1.An Taisce: Compost for Nature
An Taisce’s brand newCompost for Natureguide is now available! For years, the garden and landscape industry has been selling us peat moss as “compost.” In reality, this is peat-moss that is nutrient-poor and bad for our peatlands. The good news is that there is another more sustainable way to nurture soil health, reduce waste, AND protect our peatlands – composting!
People are also becoming more aware and concerned about extreme weather events and biodiversity loss due to climate change. Growing and composting are practical actions for people to do their bit for biodiversity and nature. It also gives people a chance to connect more and be mindful of their consumption and waste.
This guide brings together essential information on why we need to stop using peat moss for gardening, and horticulture, and how we can compost at home and in our communities as an alternative. It’s a resource and tool for people wanting to compost at home, in community gardens, schools, and workplaces.
The guide will help you learn about:
The difference between peat and compost
What are bogs/peatlands and why they are important
Embracing soil as a living ecosystem
The five composting essentials
What can and cannot be composted
Troubleshooting composting bins or holding systems
… and much more
2.Pledge Your Garden for Pollinators
The National Biodiversity Data Centre, with support and funding from the Local Authority Heritage and Biodiversity Officers, are asking you to Pledge your Garden for Pollinators. They have produced a brochure to help explain what you can do in your garden.If you would like a copy of this leafletemailcorkheritage@corkcoco.ieor to download a copy go tohttps://pollinators.ie/
So many homeowners are beginning to see their gardens in a new light. They want to make their gardens more wildlife-friendly and contribute small patches of pollinator-friendly habitats to our landscape. In order to celebrate this, and to encourage more gardeners to follow suit, we are asking you to ‘pledge your garden for pollinators’, so that we can track the creation of these pollinator-friendly pitspots dotted across the island.
To help with this, we have produced a four-page brochure to help to explain this concept, and were delighted to get support from the Heritage and Biodiversity Officer network to produce this simple guide, beautifully illustrated by Aga Grandowicz.
This brochure explains how anyone can make any garden – big or small – more pollinator-friendly. By taking simplesteps in your garden, you will help to provide much-neededfood and shelter for our pollinating insects,while at the same time creating a beautiful, colourful garden for you and your family to enjoy.
According to Dearbhala Ledwidge, Kilkenny County Council Heritage Officer and Chair of the Local Authority Pollinator Tidy Towns Award Committee: “Local Authority Heritage Officers and Biodiversity Officers are delighted to support and fund the design and illustration of the ‘Pledge your Garden for Pollinators’ brochure. We hope that lots of people join in and take the garden pledge. Small actions by lots of people can have a big impact in protecting and caring for Ireland’s biodiversity and pollinators.”
– National Biodiversity Data Centre
