Some time ago, we posted an article outlining the benefits for householders in signing up for GreenHome, an An Taisce project which shows you how to make changes to your energy and utility usage patterns, saving you money while protecting the environment at the same time.
An Taisce informs us that 204 households have signed up under the “Wexford Tidy Towns” banner, we are very pleased to have introduced so many people to an easy way to keep money in their pockets, and do their bit for the environment.
Click on the link to go straight to the GreenHome sign-up page. Click on the “Pre green home survey” button on the right ( under My Account ). You’ll see 42 multi-choice options – for each one just click on the option most applicable to your own home ( there are ‘not sure’ and ‘not applicable’ options for all questions, so it really will take just a few minutes ). Remember to Select “Wexford” from the ‘Counties’ list and “Wexford Tidy Towns” from the Groups list.
GreenHome is an environmental programme that aims to support and direct householders as they take actions that reduce their impact on the environment while saving money on household bills. Any individual can visit the website here to become a member and learn about ways to save money, access current environmental information, see how ‘green’ their household is and enter competitions. Participants complete a simple survey at the beginning of the programme. This is followed by four action based themed household challenges to include: ‘Slim your bin’ waste reduction challenge; ‘Energy Vampire’ challenge to find out about ways to reduce energy use in the home; The ‘Water Wise’ challenge that helps householders to find out about ways to preserve and conserve water as a precious resource and ‘Travel Green’ challenge where householders learn about environmentally responsible travel options. The GreenHome team actively engage with participants though workshops and presentations and the programme has 4,000+ online members.
As of 2011, it has been agreed that the GreenHome programme is the “preferred option” to demonstrate waste minimisation, as part of the Tidy Towns competition. The Tidy Towns volunteers can join as a group and used to demonstrate waste prevention and minimisation.
So – if you are interested in saving money, protecting our environment, and boosting Wexford’s score in the Tidy Town’s Competition, please visit www.greenhome.ie, and register your household, community group or business as a member.
Each July Wexford town bursts forth in floral celebration. This is all thanks to the voluntary efforts of the Wexford in Bloom organisation. They organise flower baskets and boxes for businesses wanting to bring a splash of natural colour to their store fronts. Householders can also get in on the act. The price to businesses for baskets/window boxes, including bracket, watering for 16 weeks, plus feeding the cost, is €64. For people who had baskets/boxes last year and want to have them again this year, it will cost them €53 per basket/box. Wexford in Bloom volunteers will be calling around to businesses taking orders in the weeks ahead. Please participate if you can – you will be helping to make Wexford look even more attractive and welcoming.
There was also the opening, earlier this week, of the attractive new biodiversity-friendly “pocket” park on 1798 Street, an initiative spearheaded by Wexford Tidy Towns in association with Wexford Borough Council. This is the most visible result to date of the new Biodiversity Committee.
A beautifully designed new landscaped “garden” on Wexford’s 1798 Street has its official opening on Thursday, April 25 at 11.30am. The project, a collaborative effort involving Wexford Tidy Towns and Wexford Borough Council, transforms what was a very unloved space into something altogether different. Two spaces, on either side of the road, have been transformed, in a simple but effective way, with meandering pathways, carefully stocked flower-beds, shrubs, trees and wall trellises. Attractive seating will be installed shortly. The designers have given a serious nod to biodiversity in the choice of plants and the decision to leave wild strips along walls. The birds, bees and butterflies will be happy here! Overall, this is a clever use of a relatively small area. The hope is that this oasis of calm will be embraced by the local community and become a place to meet, chat and simply relax.
