2. guested.section
W
hen I was asked to
act as guest editor
my first instinct
was to look to the
people that are
working in one way or another in a
range of environmental decision-
making processes. The articles that
follow highlight a few of the many
examples of the public partici-
pating in protecting or promoting
the welbeing of the environment for
themselves and for the rest of the
living systems, plants, animals and
their habitats on which we rely for
our wellbeing.
At a meeting of the Parties to the
Aarhus Convention1
, where some
150 Environmental NGOs (Non
Government Organisations) from 41
countries were represented, it soon
became apparent that despite the
many flaws in our systems of partici-
patory democracy, we are living in
clover compared with the inhabit-
ants of countries like Ukraine and
Turkmenistan.
So, apart from the need to
assert our rights to take part in the
decisions that affect us and our
environment, we also have a duty
to our brothers and sisters in many
parts of the planet who are trying to
assert theirs. We need to ensure that
we provide a shining light of good
practice in the whole area of partici-
patory democracy.
In the preamble to the Aarhus
Convention there are two particu-
larly pertinent statements that
represent the cornerstones of
Sustainable Development:
“every person has the right
to live in an environment
adequate to his or her health
and well-being”
“every person has the duty,
both individually and in asso-
ciation with others, to protect
and improve the environment
for the benefit of present and
future generations”
The need for reliable understand-
able information that is easy to access
is fundamental both to engaging the
public and to good decision-making.
One successful project that provides
independent accurate information
is Planning Matters Ltd. This is a
resource that developed out of the
coming together of a group of indi-
viduals frustrated by the vagaries
of the planning system. This acorn
could become a powerful oak given
a bit of financial support, enabling
a telephone service for those not on
the internet.
The Team
The involvement of a large group
of environmental NGOs, working
together with the assistance of a
skilled facilitator, towards the multi-
layered implementation of the Water
Framework Directive, is described
by Sinead O’Brien of SWAN.
However as Vincent Carragher
points out, even in small communi-
10 The Local Planet 12 Summer 2008
guest editor section
Michael is Senior Researcher at
the Centre for Sustainability, IT
Sligo and for the last two years
has been assessing public access
to information, participation
and justice in relation to
environmental decision-making.
www.environmentaldemocracy.ie
3. So, apart from the need to assert
our rights, . . . we also have a duty
to our brothers and sisters in many
parts of the planet who are trying
to assert theirs.
“”
ties decision-making is complex and
human relationships equally so, but
when the ideas come from within a
community they take a much firmer
hold that when they are imposed.
Mark Garavan describes how the
cultural language of participants is
so easily lost in the techno-legalistic
processes that deny emotional and
visceral knowledge.
The engagement of the public in
decision-making is a complex and
often messy business that requires
a whole new skill set that is often
absent from those that manage the
processes and those attempting
to take part. The development of
dialogue planning and facilitation
skills is essential for effective engage-
ments between “public authorities”
and those that they serve.
Paula Brudell’s description of
the negative impact of “regenera-
tion” on inner city Dublin commu-
nities contrasts strongly with the
description in the Article by Nick
Wates of how such processes could
be enriching and empowering for
communities.
Many are unaware of of the role
of the Community Fora, described
here by Howard Preston. This is a
potentially very important channel
of involvement in the decisions that
The Local Planet 12 Summer 2008 11
impinge directly on us and it is open
to anyone.
It isn’t everyone who wants to
get involved in decision-making,
but Karin Dubsky has developed a
European network of individuals and
groups that “own “ their own strip of
coastline and keep a good eye on it,
keeping records and acting to prevent
harm to the precious ecosystems that
make up our shores.
The opportunities for getting your
hands dirty and owning your place
on this planet are many. We all have
rights, but if you want to do your
duty you could start by contacting
the Irish Environmental Network
at 10A Lower Camden St, Dublin
2. Tel 01 4054834. Email bridget@
eengosec.ie
guest editor section
Planning the future together.
1. The Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/
4. A
t the end of any community
planning activity – a
workshop, exhibition or
townmeetingforinstance–
it is good practice to ask participants
whether they thought it worthwhile.
Mostly the results will be very
positive – because practitioners have
got good at making such activity
enjoyable, and getting involved
in planning the future of one’s
community is inherently interesting.
Comments such as “more such
events should be held”, “it showed
that consultation really can work”
and “it was great to have all the
people involved in the issue at the
same place at the same time” are
typical.
But the long term picture may
not be so rosy. Ask the same people
the same question a year later and
the activity’s value may not be so
apparant.
“Not heard anything more about
it”, “Whatever happened to that
project?” and
“What a waste of time that was”
are likely to be more common
responses.
Most depressing, people are likely
to be cynical about taking part in any
future similar activities. The official
jargon for this is ‘consultation
fatigue’. But it is really just fatigue
from bad consultation; consultation
which is not part of a coherent
strategy and not followed up so that
people feel, probably correctly, that
nothing has been achieved by their
effort.
There is no longer any excuse for
this. A wealth of experience and good
practice material now exists. General
principles have been identified
which apply universally. And there is
an ever-expanding menu of methods
for engaging people in planning
and design: new ways of people
interacting; new types of event; new
support frameworks.
But the key to success is to select an
appropriate sequence of methods to
form a coherent overall strategy for
any specific situation a community
faces.
Although involving people
may be seen as a ‘good thing’ in
itself as part of a move towards
more participatory democracy,
themainobjectivewillnormally
be something practical –
creating a masterplan to guide
development in an area; finding
the best uses for a particular
plot of land or building; making
local transport more sustain-
able.
It will always be difficult to
work out the best approach in any
particular situation. There are no
blueprints and every community
has to think it through for itself. But
there are an increasing number of
practical tools to help with this and
people with experience to advise on
their use.
A growing body of case study
material from successful projects
demonstrates that where the process
is organized well, local communities
can be fully involved in even highly
complex planning issues with
ensuing huge benefits in terms of
the quality of the end product and in
citizen morale.
Some general principles of
community planning:
Involve all sections of the
community
People of different ages, gender,
backgrounds and cultures almost
invariably have different perspec-
tives. Ensure that a full spectrum
of the community is involved. This
is usually far more important than
involving large numbers.
Work on location
Wherever possible, base
community planning activities phys-
ically in the area being planned. This
makes it much easier for everyone
to bridge the gap from concept to
reality.
Visualise
People can participate far more
effectivelyifinformationispresented
visually rather than in words. A
12 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
PLANNING-Gettingt
By Nick Wates
. . the key to success is to select an
appropriate sequence of methods
to form a coherent overall
strategy for any specific situation a
community faces.
“”
community
guested.section
Nick Wates is a community
planning consultant, author
of “The Community Planning
Handbook” (Earthscan,
2000) and site editor of www.
communityplanning.net. His
new book “The Community
Planning Event Manual” is to
be published by Earthscan this
summer.
5. great deal of poor development, and
hostility to good development, is due
to people not understanding what it
will look like. Use graphics, maps,
illustrations, cartoons, drawings,
photomontagesandmodelswherever
possible. And make the process itself
visible by using flipcharts, Post-it
notes, coloured dots and banners.
Communicate
Useallavailablemediatoletpeople
know what you are doing and how
they can get involved. Community
newspapers or broadsheets
and, increasingly, websites are
invaluable. Information provision
is a vital element of all participatory
activities
Spend money
Effective participation processes
take time and energy. There are
methods to suit a range of budgets
and much can be achieved using only
people’s time and energy. But over-
tight budgets usually lead to cutting
corners and poor results. Remember
that community planning is an
important activity, the success or
failure of which may have dramatic
implicationsforfuturegenerationsas
well as your own resources. The costs
of building the wrong thing in the
wrong place can be astronomical and
make the cost of proper community
planning pale into insignificance.
Budget generously.
Build local capacity
Long-term community
sustainability depends on developing
human and social capital. Take every
opportunity to develop local skills
and capacity. Involve local people
in surveying their own situation,
running their own programmes
and managing local assets. Help
people to understand how planning
processes work and how they can
be influenced. Communications and
cultural activities are particularly
effective at building capacity.
Follow up
Lack of follow-up is the most
common failing, usually due to
a failure to plan and budget for
it. Make sure you set aside time
and resources for documenting,
publicising and acting on the
results of any community planning
initiative.
Mixture of methods
Use a variety of involvement
methods as different people will
want to take part in different ways.
For instance, some will be happy to
write letters, others will prefer to
make comments at an exhibition or
take part in workshop sessions.
Local ownership of the
process
The community planning process
should be ‘owned’ by local people.
Even though consultants or national
organisations may be providing
advice and taking responsibility for
certainactivities,thelocalcommunity
should take responsibility for the
overall process.
Plan your own process
carefully
Careful planning of the process
is vital. Avoid rushing into any one
approach. Look at alternatives.
Design a process to suit the
circumstances. This may well involve
combining a range of methods or
devising new ones. Mulling is one of
the most valuable tools of a process
planner.
Further information
The Community Planning Website
www.communityplanning.net
managed by Nick Wates is a good
starting point and has links to other
online and offline resources.
theProcessRight
community
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 13
6. C
oastwatch Europe
is a network of
environmental and
educational groups
across Europe which
cooperates on the Coastwatch
Europe survey and share a goal
– informed public participation
in environmental protection and
management, especially in the
coastal zone.
The survey:
The original survey designed
by the author in 1987 was a basic
eco-audit of the shore – a systematic
way for people from all walks of life
to look at their shore from water
to hinterland. Each survey unit
covers ~ 500 m of shore. Coastal
terminology is used, but explained.
Surveyors complete a questionnaire
while out on the shore - including
detail on sediment, inflows (pipes,
streams etc), litter and oil pollution,
as well as select seaweeds, plants
and animals. Where possible,
water quality test kits are provided.
Surveyor knowledge is included
e.g. their information on coastal
protection and imminent threats is
also included.
Dataisreturned,fedintocomputer
and analysed so that volunteers can
see their own results in context of
the bigger picture – like a piece in
a jigsaw.
As the Coastwatch network grew
from Irish roots to more and more
European countries - survey result
patterns and links to environmental
policy began to jump out. Countries
where a deposit and return on
drinks containers was law reported
very few drinks cans on the shore.
Coastwatch coordinators joined
together to tackle common problems
14 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
Coastwatch
energy
People Protecting
the Coastal Ecosystems
guested.section
Karin has fired enthusiasm into
the hearts of people up and down
the coastal areas of Europe, and
in so doing has created a network
of local volunteer “experts” who
monitor their locality and when
necessary take action to protect
it. Karen is the coordinator of
Coastwatch.
By Karin Dubsky
7. like high nutrient concentration or
oil in inflows. While annual autumn
surveys are just snapshots, repeat
surveys created time lines – e.g.
nitrate levels of inflows in an area
changing over the years.
Results were published nationally
inthemediaandgiventotherelevant
authorities with recommendations.
