More Trees Now at Síolta Chroí, Carrickmacross on the 29th and 30th of November
On the 29th and 30th of November the Ecosystem Restoration Community, Síolta Chroí invites all to an introductory event of More Trees Now: an initiative to plant more indigenous trees through circular forestry.
Continue readingWHAT: A Four week Regenerative Agriculture Course
WHEN: Dates 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th November. Time 6:00 pm to 8:00pm
WHERE: Síolta Chroí, Aghnacloghan, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, A81 C998
CONTACT: Conan at 089 499 4571 or https://sioltachroi.ie/
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In this course we will explore how regenerative farming can be a key solution to the multiple challenges facing our local community – such as diminishing farm incomes/farm viability, water quality issues in our lakes and rivers, and biodiversity loss. These practices can also assist in dealing with other challenges such as climate change, flood risk and the nutrition density in our products.
The course will give participants an overview knowledge of key aspects of regenerative agriculture and provide a network to support in implementing the learning.
A group of farmers recently attended a hedge management course at Martin Burns farm, Castleblayney. The training was provided by John McKeon of the Irish Wildlife Trust (Monaghan Branch). Farmers are very familiar with the concept of management as they look after their crops and animals. Sadly in our busy modern era, this care and attention rarely extends to the hedges on the farm. As the group arrived there was talk of the weather, the poor price of farm produce and the high cost of inputs but nere a mention of hedges.
Attendees at the demonstration near Castleblayney
Extreme weather events in many parts of the world now feature in the news more frequently than ever. This summer there have been heatwaves on land – and in theoceans – as well as wildfires, hurricanes, and severe droughts and floods. The climate change which has been predicted by scientists is now becoming ever more evident. Globally we’ve had the hottest July ever and according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres it signals that an “era of global boiling has arrived”.
Continue readingIrish Water Quality Under Pressure Tydavnet GWS showcase Knocknagrave
Algal Blooms In Irish Lakes: The quality of waterways across Ireland has dropped over the decades and this summer has seen a raft of freshwater lakes closed to bathing due to algal blooms: the algae can cause serious sickness in humans. A combination of domestic, agricultural and industrial effluent has combined to increase nutrient levels in our lakes leading to the blooms of blue/green algae. In August 2023 Monaghan Co Co reported poor water quality in two well-visited bathing lakes as testing showed high levels of E. coli in both Lough Muckno (Blayney) and in Creevy Lake (Carrickmacross). Up-to-date testing results are available at https://monaghan.ie/environment/bathing-waters/ The picture above is particularly apt in this context and it pulls no punches in portraying how humans coevolved with nature but now threaten its very survival. Thankfully we can take many simple steps to reduce our impacts on nature and our waterways and hence make our drinking water better.
Continue readingMonaghan Tidy Towns host Moth Event
Tidy Towns is about a lot more than just picking litter. Monaghan Tidy Towns has
made the enhancement of biodiversity one of it’s main focus areas in recent years.
With this in mind they organised a recent event on Moths in Monaghan. Moth traps
were set overnight in two local gardens as well as in Tom Youngs Wood (out the
Clones Rd) and at Peters Lake. These traps don’t harm the bugs, merely attract and
hold them until they can be recorded and released. If you are like myself, you
probably can’t name a single moth variety but Monaghan Tidy Town (led by the
capable Heather Bothwell) captured and identified over 20 different species!
Workshop at Rowan Wellness and Gardens
This time we’re joined by Mary McMullen of Rowan Wellness & Gardens – a centre for yoga, breathwork, meditation, nature and all things wellness. Mary’s gardens near Maudabawn in Cavan recently played host to Phil Wheal who delivered a very hands on workshop on creating and maintaining a “Food Forest” Garden. “Learning by doing” was the order of the day and all participants got mucky and active. But first things first…..
What is a food forest?
A food forest, also called a forest garden, is a diverse planting of edible plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature. A well designed food forest:
Through time it will create a diverse and rich ecosystem of productive plants that can be easily maintained and enjoyed.
Continue readingOne of our contributors wrote this article which was published in our weekly column in the Northern Standard. Find the full article here.
http://dermymcnally.com/2022/06/10/glaslough-going-for-gold-again/
TRANSFORMING OUR URBAN LANDSCAPES
Cities occupy approximately 3% of the Earth’s surface area but account for 60-80% percent of energy consumption and at least 70% of carbon emissions. Creating safe, resilient and sustainable cities is one of the top priorities of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 11 defines sustainable cities as those that are dedicated to achieving green sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability. They enable opportunities for all through inclusive design and maintaining sustainable economic growth. Successful sustainable cities also minimise inputs of energy, water, and food, and reduce outputs of waste, heat, air pollution, and water pollution. Sustainable cities are the cities of the future – where did the concept of sustainable cities originate, what are some examples of sustainable cities and how can we incorporate some of these principles into our own towns and cities here in Ireland? What will it take to make a city like Monaghan more sustainable? Candice Moen takes a closer look.
BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE BRIDAL AND OCCASION WEAR
As consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of fast fashion, they are looking for a more sustainable way to shop. Buying vintage clothing is one of the ways we can reduce the impact of fast fashion on the environment and we are very lucky to have a gorgeous shop like Dirty Fabulous here in Monaghan Town!
Transition Monaghan 