When you get the Inish times what section do you read first? This isn’t a survey but if it was I bet the most popular section to turn to would be the planning permission pages.
There is a lot of development going on around the peninsula in country areas and also in the towns. I was looking through the list of the issues that were raised in the A.G.M. of the Buncrana Chamber of Commerce last week. There are some very valid points such a traffic management, lack of car parking and the fact that there are no toilets in the town. The ferry from Buncrana to Rathmullen was also under discussion. As valid as these issues are I feel that there is an issue being overlooked that could generate a substantial income for the town… The allocation of green spaces.
QUALITY OF LIFE
I’m using Buncrana as an example here only because this is where I live. I know the same issues are arising in most towns on the peninsula. With the development of roads, houses, shopping complexes and car parks we are losing green space. Before too long the town will expand and the estates that are scattered around the outskirts will join together. At present we have the shorefront where a new play area is opening which is great to have such an amenity. Then there is Swan Park. This jewel which was donated to the town by Harry Percival Swan is an oasis of nature and a good example of preserving areas of natural beauty for future generations. This area will, I’m sure, eventually find houses encroaching on its outskirts, which will take away from the feeling of being at one with nature. Of course we also have the shore front and shore path, but with a rapidly growing population and the likelihood of more tourists, it is just not enough. Especially as the town expands, access to natural environments for a lot of people gets further and further away, particularly if you don’t have transport.
There is a riverside walk near us that is quickly disappearing. The path is in need of urgent repair and the familiar site of rubbish is present. Houses have been built to back on to this walk and there are obvious signs of arguments between residents and people wanting access to the riverside walk. Some residents have put up No Entry signs and covered their fences with miles of barbed wire, so low down that if anyone slipped on the uneven path they would incur serious injury. What I’m trying to say here is that as our towns expand, land is getting more and more valuable to everyone and we need a green belt around Buncrana. I’m not talking about a small patch of greenery where the builder couldn’t squeeze another house onto an estate because of planning restrictions. I’m talking about using natural features (like the river walk already mentioned), to create public walk-ways, parks, big public expanses of greenery and trees (maybe even an arboretum for an added attraction) where any-one can walk, play and get away from the hustle and bustle into a peaceful place. Once land has been developed it’s lost to us. Creating parks is an expensive business, but the rewards go far beyond monetary value, it’s a quality of life, not just for us but for our children and grandchildren’s children.
I’m certainly not opposed to development as long as careful consideration is given to preserve the natural beauty of the peninsula; this goes for the towns as well. If green belts are overlooked in the expansion stage of Buncrana, the town will loose its appeal, not only to the people who live here and love the place, but also to the tourists. There needs to be a good reason for tourists to stop off in Buncrana and spend some time (and money!) and not just jump on the ferry to get to Rathmullan or drive through the town to get the ferry at Greencastle.
One of the reasons for stopping in Buncrana should be the fact that we planned ahead and incorporated places of natural beauty into a growing town and didn’t put up a house or build a road on every available piece of land! Environmental
WHAT IS PEAK OIL
Ian
I have been noticing the phrase Peak Oil is being used a lot concerning global oil prices. What does it mean and how will it effect us in Ireland? Thanks DH, Dunfanaghy.
Reply:
“Peak Oil” refers to the maximum extraction rate of oil, after which the rate of extraction will decline.
It has been found that the extraction of oil always follows more or less a bell-shaped curve: first the oil is discovered and once it starts to be pumped out, the rate increases steadily until it reaches a peak, after which it becomes impossible to pump at the same rate: production will inevitably decline. World discovery of oil peaked in 1964 and has been declining ever since, despite considerable improvements in technology, and there is no prospect of any significant new large discoveries. We are currently consuming more than 4 barrels of oil for every one discovered.
This doesn’t actually mean that the world is running out of oil. Globally, it is thought that approximately half of all oil that was laid down in the earth has been extracted. We have currently used about 1 trillion barrels of the 2 trillion barrels that was the legacy from geological vents of over 90million years ago. It is true that there is still a lot of oil left. The problem is really that we are running out of cheap oil. We have picked the low hanging fruit first and both the quality and accessibility of the remaining oil is declining- fast. The light sweet oil that was near the surface has been largely exhausted, as have the more accessible oil fields. Oil companies are starting to look in ever-more inhospitable environments such as the Arctic, Antarctic and deep seas in the quest for more oil.