Result meetings and Coastwatch
reports ensured direct feedback to
surveyors and lead into follow up
action. Often survey results provide
information where there was little
existing data. OSPAR and the EEA
use this data in their environment
reports.
Facilitating Public
Participation:
If a volunteer has participated in
the survey, it becomes ‘his shore’.
Between having own data to quote,
feeling emotionally motivated and
knowing the vocabulary and links
to law, comments on development
proposals are more likely.
Apart from presenting results on
paper, it can be used in plays, art
and debates.
So to conclude, ‘coastwatching’
is building an information base
with local volunteer effort, which
is networked and coordinated
across Europe. It is setting out
to be balanced – every 500m of
shore has same value to start with,
questions try to encourage scientific
‘neutral’ data return and In result
reports legal standards and other
information help surveyors to
assess how ‘normal’ and ‘legal’ the
local shore is.
In the context of the Aarhus
Convention, Coastwatch provides
a coordinated gathering and
exchange of information, it is made
up of individuals that take part in
deciding what happens to the coastal
ecosystems and finally Coastwatch
has teeth and has used them in High
court cases, where major bodies have
been taken on. It should be noted
that the advantage of winning in
court goes beyond the case. It creates
respect and that leads to negotiation
or a quicker response next time, and
makes it clear to other bodies that
they are being monitored by the
people that make up this wonderful
network.
Follow up Action:
Internationalanappetiteforfollow
up action started: a lobby against six
pack holders as bird traps resulted
in Hi- cone as largest producer
switching to biodegradable forms
while in several countries paper
versions were introduced. In Ireland
the plastic bag count on the shore
which was rising every year, was the
only independent indicator of the
serious litter problem. Coastwatch
was involved in negotiating the
tax on plastic bags. A lasting very
significant drop in plastic bag
litter resulted. Problems of drains
overflowing as bags formed plugs
have dwindled.
The international steering group
made up of Coastwatchers from all
23 participating countries felt that
the focus on litter was detracting
attention from unsustainable coastal
development and biodiversity loss.
While contained in the survey, most
biodiversity data was too unreliable
from cross checks to be useful. A
Cola can is easy to spot, a lugworm
or Zostera bed needs both ID skills
and habitat knowledge. We needed
more training for our surveyors.
Training requires time and money.
The work and countries then split
along 3 lines: 1. national follow
up action to deal with the issues
raised in the surveys; 2. continued
surveys; and 3. survey off springs, to
focus on special interests or shadow
(inter)national environment policy.
Several countries experimented
with a new biodiversity survey. This
summer and autumn it will be rolled
out internationally with a climate
change section.
If you want to become involved
see www.coastwatch.org
Countries where a deposit and
return on drinks containers was
law reported very few drinks cans
on the shore.!
“”
energy
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 15
8. guested.section
A
re the interests of
working-class commu-
nities served by urban
renewal and regenera-
tion programmes? This
question is posed in the face of a very
powerful consensus which asserts
that the interests of the property
development sector are synony-
mous with the public good. Despite
growing evidence about the regres-
sive distributional impact of urban
renewal programmes, state inter-
ventions in the areas of planning
and housing remain couched in an
entirely positive, progressive and
very powerful rhetoric that brooks
no opposition.
This question is posed in respect
of inner-city communities in general
and the Liberties area of Dublin’s
inner city in particular. The Liberties
is one of the most historic quarters
of the capital city. It is also an area
that has been the target of successive
renewalandregenerationpoliciesand
programmes and one that has come
to occupy a particular significance
in the spectrum of engagements
between local authorities and
communities. This follows a much
documented conflict between
the local authority and delegated
community representatives in
relation to many socio-economic
failures and planning contraventions
within the recent Liberties/Coombe
Integrated Area Plan (IAP).
The concerns of some community
representatives within this renewal
plan were so grave that they were
left with no alternative but to
resign from the IAP Monitoring
Committee. However, the absence
of any alternative forum outside the
state’s official channels within which
they could reconvene meant that
those critical voices had effectively
been silenced. Their resignation
was greeted with an uneasy silence
on the part of council officials. The
surrounding inner-city community
presented a similarly silent and
quiescent front to the outside
world as the implementation of the
IAP continued unimpeded to its
conclusion.
As the last urban renewal plan
gives way to a new and more
ambitious regeneration plan to be
‘kick-started’ by the sale of public
16 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
By Paula Brudell
If they maintain a position
‘unpopular with power holders in
local government’ they risk being
defined and derided as reactionary,
irrational and unreasonable . .
“”
Traders in the
old Iveagh
Market,
Francis St,
Dublin.
Photo: St.
Nicolas of
Myra Heritage
Centre,
Dublin.
energy
Paula wrote this article as
part of a PhD funded by the
Irish Research Council for the
Humanities and Social Sciences.
She has worked extensively as
a researcher and policy analyst
with inner-city communities
engaging with urban renewal
programmes.
9. lands, it now appears as if that
quiescence may have been more
apparent than real. The community
consultation and planning process
initiated in advance of the new
Liberties Regeneration Project has
provided a rare public opportunity to
ascertain the community’s position
on the kind of renewal and large-
scale development that has been
taking place across the Liberties over
the past decade. It has also provided
a rare insight into the extent of that
community’s anger.
In the first place, it is interesting
to note that the rhetoric of urban
renewal does not appear to hold
any currency among the host
communities. They instead speak
quite simply of bad planning
and inappropriate, excessive and
fragmented development. Despite
attempts to structure community
contributions under the three
headings of ‘Problems’ ‘Dreams’
and ‘Solutions,’ participants in
the neighbourhood consultation
meetings have repeatedly returned
to trenchant criticisms of the local
authority’s past behaviour in the
context of planning, planning
enforcement and the carte blanche
that developers appear to have
enjoyed throughout the quarter.
At a time when Dublin City Council
is again seeking to persuade this
inner-city community of its stake
in this most recent regeneration
process, the one point on which
community participants appear to
have clarity is that the future of the
area and any influence that might be
exercised over its future development
is vested in the ownership of the
land. This point is accompanied by
an acute sense of the vulnerability
of those living in local authority
housing on public land.
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 17
This article is concerned with
the difficulties and dilemmas
confronting this inner-city
community in this newest
regeneration process. On the one
hand it approaches the process
with an unmistakeable degree
of clarity about the real private-
sector interests at stake in past
regeneration plans. It is also, in
some cases, armed by the very
hard lessons learnt from the
series of public-private housing
regenerations hanging in the
balance across the city.
It derives from the naive
obsession among council officers
and their political masters that it
is entirely feasible to ground the
process of urban regeneration
entirely on a market basis, thereby
failing to recognise that the
market system is ever susceptible
to booms and slumps, which
become reflected in the intensity
of development activity.3
On the other hand, it approaches
an elaborately-constructed
consultation process in which
the familiar panoply of powerful
public and private-sector interests
are assembled and clearly
intent on proceeding with their
‘regeneration’ plans irrespective
of whether or not communities elect
to engage – a regeneration plan in
which the future of a number of social
housing estates is being considered
and one in which the opposition of
working-class communities can be
construed as a barrier to the ‘public
good.’
If, in the final analysis, working-
class communities judge the
new regeneration project to be
detrimental to their interests, they
confront a fundamental political
dilemma. If they maintain a position
‘unpopular with power holders in
local government’ they risk being
defined and derided as reactionary,
irrational and unreasonable –
indeed, as standing in the way
of beneficial upgrading of their
community. Alternatively, if they
moderate their interests and their
views in the interests of participating
in the process, they may be obliged
to ‘relinquish some basic principles
or beliefs’1 – or perhaps, in this
instance, the very land in which
the future of this working-class
community is vested.
energy
10. guested.section
A
g r e a t p u z z l e
and frustration
for committed
environmentalists is
why doesn’t everyone
else see the world
as they see it. Surely the data and
scientific information is clear? Are we
not heading inexorably for ecological
crisis? We have the numbers.
Why doesn’t everyone want to do
something about it?
We often think that public debate
is like a conversation between two
people. Indeed, one often hears
nowadays references to ‘national
conversations.’ This assumes that
each side has their own point of view,
can express it clearly, can provide
evidence and is closely listened to.
The winner is the one with the better
argument.
In fact, making sense in this way
in public debate is very difficult.
One of the reasons is that our way
of seeing the world and our values
and preferences are grounded, at
least in part, in emotive and visceral
reactions. These can be difficult to
put into words or, at least, put into
words in such a way that they make
sense to others.
But there are many other
constraints to making sense as well.
Each of us has our own perceptions
of our self-interest which often
determine our responses to someone
else’s proposals or positions. Other
factors which inhibit our capacity to
make sense to another, or make sense
of another, include the characteristics
of the culture within which we exist.
Each culture will have a whole series
of dominant myths, assumptions and
worldviews. For example, the myth
of ‘progress’ in our culture might be
such that any suggestion that we halt
progress or reorient may simply and
genuinely make no sense.
The setting within which the
argument occurs will also be hugely
influential. Every setting will
contain its own social, institutional
and political conventions and rules
which limit and direct the type of
debate that can be had. Thus, if we
are determining an issue before a
local authority or An Bord Pleanála
we are likely to be focused on specific
‘land-use’ issues rather than debating
the difference between the intrinsic
value of land and its instrumental
value. While such a debate may be of
interest, it will not be of relevance.
There are many other factors as
well which need not be mentioned.
However, the point is that making
sense is not straightforward and
involves a considerable cultural and
rhetorical endeavour. Hence the
reason for much green frustration.
Let us take as an example the
Corrib gas dispute. What is it about?
Is it about health and safety, or the
environment, or defending natural
resources, or globalisation, or
capitalism, or development? Much
depends precisely on the suite of
factors that I noted above – your
interests, your culture, your social
and political perspective. In the book
‘The Rossport Five – Our Story’
Willie Corduff, one of the local men
who went to prison in 2005, when
asked directly why he opposed
Shell’s gas refinery project in Mayo,
answered:
I was born and reared on this
farm. It’s memories that are making
us do what we are doing. My father
came here in 1947. The place then
was pure bog with a fallen-down
house. The memories we have are of
the way we were brought up. Hard
times. They’re the memories you
have and the memories you have to
keep. To see someone coming in now
and trying to destroy it, as Shell is
doing, it kills you. Our footsteps are
around the place since we were able
to walk. There are memories of our
fathers and mothers and how hard
they worked to bring us up. This was
all bog land. It all had to be reclaimed
by hand. Doing corners by spade and
shaking a bit of their own seed that
the cows had left after them in the
shed. It wasn’t that they went out
and bought seed for they couldn’t
afford to go out and buy seed. They
gathered up the seed that was left
after the cow had eaten. They shook
it in a corner every year to make
it green. That’s the reality. It’s all
memories. You cannot let them die
(Garavan ed. 2006: 15).
