KATE RYAN pays a visit to a student-led food pantry at UCC and meets some of those involved in the initiative to find out more about how it works. 

Residents in Newtown Court in Grange have saved around €1,000 a year by installing solar panels through a community‑led scheme — and the project has now inspired similar initiatives in estates across Cork

More than 400km of Cork's coastline is considered soft coastline described as vulnerable as it’s made up of beaches, mudflats and soil cliffs

Malcolm Byrne introduced a bill to the Dáil on Wednesday which would see Ireland join the Antarctic Treaty System

From targets to delivery, action is needed to solve Ireland’s retrofit challenge, says Youenn Lowry, Managing Director & Co-Founder, SE Systems

Two of the country’s leading beekeeping groups have announced a joint initiative to combat the threat of the deadly Asian hornet.

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash and Stowaways by Andre Aciman.

The infestation of sea lettuce on beaches and slipways in the region has worsened in recent summers, primarily due to nitrate fertiliser sweeping off the land into seas which are getting warmer

Sinn Féin’s deputy leader said only 17 projects have been completed in the decade Simon Harris has been in government.

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford and A Guardian And A Thief by Megha Majumdar.

Conservation ecologist Darren Reidy has been researching, gathering and banking native seeds across Ireland since his appointment in 2022.

The Tánaiste said the Government had ‘taken steps’ and would be ‘taking further steps’ to try and reduce energy prices.

Quagga mussels originate from Eastern Europe and can threaten native animals and plants.

Bluetongue was confirmed at a herd close to Bangor, Co Down, last week and there has been another suspected case on a farm close to Greyabbey.

As the industry faces an existential threat from the invasive Asian hornet, ADRIENNE ACTON talks to an expert beekeeper, and discovers what is being done to repel the invader

The EPA’s performance review found that six local authorities achieved high performance scores in 2024: Meath, Dublin City, South Dublin, Kildare, Fingal and Cork City councils.

The region is at risk of falling behind in terms of sustainable transport, a charity has warned.

Wind power generation in September 2025 totalled around 1,129 gigawatt-hours

If Dingle is Ireland’s ‘greenest place’, what about Cork’s ‘greenest community, greenest school and greenest garden?’ asks CATHERINE CONLON

The Stormont Environment Minister also appealed for the support of his ministerial colleague to tackle the issues facing the lough.

It is understood that the whale died prior to beaching, having already shown signs of decomposition at the time of its discovery on the beach.

A total of £800,000 has been awarded by the UK’s Space Agency to develop a remote sensor that predicts, detects and monitors blue-green algae.

The national agricultural exhibition is expected to draw up to a quarter of a million people

The nappy inserts are made from eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, cotton, and hemp.

The Social Democrats councillor for the Cork City South Central ward, Niamh O’Connor, has submitted a motion to the local authority regarding the issue, which she said has been placed on the agenda for September’s environment, water, and amenity strategic policy committee (SPC) meeting.

The money will go towards the maintenance and repair of the trail, which was in danger of closing.

Brittas Bay, Curracloe, Bundoran, Killiney, Strandhill, and Tramore were among the popular beaches to achieve clean status, alongside Portmarnock in Dublin

Lough Neagh Partnership chief Gerry Darby has urged action after describing the lough as the worst he has ever seen.

The current state of the lough blighted with blue-green algae has been described as an emergency.

The group said: “This is an area of great biodiversity and natural beauty, used as an amenity by locals.

Testing commissioned by Cork Fine Gael TD Colm Burke showed that samples taken from the stream “had microbiological results similar to the leachate from a septic tank” and were “at the highest level of contamination”.

In addition to funds for new infrastructure projects and the maintenance of trails on Coillte lands, this year an additional €1.4m is being provided for the repair of storm-damaged trails.

According to Dolf D’hondt, the evidence from environmentalists around the Irish coast is that the sprat population is in decline and this is having a knock-on impact on other fish species such as mackerel and pollock.

An Coimisiún Pleanála rejected the joint application by developers, Kelland Homes and Durkan Estates, to construct 655 new housing units on a 18.3-hectare site between Saggart and Citywest.

Stormont's Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins was speaking as she watched a training exercise with flood defences in central Belfast.

The councillor was speaking as investigations continued after the discovery on Thursday of up to 1500 dead fish in the Ballybrack River.

Re-turn, the operator of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), has announced that Ballinora Scout group, based in county Cork, has been named as a finalist in the ‘Small Town, Big Difference’ contest.

WEEE Ireland is calling for greater awareness of recycling electronic devices as consumption increases.

That is according to Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who has called on the EU Commission to clarify proposals that would force rental car companies to switch their entire feet to electric vehicles in a very short space of time.

Kerry is the county with the most blue flags, followed by Donegal

The number of pesticide exceedances in public drinking water supplies in Ireland has decreased by more than 50% since 2017.

A statutory maximum working temperature is among extreme-weather proposals being put forward by an Irish union.

Proceeds from the deposit return points will benefit Cobh Tidy Towns, Fota Wildlife Park, and Cobh Community Hospital.

The boss of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland says the benefits of repair and recycling are not accounted for in the targets.

Police have said they are using air support to survey the area for potential suspects and further wildfires.

A firefighting operation is expected to remain in place across Tuesday in the Bloody Bridge area.

EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, has welcomed the news, and said that nearshore works and ducting across the carpark should be completed shortly.

Supported by An Taisce, Tidy Towns, and Cork City and County Councils, the community clean up day is open to players, coaches, officials, and supporters of all ages.

The ECO-Unesco Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-Ireland programme that recognises the work of young people who have taken environmental action in their school or community and come up with creative solutions to solve environmental issues.

Reporter Concubhar Ó Liatháin recently spent some time in Brussels at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Here he looks at some of the issues discussed, and speaks to a Cork man who is set to take up a leadership role in a European Union body later this year.