According to the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) world oil peak is likely to occur sometime between 2008 and 2010. Some analysts believe we may have already passed the peak and are currently on an uneven plateau. It seems certain however that within a few years, the effects of oil peak will begin to be felt as for the first time in history the amount of available energy in the world begins to decline. ASPO calculate the rate of decline after peak to be about 2% per year. Energy efficiency and more frugal use of energy are certainly important steps we can take, but if the Peak in production is already upon us, we may be forced to make sudden and abrupt changes to our lifestyles if we are to avoid the worst consequences of oil depletion in a world so heavily dependent on oil for the lions share of its economy, trade, industry and general lifestyle.
In addition to production steadily increasing through the 20th Century, so has demand. Unfortunately, while production will now start to decline, demand is still growing- faster than ever, with the emergence of both China and India as major new energy consumers entering the marketplace and looking for their share of the industrial and consumerist lifestyle.
What Peak Oil really means is that there will be a gap between supply and demand. There will be less to go around just as more and more countries want more and more.
HOW WILL IT EFFECT IRELAND
Ireland has become one of the world's most oil-dependent nations in recent years. In fact, Ireland is ranked 7th in the world -. Much of this shift to a high-energy lifestyle has taken place during the Celtic Tiger years. Ireland’s per capita consumption of oil has increased by nearly 60% since 1973, while the EU's average has fallen- and this despite Ireland being one of Europe 's best-placed countries for exploiting wind energy.
At present, Ireland gets 54% of its energy from oil and 23% from natural gas. This masks an even deeper dependency, however, since the transport sector is almost 98% dependent on oil. Since so many aspects of our lives depend upon the transportation of goods and services, as well as commuting to work, any disruption in oil supplies would quickly bring society to a standstill. A taste of what this might entail was experienced in parts of the UK during the truckers’ strike a few years ago, when shops began to run out of simple foodstuffs and other basic necessities within a few days. Unlike the strike, however, Peak Oil will mean that these disruptions will eventually become permanent. Changes will need to be introduced for the supply of these goods, such as growing food more locally.
Now is a golden opportunity to ask these deeper questions about the kind of society we want to live in. There is abundant evidence that simply more growth, more money and more energy will not bring us a higher quality of life or more fulfilment
The main changes we need to effect are a move away from globalisation towards local economies that value and preserve their own stores of natural capital- such as local food supplies, traditional skills, trees and woodlands, the practices of good land use and urban design.
Peak Oil presents an enormous challenge to us all, but if we respond now we may yet be looking forward to a more harmonious future.
For more information on this subject go to the Fuelling the Future website www.fuellingthefuture.org (CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR A LINK)Environmenal.
Ian
I think I have a wasp’s nest in my bird house. It isn’t a real problem as it is far away from the house. I know that the environmental health people will come and remove it if I want but how can I make sure this doesn’t happen again? Thanks L.M by e-mail
Reply
Lining the under-roof area with aluminium foil can minimise this common problem. Use a staple gun to attach. Another option is to rub the under-roof area liberally with bar soap - ordinary soap will do. One application can last through an annual wasp season.
MORE ON WASPS
Wasps should be thought of as beneficial insects. They prey mainly on other insects, many of which are pests. In general, they avoid human activity and should only be considered a nuisance when nesting near homes or high traffic areas. The best way to prevent unpleasant encounters with social wasps is to avoid them. If you know where they are, try not to go near their nesting places. Wasps can become very defensive when their nest is disturbed. Using pesticides to control wasps can be effective, but these chemicals are harmful to the environment. Careless use of pesticides can also pose risks to the person applying them. Before reaching for the pesticide, see if these safer, natural methods help to alleviate the problem
Prevention
Seal entry points. Solitary wasps in the home can be a nuisance; daily sightings of wasps in the home may indicate inside nest building, and more attention to the problem is required. Searching for and sealing off their point of entry is the best line of defence. Check your house for cracks around windows and door frames. Observe the flight path of a wasp, especially in the morning, which may reveal the entry/exit point.