What ‘sense’ does this make? How
can this extraordinary answer be put
into any of the discursive categories
available in our contemporary
decision-making processes? While
Corduff’s answer can be expressed,
and while it is entirely ‘rational’,
employing a mode of reasoning
and making sense perfectly
understandable within his cultural
setting, it does not make sense in
terms of formal public decision-
making.
That this is so is a measure of what
we are losing in our public debates.
It seems clear that we have as yet no
language to capture ecological modes
of thinking that makes widespread
sense within the wider cultural and
institutional setting of our society.
18 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
HowtoTalkGreen
andStillMakeSenseBy Mark Garavan
It seems clear that we
have as yet no language
to capture ecological
modes of thinking that
makes widespread sense
within the wider cultural
and institutional setting
of our society.
“”
energy
Mark is a Lecturer at the Galway
Mayo Institute of Technology
and has acted as spokesman for
the “Rossport Five”.
11. Why Community Fora?
T
he establishment of
Community Fora was
one of several proposals
for restructuring local
government contained
in the Report of the Task Force on
the Integration of Local Government
and Local Development Systems
(1998). In the context of sustainable
development the Task Force Report
was important as it set out the
principles for local governance
consistent with Agenda 21, the
programme for action to be taken
into the twenty-first century, agreed
at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
The Task Force proposals led
to the creation of a new model
for local governance based on a
social partnership - the County
City Development Boards. Local
communities were given a voice by
Community Fora who provided the
community representatives to sit on
these Boards.
Today there are thirty four
Community Fora nationally. They
have been providing community
representatives onto Development
Boards and Strategic Policy
Committees of local authorities,
and in most cases a range of other
local development bodies as well, for
seven or more years. The Fora are
statutorily recognised and funded by
the Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government
(DEHLG) and are considered as part
of the system of local government.
Experience to Date?
In terms of fulfilling their potential
as the voice for the community sector
the experience of Community Fora
has been mixed. Clearly the presence
of community representatives on
local decision making bodies is
a positive. It has formalised the
interface between local government
and the communities it serves, and
has strengthened the legitimacy of
the social partnership process by
enabling more extensive dialogue
between the different stakeholders.
Community Fora have certainly
given voice and some solidarity to
a sector of society which was, and
continues to be, fragmented and
under resourced. Consequently the
Fora have enabled better quality
inputs into the formulation and
delivery of local development
strategies than would have been the
case otherwise.
Fora also play an important
role in providing information to
communities, both in terms of
CommunityForum
PeoplePowerorTalkingShop?
By Howard Preston
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 19
proactive positions. Community
representatives need adequate back
up in areas such as research and
analysis of policy implications if they
are to operate effectively as well as
to put them on a more equal footing
with their social partners. They must
ensure also that their own structures
and process operate according to
models of best practice.
In order to address these issues
and develop and maintain their
role, particularly in light of the
establishment of new integrated local
development companies nationally,
Fora must be adequately resourced in
a consistent and sustained way - as a
minimum each Forum needs at least
one full time employee to develop
and coordinate its work. Whilst many
local authorities provide support to
Fora in the form of funding or access
to office facilities etc, the annual
allocation from DEHLG clearly
needs to be substantially increased
if Government is truly serious about
facilitating active citizenship and
addressing deficits in participation.
energy
Howard Preston is Devel-
opment Worker with the
two Community Fora in Co
Roscommon. He has extensive
experience of supporting
local and community develop-
ment programmes and projects,
particularly those aimed at
addressing disadvantage. He
also has a special interest in the
development of social enterprises
and the social economy.
feedback from representatives
on issues of local concern, as
well as ensuring that up to date
information is available on other
matters of importance for the
sector. Importantly the greater
interconnectedness arising both
within the sector and with the
other social partners has resulted
in significant social capital gains for
communities.
On the negative side concerns
have been expressed about who
Community Fora actually represent
and how they operate. Generally the
membership is very heterogeneous
and there are significant numbers
of groups and organisations who
do not join their local Community
Forum, calling into question the
validity of the Forum’s mandate.
Furthermore there are instances
where the standards of governance of
Fora in terms of their transparency
and accountability have been below
acceptable levels.
Many Fora have not really engaged
in the development of policy in
relation to the themes of the various
local authority structures on which
they are represented. Consequently it
is not clear whether views articulated
by community representatives on
committees or board’s represent
their own position or a consensus
position.
However many of the capacity
shortcomings of Fora are
symptomatic of their under-
resourcing by Government. 1.27m is
committed annually to support Fora
and this is distributed by DEHLG
according to the populations of local
authority areas. If averaged this
represents an allocation of €37,350
per Forum to cover representatives’
expenses, overheads, and in some
cases, employment costs annually.
What Future?
If Community Fora are to have
a purposeful role to play in local
governance and the LA21 process,
there are a number of key issues
which must be addressed.
Fora need to develop their
own policy agendas so that they
can move from reactive to more
12. guested.section
M
ostnaturalremedies
used in Ireland are
not indigenous.
Many have limited
scientific evidence
of efficacy, some can be very harmful
if misused and yet western countries
have recently seen a rise in their use
rivalling with our primary source of
care. It is not just a trend in the use of
natural remedies such as Traditional
Chinese Medicine (TCM) but it
encompasses all Complementary and
Alternative Medicines (CAM).
The range of reasons for turning to
complementary therapies is complex
but some studies have pointed
towards the relationship with the
source of care: lack of efficient
communication and trust with
the GP is one of the main reasons
whereas patients may feel that
CAM practitioners listen better. It
is striking to note that people’s own
health and well being is influenced
originally by this relationship,
and that this relationship with the
practitioner is more important than
the competency of the source of care,
or the proven efficacy, safety or cost
of treatment.
