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Summer 2008

Hosted by the Dún Laoghaire, Dublin South and Wicklow Green Party, the second GreenEnergy Fair will take place in the Tote building at Leopardstown Racecourse on Sunday 8thJune, from 11am until 6pm.Promising to be an action packed day, the Green Energy Fair will bring together a widerange of green companies under one roof.Whether you are involved in a new build or are interested in retrofitting your existing house,our exhibitors and speakers will offer solutions for future proofing against rising energycosts. Headline speakers for the talks and workshops include Duncan Stewart and DaviePhilips from Cultivate, as well as Ministers Eamon Ryan, John Gormley and myself.Come and view the latest products and get up to date information about making yourhome more energy efficient, cutting those heating bills and reducing your carbon footprint.Browse the great selection of stands showcasing organics, fair-trade, locally producedcrafts and food. A day for the whole family, the Green Energy Fair will have a dedicated children’s areaupstairs and a relaxing chill out area where homemade cakes and refreshments are sure to go down atreat! Admission is €5 with children and OAPs free.Leopardstown is close to both the 46A Bus route andSandyford Luas station. Plenty of free parking will alsobe available.

www.greenparty.ie/fair

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Minister For Communications, Energy & Natural Resources Eamon Ryan TD, Senator Deirdre De Burca& Deputy Ciaran Cuffe, publicising the Green Energy Fair

Georgeʼs Street Lower in Dún Laoghaire will nolonger be pedestrianised under a new trafficplan approved by Councillors at a DúnLaoghaire Area committee meeting last month.The proposal seeks to reintroduce trafficwestbound along Georgeʼs Street Lower,removing the priority for pedestrians, busesand cyclists.All the Green Party councillors were againstallowing cars back into the pedestrianisedareas of Dun Laoghaire at the meeting, arguingwe should be trying to get cars out of our towncentres and making them more pedestrianfriendly, rather than the other way around.Some concerns have been raised about thedownturn in commercial business in the area,but introducing yet more traffic is not the way toaddress this. It is footfall that gets people intoshops - not passing traffic. We must be the onlycountry in Europe removing pedestrianisationin a shopping area!The new proposals will also increase bus journey times and delay services by removingtheir priority along Georgeʼs Street Lower aswell as raising safety concerns by bringingtraffic and pedestrians into closer contact.

www.ciarancuffe.com/dunlaoghaire

Green Energy Fair

Sunday June 8th Leopardstown

Dún Laoghaire, Ballybrack, Blackrock,

Booterstown, Cabinteely, Carrickmines, Clonkeen, Corke Abbey, Dalkey,Deansgrange, Foxrock, Glasthule, Glenageary, Killiney, Kill O The Grange, Kilternan, Leopardstown, Loughlinstown, Mount MerrionAvenue, Monkstown, Mountown, Old Connacht, The Park, Rathmichael, Rathsallagh, Sallynoggin, Sandycove, Seapoint, Shankill.

www.CiaranCuffe.com

An end toCar-FreeDún Laoghaire ?

George's Street in Dún Laoghaire, without cars!

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Green Party Minister Eamon Ryan hasannounced the first phase a new energysaving grant scheme which will eventually see€100 million invested in improving the energyefficiency of Irish homes.The scheme will cover two-thirds of the costof a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessor tocome to a household and advise on whatworks need to be carried out. They maysuggest attic insulation, low emissionsdouble-glazing, heating control or, in somecases, replacement of the boiler. TheGovernment will then cover up to 30% of thecost of these works, to a maximum of €2,500.The current pilot scheme in North Tipperary,Limerick, Clare and Dundalk will be evaluatedto inform the roll-out of a full scale scheme in2009.It is worth remembering that you can stillapply for grants under the Greener HomesScheme. The Scheme provides assistance tohomeowners who intend to purchase a newrenewable energy heating system for eithernew or existing homes.www.sei.ie/greenerhomes