Remove food sources. In summer, wasps are attracted to protein foods. Any food left outdoors, such as pet food, picnic scraps, open rubbish bags or uncovered compost piles should be removed or covered. Wasps imprint food sources, and will continue to search an area for some time after the food has been removed.In late summer and early autumn, the wasp food preference turns to the sweet. Their behaviour is also more aggressive. Open cans of pop, fruit juice, fallen apples beneath fruit trees and other sweet food sources will attract wasps. Be sure to cover drinks and open food containers, keep a lid on the compost and avoid walking barefoot near fruit trees. Pick up and dispose of any fallen fruit rotting on the ground.
Avoid swatting. Swatting and squashing wasps is counterproductive. When a wasp is squashed, a chemical (pheromone) is released which attracts and incites other nearby
wasps. It's best to walk away from a hovering wasp.
Avoid wearing bright colours or floral patterns. If you look like a big flower, you may be attracting the curious wasp looking for nectar.
Minimize use of perfumes and other strong scents. In the later part of the summer, wasps are attracted to sweet smells. Hairspray attracts them too.
TRAPS
There are traps you can use but the best cause of action is to steer clear of them.
If you are being bothered at the barbeque, put a jar some way away from you with a blob of jam in it. This still probably make the matter worse. There is a container that you can use to trap the wasps but it does kill them unfortunately. Slice the top third off of a 2 litre plastic bottle. Turn the top section upside down and place it in the open section of the bottom part. Stick this together then add some water with washing up liquid in it. Put some sweet jam on the upturned lip. When the wasps come to it they will fall into the void and be drowned. My lad recons you could do it humanly by not adding a liquid then letting them go later by lifting up the top. Rather you than me!Even more on wasps
We’ve been experimenting on animals this week at the Clean and Green testing centre (Not on rabbits you will be pleased to know). We have been looking at the problem of smelly pets, especially dogs. I’m sure we are not alone in the fact that we have a trusty hound that manages to find something dead to roll around in. Whether it is on the beach, in the park or at the bottom of the garden, the head goes down and the feet come up and whatever unpleasant matter was on the floor is now stuck to the dogs neck. I usually make out that I’ve no sense of smell and wait for another member of staff to sort the problem out, but this week I will try and tackle the problem as part of the team. Someone we know accidentally did one method, (which we wouldn’t recommend). Their kitten was fast asleep in the washing machine on top of the dirty clothes when the machine was switched on. The kitten came out shining but unfortunately wasn’t alive to appreciate its glossy new coat!
Pampered pets.
Check the diet of your dog; some food might make them smellier than others.
If your dog comes in smelly then they might need a bath. We found that our dog doesn’t mind the shower too much, there’s no way you could ever get him in a bath. Either way will be effective if you can get the fur wet with soap and rinse thoroughly. Vinegar added to the final rinse will help get rid of lingering odours and bring out the shine. Try to keep the suds out of the dogs eyes. Some people put Vaseline around the eyes to make the water run to the sides of the eyes but we found this to be unnecessary. A drop or two of tea tree oil in the wash will also help to repel fleas. If you keep the dog in the bath for twenty minutes pouring suds on continuously, this will kill the fleas that are on the animal. All we can say about that idea is good luck! Garlic powder in their dinner is said to repel the fleas before they make up home in the fur.
Here’s one that we haven’t tried but was recommended to us by a (rather strange) friend.
Giving a dog a bone seems to clean the animals teeth, more so than biscuits anyway. But to get the dogs teeth shiny you can buy special doggy toothbrushes and special toothpaste that comes in yummy meat flavoured varieties. This friend of ours would clean the dogs teeth at least once a day to keep them trouble free, they were still in perfect condition the day the poor thing ran out in front of a car and got killed!
Take the dog for a walk before you bath them, they might catch a chill otherwise.
Don’t wash the dog too often, as this will take away the natural oils on the hair.
Other pet tips.
Dogs and cats are starting to shed their coats now and the hairs can be a real pain. Try wetting a rubber glove and brushing the animal, a lot of the loose hair will collect on it. Rubbing with a rubber glove also picks up hairs from furniture and carpets.
Because cats have a strong sense of smell you can use citrus oil on areas you don’t want the cats to scratch. Some people use chilli powder or pepper, but we think that’s a bit harsh.Environmental.
Household.