Conventional treatments available
on prescription or even over the
counter bear the necessary and
regulated information to guarantee
composition, safety and efficacy.
Following regulations is a time
consuming and expensive but yet
a necessary process and natural
remedies have eluded the process
until now.
There has been some report of
heavy metal contamination in TCM
products and poorly processed
products may also contain toxic plant
constituents. Misuse of renowned
products has also lead to serious
side effects. Regulation on natural
remedies amending pharmaceutical
products is now being implemented.
However, the regulation is weak
in comparison to pharmaceutical
products for a few reasons. Awaiting
scientific evidence of efficacy and
safety, products may be allowed on
the market based on empirical data
which does not necessarily justify its
use for certain medical conditions. It
does not mean there are no long term
side effects, as these may depend
on many unassessed variables that
may not even be documented. In
the same manner conventional
medicine should not ignore potential
alternatives of treatment. Thus
more research should be carried
out to determine efficacy, safety and
mechanisms of action of CAMs. The
existing evidence of both safety and
efficacy should not be ignored either
by CAM practitioners who have a
duty to inform patients. They must
remember that behind the debate
about safety and efficacy lies the
foundation of Medicine with the
Socratic oath “first, do no harm”. On
that basis, empirical data is needed
at least to show adequate safety
levels.
The most important issue with
the legislation is that products do
not have to comply as long as no
therapeutic claims are made. This is
where the danger lies. Manufacturers
of such products do not have to
claim therapeutic benefits and thus
do not have to determine quality,
efficacy or safety since CAM use is
usually greatly influenced by word
of mouth. These products may
be falsely renowned in the family
or friends circles and may lead to
misuse. Furthermore, there is a
certain type of language associated
with claims. Vague terms such
“re-energising”, “vitality boosting”,
“body cleansing” etc are commonly
and inappropriately employed.
Under established principles of
Medicine, a therapeutic product
should have a known mode of action
for a specific medical condition
with an adequate safe and effective
20 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
NaturalRemed
makinganinformedcBy Julien Thibault
The most important issue with
the legislation is that products do
not have to comply as long as no
therapeutic claims are made. This
is where the danger lies.
“”
energy
Julien’s research focuses on
the antibacterial properties of
essential oils and the contribu-
tion of their many constituents,
on their own or in combina-
tion (synergistic effect) to these
properties. The first step is to
establish the nature and dosage
for effective eradication of
skin microbes, and the next is
to assess the skin toxicity and
to develop stable formulations
that maintain safety and effec-
tiveness throughout their shelf
life.
13. dies
choice
dosage established. The above terms
appear to be therapeutic claims
for the consumer whilst having no
medical foundation.
The attraction for these products
is perhaps due to the natural theme
surrounding them where consumers
may wrongly assume that “natural”
means “safe and effective” and
may also be a politically motivated
consumerism. However the cost
of conventional products is largely
caused by the need to prove and
maintain quality, efficacy and safety.
In this capitalist world of ours, the
sustainability of the economy and
thus society is guaranteed through
profit: pharmaceutical corporations
as well as natural products
manufacturers or suppliers are
bound under the same rule however
philanthropic the task of improving
one’s health or wellbeing is.
It is interesting to note that
the expenditure on treatment
and numbers of visits to CAM
practitioners in the US and UK is
similar to that for conventional
medicine. What studies have outlined
is that patients partly turn to CAM
in order to treat chronic conditions
because they were not satisfied with
conventional treatments. Seeking
well being is also becoming a more
“active” process as patients may
feel empowered in the choices they
have and in the way they are being
treated: the typical CAM consumer
has obtained a third level education.
Natural products are a valid
alternative to complement
conventional treatments but
practitioners or suppliers have a duty
to inform consumers appropriately
in the same manner as conventional
sources of care, simply because the
same issues of efficacy and patient’s
safety apply. Only through continued
research to scientifically establish
appropriate safe and effective use
can natural products find a respected
place alongside conventional forms
of treatment and as a result enhance
patients health.
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 21
competition
The Environmental Science Association
of Ireland invites entries from interested
individuals to participate in the third ESAI
photography competition. The theme for
the competition is “Human Impact on
Nature in Ireland” Entries are welcome
from all amateur photographers and will
be assessed on the basis of picture quality,
composition and the appropriateness of
the caption.
See our website www.esaiweb.org for
entry forms and conditions.
The best three images will be published
in the Local Planet Magazine ( www.
localplanet.ie)
First prize will be a €250 voucher for
www.pixels.ie (sponsored by the Envi-
ronmental Research Institute, UCC), a
years membership of ESAI and. profes-
sional framing of the winning entry by
Framework, Knockvicar, Boyle, Co
Roscommon. The two runners up will
each receive a year’s membership of
ESAI
Entry is now open and closing date is
Friday Sept. 26th, 2008. The winner will
be notified in October, 2008.
The ESAI aims to provide a forum to facili-
tate exchange of specialist information and
advice amongst environment researchers,
policy makers, environmental management
practitioners and other stakeholders, within
Ireland and elsewhere.
“Man’s Impact on Nature in Ireland”
ESAI 2008 Photography Competition
The 2007 Winner, “Who’s looking
at who?” by Conor McGovern
2007 Entry ”Life goes on” by Michael Ewing.
14. guested.section
I
n 2006, a group of individuals
came to together to promote
better understanding of
planning law, in the hope
that more active participation in
the planning process would lead to
more sustainable development. The
group, Planning Matters, continues
to this day, and co-founder, Garreth,
explains the service it provides
and why an even better service is
needed.
