With the great weather of the past week the work team managed to get proposed work done at the Ball Alley Lismore. A number of years ago the lower part of the wall here had been painted to discourage graffiti which was happening at the time and painting it did sort the problem out . However over the years the condition of the paint had deteriorated and that is where we came on board . Our new grant aided petrol power washer had its first outing on Wednesday of last week when it was used to wash down the wall in preparation for painting. A sincere thanks to Church Lane residents Jimmy and Patricia who provided the water supply on the day. The area then got two coats of paint..It is now ready for the some of the Transition Year Art students from Blackwater Community under the direction of their teacher Ms. Joanne Roche to paint a wall mural. We look forward to seeing the finished product. Thanks to our two CE workers Gordon and Jim who helped with washing and painting, our own member Liam Ahearne who was in charge of the delivery of the washer on site, organising the water supply and helping on the day. Tidy towns work team members Nora , Michael and Sean ensured that the work was completed to a high standard. Thanks also to GSS Waterford City & Co. Co. John Foley for his advice.
To create an awareness of the role of Lismore Tidy Towns in Lismore amongst younger people and their families we who have worked with the principal of Lismore Primary School Mr. David Corbett who drafted a Word Search on words associated and linked to tidy towns. It was great that this word search was graded to suit all of the different age groups in the school which meant that the whole school could participate from the youngest to the oldest. A draw was made for a student from each class to get a reward for taking part in the shape of Vouchers from Easons which were sponsored by Lismore Tidy Towns. The school also recently presented Lismore Tidy Towns with a container packed with beautiful flowers which has been placed under the Community Notice Board outside the Vault on West Street. The school students are taking total responsibility its watering , maintenance and renewal. Once again thank you to the school principal, staff and students of Bunscoil Bothar na Naomh.
A reminder again that one of our main fundraising activities is ongoing at the present time. A draw for two Easter Hampers will take place on Wednesday 17th April. Lines cost two euro each and can be bought in many business premises in Lismore. Please try and support us and rest assured that all money raised stays in the town
Waste not- A to Z guide to cutting down on plastics in the home. This week it is the turn of the letters G
•G is for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the word . It is located between Hawaii and California. This large area is covered with over 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic that weigh an estimated 80,000 tonnes. Those are really shocking figures
•G is for Greenpeace- the non governmental organisation formed in 1971 which now has 39 offices in different countries including Ireland. It focuses its campaigning on worldwide issues such as climate change, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering and anti-nuclear issues
A thank you to the representatives of various businesses in Lismore who attended a presentation organised by Lismore Tidy Towns at The Heritage Centre on Wednesday last the 13th March. To encourage those businesses who use plastic straws as part of the service that they offer to change to either biodegradable or compostable straws—- compostable is better– the tidy towns group presented those present with a box of 300 compostable straws.. The straws are made of corn starch and can be put in the food bin. Thanks to Mealla Fahey, Project Manager Lismore Heritage Centre and her staff for the hospitality on the day.
”Plastic a Solution” — an information evening with a a workshop element was held in Lismore on Wednesday last 6th March . This event was organised by Lismore Tidy Towns in association with Ms. Ella Ryan Environment Awareness Officer Waterford City& Co. Co.. Ms . Ryan facilitated the evening and made the presentation. All of those there on the night came away with thought provoking ideas on the reduction of single use plastics in our homes and why this is essential to this generation and for future ones. The facts that surprised many of us was the length of time that it takes plastic to break down. Drop a bottle of tomato ketchup on the floor and you will be thankful for polyethylene terephthalate or PET– the nearly indestructible plastic used to make most containers and bottles. In Ireland that bottle should go into the recycling bin but if it does not and ends up in a landfill you might have second thoughts . Why? because petroleum -based plastics like PET don’t break down in the same way that organic material does. Wood, grass and food scraps undergo a process known as biodegradation when they are buried which is another way of stating that they are transformed by bacteria in the soil into other useful compound. Bacteria however turn their noses up at plastic and will skip any meal made of plastic items. According to worldwide research carried out below are the estimated time for some everyday items that are all around us to decompose in landfill sites: