CORK County Council is marking the European Sustainable Development Goals Week with a series of events focusing on climate action.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals to transform our world that have been adopted by all 193 members of the United Nations. Their objective is to create a better world, and a better life for all, by 2030.

The main event of Cork County Council’s promotion of the goals is the webinar ‘Let’s Talk About Climate Change’ in collaboration with the School of Applied Psychology and the Institute for the Social Sciences in the 21st century in UCC.

The 45-minute episode features American psychologist and expert climate communicator, Professor Mick Smyer; Liz Downes from Cork County Older Persons Council; Cork students Alannah Wrynne and Darragh Walsh, along with council representatives. The webinar and podcast is available on the council’s YouTube channel and Soundcloud page.

Events include a series of masterclasses run by the Local Enterprise Offices and UCC to help small enterprises understand environmental sustainability. The workshops get underway on Tuesday, October 18.

Cork County Council has published a collection of stories about climate change written by older citizens from Cork: Voices of Experience is an insight into how older people have experienced climate over their lifetime and their message to future generations. A free copy of the book can be collected to keep from the branch libraries. It is also available to download from the council website, to borrow from the libraries and to view on the libraries’ Borrowbox.

Other initiatives that tie in with the sustainable goals include plans to tackle period poverty, improve energy efficiency in homes, and reduce waste.

Free eco-friendly sanitary products are available across the council’s network of 25 libraries and four mobile libraries and energy saving kits are also available to borrow from Midleton, Macroom, Mallow, Bantry, Clonakilty and Mitchelstown libraries.