Planning law is complex, really
complex. And it changes, all the
time. It can also be applied with
different effect by different Planning
Authorities, and interpreted in
different ways by different courts.
It has spawned an entire industry of
advisors and consultants who earn a
handsome living from negotiating its
various chicanes and hairpin bends,
and binds hundreds of community
groups across the country who find
common purpose in its various
sections and subsections.
Planning law also expects a
great deal from ordinary people. It
expects that they will be vigilant and
omnipresent; its expects that they
will the skills and time to gather
evidence in support of submissions
and appeals; it expects that they
will be willing to endure public
vilification in their communities; and
it expects that they will have limitless
funds to pursue transgressors of the
law through the Courts.
Yet, in all of this, the wider
significance of planning law is
generally missed. To most people,
it’s about building a house, or
preventing someone else from
building a house, and its role in
preserving our economic viability and
quality of life is usually overlooked.
In fact, the role of planning law
is so often misunderstood that its
application frequently results in
undermining the objectives it is
supposed to achieve.
It was for all of these reasons that
Planning Matters Limited was set up
in 2006. A meeting of like minded
individuals was convened to discuss
ways in which planning law could be
mademoreaccessibleandmeaningful
to the people whose interests it was
supposed to protect. From this, a
consensus was reached that timely,
accurate, impartial information was
the key, and the Planning Matters
information service was born.
The thinking behind the
service was simple. An online
forum would be provided for
people to share their questions,
experience and knowledge of
planning law, from which a
vault of knowledge would be
made available for others to use.
Experts would also be invited to write
articles on common planning issues,
and guidance would be provided for
those who had never had to deal with
the planning system before.
Over subsequent months, the idea
took shape, and the planningmatters.
ie website was launched. Publicity
inevitably followed, and the
questions, theories, stories and
advice begin flooding in.
It was all there, disputes about
fences, rights of way, illegal
quarries, Development Plans, the
High Court and the Department
of the Environment. 2 years later,
146 different people have made
contributions to the online Forum,
and 159 separate topics have been
covered.
Hundreds of people have also been
helped by email, and thousands have
read articles on topics from ‘Making
a Planning Application’ to ‘Making a
complaint to the EU Commission’.
Through all of this, the service has
been provided on a voluntary basis,
and has provided to the same level
of service to all users, regardless of
their views on what is quite often a
very emotive subject.
What is clear now to those who
provide the service is that more is
needed. Planning law is becoming
ever more complex, and is of such
importance in modern society that
citizens should not have to rely on
a voluntary service to exercise the
rights it afford them.
This has been recognised in the
UK where the state-funded Planning
Aid service is provided assist
individuals and communities in their
participation in the planning and
development process. This service
has been a huge success and provides
assistance in both urban and rural
locations across the country.
Planning Matters has attempted to
provide the same service in Ireland,
but without the backing of the State
the potential of the service will never
be realised. The longer we allow
planning law to remain the sole
preserve of consultants, developers
and Local Authorities, the more
misunderstood it will become, and
no one will thank us for that.
www.planningmatters.ie
http://www.planningaid.rtpi.org.uk/
22 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
PeoplePowerinPlanning
By Garreth McDaid
Planning law is becoming ever
more complex, and is of such
importance in modern society that
citizens should not have to rely on
a voluntary service to exercise the
rights it afford them.
“”
energy
Garreth is a Director of
Planning Matters Limited
and an active environmental
campaigner in the North West.
15. guested.section
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 23
energy
A
rriving in a community
with a green initiative
is probably not the
best starting point as
ideas are more readily
accepted if they come from within.
In the community you have many
perspectives and it would be difficult
for this green initiative to be ‘sticky’.
I guess people with many different
motivations, beliefs and attitudes
would wonder which planet
you came from. Due to
this I think it is important
to find a base within the
community; a place where
motivations, beliefs and
attitudes would be similar
to those driving the green
initiative. Anyway for me
this place was the local
national school and its green school
committee. We had set a committee
upinthelocalnationalschooltryingto
green the school waste management.
I had helped out with this and
introduced the EF as a community
member. Having got a place for the
project to rest I was approached by
the local environmental awareness
officer to enter a request for funding
for a project. This was a chance to get
funding and four years latter I have
to thank the Deirdre Cox and those
who have worked in her position
since for funding the process.
Since starting we have tried to
generate a blueprint for:
Community participation•
Community awareness•
on sustainability issues
Ownership of carbon•
reduction remedies
Monitoring of emissions•
data at a local level
Future reductions in CO2•
emissions
Inordertoembedtheprojectwithin
the community we set out to involve
everyone in making the calculations
and in this way to generate an
understanding of the parts of their
consumption which had high carbon
dioxide emissions. This allowed them
to monitor the sustainability of their
own lifestyles. Resulting from this,
residents were able to make their
own choices and gain ownership of
the welfare of their environments. It
was necessary to create awareness
within the community and in the
wider Tipperary community of
the efforts being made. In
this way the communities
residents are green by
association and this
helps motivate them to
further change. During
the project residents were
encouraged to apply their
environmental learning to
their locality.
