October 2006 NUI Galway to Host Biodiversity Workshop

NUI Galway will host a workshop entitled, 'Building a Biodiverse Galway: Practical, Social, and Environmental Considerations', on Wednesday 18 October, from 9am – 1pm. Five experts will discuss the planning and building aspects, and the human and environmental importance, of sustainable living and maintaining biodiversity in Galway City. The morning promises to be lively and informative, admission is free and open to all, but participants need to register in advance by emailing sarah.knight@nuigalway.ie. The event will take place at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), The Orbsen Building, NUI Galway.

Sarah Knight, Communications and Outreach Officer, ECI, NUI Galway commented: "Galway is growing rapidly, but we must ask whether we are creating a city we will want to live in. Recent years have seen a rapid rate of change from rural to urban land use in Galway city, but at the expense of our natural landscape. The social and environmental benefits of preserving some of the amazing biodiversity in Galway city are often overshadowed in the push to build to meet population demand".

'Building a Biodiverse Galway: Practical, Social, and Environmental Considerations'will feature the following speakers and topics:

• 'The social consequences of not considering a whole system approach to waste management', with Dr. Niamh Clune, Social Entrepreneur.
• 'How planners can incorporate natural landscapes', with Hendrik W. van der Kamp, Town Planner & President of the Irish Planning Institute.
• 'Building a green home in Ireland: design and materials', with Doug Johnson, Advocate of Alternative and Sustainable Technologies.
• 'Construction activities and their impact on the environment and communities', with Gerry Carty, Director, RPS Consulting Engineers, Galway.
• 'Community-derived green mapping in Galway city', with Dr. Frances Fahy, Department of Geography, NUI Galway.

For members of Engineers Ireland, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points for participation in this workshop are available.

The workshop takes place during the annual Biodiversity Week for Galway City, 'Go Wild in the City!', which has been initiated to further the awareness of the wealth of biodiversity in the city, by the Habitats Sub-Group of the Galway City Development Board's Natural Environment and Waterways Mechanism. As well as the general promotion of public awareness of environmental issues in the city, the second main objective of this week is to provide a platform for informative interactions between city council staff, planners, developers, environmental researchers and campaigners, and interested members of the public, on the subjects of sustainable development and biodiversity in the city.

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