo Column, Parenting, Rant, Writing
Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 23/01/2008
You’re probably sick of reading about climate change, about how humanity is clinging to a precipice by its worn and weary fingernails, hanging above the yawning abyss of uncertainty. We’re heading into unknown territory, they say, and things need to change if we want to save the planet… yaddy, yaddy, yadda.
First of all, it’s got nothing to do with saving the planet. Climate change won’t destroy the world. At the very worst, on a planetary scale, it will represent a tiny hiccup: the earth redressing the balance as its most prolific and successful species to-date engages in the biggest mass suicide in history. In terms of geological time it will be a mere blip.
So we’re not talking about saving the planet here – the planet, I assure you, will carry on regardless. What we’re really talking about is saving our own skins. Climate change is not a planetary issue, it’s a human one… whatever you believe might be causing it.
Calvin posted this on Sep 14th 2007 under Children, Environment, Evening Echo Column, Parenting, Wildlife
Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 12/09/2007
Original title: If you go down to the woods today….
The phone rang on Sunday afternoon.
As is her habit at present, the four-year-old ran and answered it before anyone else could get there, and promptly started chatting away. Whoever was on the other end got to hear all about that morning’s activities in one endless sentence. It was riveting stuff.
With her lungs finally empty the little one stopped to draw breath, and I stepped in to intercept before she could resume her tirade. On the other end of the line I could hear someone chuckling.
It was friends of ours. They were heading out to an open day at the Manch Estate – the Irish Natural Forestry Foundation’s (INFF) project to demonstrate sustainable forestry in action – and were ringing to invite us along.
I quickly weighed up my options. With a lot of work on at the moment I had planned to spend the afternoon in the home-office catching up with a few things. Never one to miss an opportunity to put off work, I jumped at the chance to spend some time out in the fresh air.
Manch is a 137 hectare estate about 40 miles west of Cork, just beyond the village of Ballineen on the main Bandon to Dunmanway road. On the first Sunday of every month from March to November the Manch project opens its gates to the general public. There’s a guided walk at 2pm, taking in a different part of the estate each month, and educational activities for children throughout the day.
As we drove the brooding skies that had been threatening rain all morning started to break up. We pulled into the car park at Manch just as the sun broke through. It was glorious weather for a walk in the woods.
By the time we arrived we’d missed the guided walk – but went off for our own ramble through the woods instead. The kids were in their element running along the criss-crossing woodland tracks, stopping now and again to look at a toadstool, a spider, a beetle or a butterfly.
One of the first things you notice when you step into a mixed broadleaf woodland like this is how alive it all is. It’s a stark contrast with the dark, oppressive, lifeless sensation you experience when you step under the sterile canopy of a Sitka spruce plantation – the mainstay of Irish forestry.
Here, where dappled shadows danced beneath the trees, there was an abundance of life. From the dragonflies wheeling in spectacular fashion around the woodland margins, to the myriad species of fungi clustered in the deeper shadow, and the chorus of birdsong from the lush green canopy overhead: this was a thriving woodland ecosystem. More to the point it demonstrated what can be achieved when man chooses to work in harmony with nature, rather than striving against her. Everybody (and everything) wins.
When we arrived back at the visitor and education centre we browsed through the information on sustainable sylviculture, while the kids enjoyed colouring leaves, making woodland wildlife masks and other activities with the project’s education officer. Watching the children playing under the trees, seeing them connect with nature and engaging in woodland related activities, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of hope for the future.
You can find out more about the INFF, the Manch Project, their open days and their Primary, Secondary and Adult education courses by visiting the INFF website or by calling them on 023 22823.
