CLIMATE CAMP - Wish you were here !

offaly | education | news report

Monday August 17, 2009 18:32

by Bob Wilson - CELT - Centre for Environmental Living and Training, also Transition East Clare Initiative

Peat power worse than coal for CO2 emissions

Climate Camp is up and running at Shannonbridge, Co.Offaly - started Saturday 15th August and goes on til Sunday 23rd August.

Stop the peat-fired powerstation now ! !

It's about what we can do in the face of changing climate that will affect us all. Peat bogs are a living carbon sink - greater even than forestry. Burning peat releases more CO2 into the atmosphere than burning coal. The peat-fired powerstation beside the camp should have been shut down long ago - since our government and Bord na Mona still fail to see the urgency of reducing emissions, climate camp will be staging a major protest on Saturday 22nd August - this will be a day of action and fun, including street theatre, art, etc, which will hopefully bring media attention to this important issue.

Meanwhile, the camp has lots of great workshops every day this week about sustainable living, peat bogs, forestry, cycling, renewable energy, etc, etc. Come along to my Trees and You workshop on Wednesday ! I will be talking about trees as carbon sinks, as vital elements of biodiversity, as added value to farms and gardens, woodland gardens, agroforestry, CELT native tree nursery, CELT Weekend in the Woods (19 / 20 September) (another event not to be missed !) ...........................

So get yourself along to CLIMATE CAMP and be a part of it !

Typical discussion workshop - High energy !

Camp kitchen - Lental Disorder !

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Comments (7 of 7)

ho ho ho

by Green Giant

Mon Aug 17, 2009 20:53

Cant wait to get down guys...

Its Great

by bert - climate camp

Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:05

I've been at the climate camp for the last few days and would really recommend people to come down here and start planning things for the day of action!

make everyday a day of action

by mise tara 7

Tue Aug 18, 2009 16:55

Great camp ,amazing people, excellent workshops,glorious food .Climate camp well worth attending.

If nobody speaks of remarkable things

by Lara Hill

Tue Aug 18, 2009 20:47

I had my misgivings before I went to Climate Camp. I'd met my neighbour on his way down to set it up the previous week "Yeah man, I'll be cycling down and skipping stuff on the way to build the compost toilets and all". To my surprise and joy the compost toilets had indeed been built and showers, marquees erected along with a vegan kitchen dishing up outstanding food. After the few days down at Shannonbridge, I think it would be difficult to go back to a regular commercial festival. The DIY vibrations at the camp turn it into a completely different gathering to say, Electric Picinic. The camp is working on a donation basis and depends on people to volunteer to keep the place running. All campers become stake holders. Besides fostering a sense of ownership, it makes it easy to connect with new people. I had good chats while sprinkling sawdust, washing plates and sewing bunting flags together. On the bus home this evening it occured to me that the remarkable thing about the camp is not the fact that some who attend are willing to risk arrest for the sake of the planet, but that all who attend are willing to trust each other to give enough to keep a camp in a field running sweetly for nine days.

Keep up the good work

by dipperjp

Wed Aug 19, 2009 14:40

It is time this sort of government sanctioned, ecological vandalism was highlighted. Both the ESB and Bord na Mona have talked a lot about ending their high impact energy generating activities but have taken no significant action that will make a difference. I have seen some footage from the Climate Camp and listened to local politicians speak the same tired old, myopic, cliche ridden excuses about patently unsustainable activity - having economic importance to the area. This is not acceptable anymore. The economics of destruction has no place in any right thinking government policy. In a few years this plant,and more like it, will have run out of raw material foto feed its belching behemoth but will also have destroyed local biodiversity and local ecosystems as well. People and politicians must realise, we cannot rely on pollution from short term, destructive activities to make progress. They should stop deluding themselves and start developing a future for their children based on sound ecological principles that support all lifeforms. Their is no such thing as "good pollution" nor we cannot continue to rely on pollution to generate economic return. It is an impossible proposition

A couple of pics

Wed Aug 19, 2009 18:13

Here's a couple of pics from Climate camp