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Dún Laoghaire Rathdown CountyCouncil has commissioned twocostly plans for the coastlinebetween Dún Laoghaire andSandycove. These plans include,among other things, creating anartificial beach adjacent to the EastPier and surface car parking atNewtownsmith Green.Local councillor Gene Feigheryand I called a public meeting inApril to repeat the Green Partyʼscall for a modest development torestore the baths and protect themarine environment of ScotsmanʼsBay.Over a hundred residents gatheredin the Kingston Hotel andunanimously supported such amove. There was clear anger fromthe floor that the consultants haveproduced such costly, inappropriateand potentially damaging plans.It has been eight years since I firstcalled for a modest developmenton the baths site with a heatedswimming pool, a toddlerʼs pooland a café. Such a proposal neednot be more than two or threestoreys high and would be afantastic amenity for the people ofDún Laoghaire and beyond.

www.CiaranCuffe.com/DunLaoghaire

One of the proposals for the Baths sitecommissioned by Dún Laoghaire Rathdowncounty CouncilInsulting your attic is an easy way to improve the energy efficiency of your home

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Improving your Home's Energy Efficiency

DúnLaoghaireBaths andCoastalPlan

Ban on Junk FoodAdvertising on the Way

Proposals to restrict the advertising of junk food during children’s televisionprogrammes were recently included inthe Broadcasting Bill launched GreenParty Communications MinisterEamon Ryan.The bill will allow for a Children’s Advertising Code to specificallyprohibit the advertising of foods high infat, sugar or salt content. As a parentof young children, I’m well aware of thepower advertising can have on youngminds and I’m glad to see this longstanding Green Party policy come intoforce.

New IrishFilmChannel

Green Party Minister forCommunications has unveiled plansfor a new Irish Film Channel which willshow a mix of Irish, European andWorld cinema. It will be availablenationally as a free to air service andwill not carry any advertising. Thechannel will also provide an outlet forthe many high quality Irish films thathave been made over the years.

Changes to MotorTaxes

Changes to the way cars are taxed willcome into effect from July first. Thepurpose of the new emissions basedsystem is to encourage car owners toswitch to ‘greener cars’. Under thenew motor tax system, there will beseven bands with charges rangingfrom €100 a year for the greenest A-rated cars to €2,000 for cars with thehighest emissions rating.Vehicle Registration Tax will changefrom being based on engine size toCO2 emissions from 1 July 2008 for allnew cars bought in the state andimported from abroad.

www.ciarancuffe.com

Green Party Minister John Gormelyrecently allocated €3.75 million in 2008aimed at reducing graffiti in thecommunity.The initiative empowers communities tocombat graffiti by allowing local groupswho have the experience of working onenvironmental and community safetyissues to tackle the problem head-on.The scheme takes a broad look at theproblem by addressing the short-termproblems of removing graffiti and alsolooks at long-term preventative measuresthrough education and raising awareness.Funding will be available for communitywide initiatives designed to divert youngpeople from graffiti and offer themalternative outlets to express their creativity.The scheme brings the community togetherto tackle the damage caused by graffitithrough involving residents, local groupsand business owners. Funds will beavailable to buy graffiti cleaning kits and forlandscape design to reduce the targeting ofindividual sites. Any local groups (including tidy townsgroups) interested in applying for fundingunder the new Community GraffitiReduction Programme can apply from mid-May through Pobal, by calling 448 4876.www.CiaranCuffe.com/DunLaoghaire

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Anti Graffitifunding for your community

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Graffiti at Blackrock DART stationNoeleen Blackwell (FLAC), TDs Ciaran Cuffe, Róisín Shortall, Simon Coveney at the Front Line Awards

Front Line: Defending Human Rights

In April, I was honoured to be invited to the launch of the Front Line Award for Human RightsDefenders at Risk and to announce one of the nominees.Front Line is an international human rights organisation, founded in Dublin, with offices inBlackrock and Brussels. The organisation works to protect the lives of courageous peoplewho fight for human rights around the world, often in very difficult situations. They providepractical support to human rights defenders at risk, ensuring they are safe to continue their work protecting the rights of others.I was especially fortunate to be given a nominee working on environmental issues, Padre Andres Tamayo of Honduras. He is part of an environmental movement which protects localcommunities’rights to their natural resources and prevents the destruction of the rainforest.The Front Line Award aims to increase the profiles of these individuals which contributes totheir security and protection. It is also an opportunity to highlight the important andcourageous work of human rights defenders around the world.www.frontlinedefenders.org

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