In my view the factors which
helped the project from the
children’s perspective were:
• the EF communicated complex
issues in a simple way and this made
it a useful tool for education with
children; it improved the awareness
of the children and school teachers
regarding the major environmental
and sustainability issues both
globally and in their locality; it
enabled the children to monitor
and reduce the environmental
impact of their local communities’
consumption habits; it enabled the
children to gain ownership of their
environment’s welfare; it allowed
the children, who may never have
the chance of attending third level
education, to meet and interact
with academic researchers in their
own school and locality; many of
the projects prizes leave a sustained
affect for example apple trees and
solar watches; it promoted social
engagement between pupils, teachers
and the wider community.
From the communities’ perspective
it was essential to: let the citizens
realise the impact their lifestyle
is having on the environment and
the EF is an effective way of doing
this (this helps stimulate debate
between community members in
relation to the sustainability of
their lifestyles); enable community
members to understand that
they are part of, and not separate
from, the environment; compare
the community’s consumption to
“external benchmarks” in other
regions of Ireland and the world;
motivate the community to change
through the publicity, feedback and
the children’s energy; involve the
community and empower members
to make small changes which will
improve the sustainability of their
lifestyles; allow localities and regions
to embrace the sustainability concept
of “think global act local”; gain some
recognition from politicians and
regional administration building up
a capacity to lobby in the future.
There are ways this project helped
the community make their changes.
I would not claim to understand
them all, as the networks of
communication within a community
are many. Communication takes
place without words; the spread of
the green and blue bins throughout
Ireland is proof of this. People see
others doing things and they do
them too. This is communication
of a type. There are many types
and impacts of communication
within communities and though
the mechanics of behaviour change,
within individuals, are not clearly
understood I believe working on this
change within communities is both
effective and rewarding.
You can learn more about this
project at:
www.ul.ie/lowcarbonfutures.
TakingStepstoReduce
aCommunalFootprint
TakingStepstoReduce
aCommunalFootprintBy Vincent Carragher
Given man’s depletion of natural
resources and global warming
Vincent’s work has focussed
on reducing carbon dioxide
emissions of communities using
an ecological footprint (EF).
Vincent has worked on a research
project with one community for
four years now and has helped
this community reduce its carbon
dioxide emissions by 15% so far.
16. guested.section
B
ehind every local
environment issue lies
a dry policy document
likely to dictate the
outcome. A few layers
of intractable bureaucracy and
inconsistently enforced regulations
later, and opportunities for
positive community engagement
in the issue diminish. So it is with
water protection. Thirty-two Irish
environmental organisations have
formed the Sustainable Water
Network (SWAN) to cut through
these layers and to link the local and
national work of its member groups
to the vanguard of water policy and
legislation, in the form of the EU
Water Framework Directive.
No matter how emotive a
local water protection issue, no
matter how frustrated, exhausted
or occasionally exhilarated the
campaigners, it will be played out
against the cool, detached backdrop
of policy. Concerned communities
find themselves routinely referred to
impenetrable policy documents and
regulations, only to spend their time
organising fundraisers to pay an
expert to decipher the implications
for their particular case of lake or
groundwater pollution. This drama
continues to be played out around
the country: Different communities;
different waterbodies; same policy
and legislative framework.
Whilstmanyenvironmentalgroups
carry out vital ‘emergency’ work,
reacting swiftly to specific breaches
of environmental law, this approach
is piecemeal, resource-intensive
and often, too late to stop the worst
of the damage. In addition, the
frustrating truth is that the positions
defended so intransigently by public
authorities during many a fraught
public meeting, have been decided
at internal policy meetings at the
Custom House and County Offices
months, if not years, before. Deals
have been long struck, decided no
doubt, with input from business,
farming and other vested interests.
Instead of playing catch-up with
someone else’s rules, it’s time for
environmental groups to be involved
in making the rules; in influencing
decisions regarding environmental
policy now and into the future.
With a few notable exceptions,
this has been the missing link in
Irish environmentalism. But the
gap is being bridged and we are on
the cusp of an historic shift in the
environmental movement in Ireland.
The Sustainable Water Network is
at the vanguard of this evolution
from reliance on environmental
paramedics to a strategic, ‘integrated
treatment’ approach.
The aim of SWAN is to protect
and enhance the quality of Ireland’s
24 The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008
By Sinead O’Brien
The aim of SWAN is to protect
and enhance the quality of
Ireland’s waters through the active
involvement of environmental
organisations . .
“”
energy
Sinead O’Brien is the
co-ordinator of the Sustainable
Water Network (SWAN). She
cut her teeth in environmental
campaigning with the Bride
and Blackwater Environmental
Alliance in her home county of
Waterford where she experi-
enced first hand the challenges
of dealing with public authorities
on contentious issues, before
going on to act as campaigner
for the farm animal welfare
group Compassion in World
Farming. There she learnt
the value of ’broad spectrum
advocacy’, incorporating the full
range from peaceful direct action
to high level political lobbying
and policy negotiation”
The Sustainable Water
Network (SWAN) promotes
collaboration and early participa-
tion to ensure best protection for
Ireland’s rivers, lakes, coastal and
groundwaters.
EnvironmentalGroupsInfl
The SWAN family
17. Concerned communities
find themselves routinely
referred to impenetrable
policy documents
and regulations, only
to spend their time
organising fundraisers to
pay an expert to decipher
the implications for their
particular case of lake or
groundwater pollution.
“”
watersthroughtheactiveinvolvement
of environmental organisations
in the implementation of the EU
Water Framework Directive (WFD).
The strength of the Network lies in
the diverse range of specialist and
local knowledge and expertise of its
partner groups and the opportunities
afforded by a fulltime staff member
to engage in time-consuming policy
discussions. The SWAN office also
acts as a sorting house and focal
point for communication amongst
its members and between members
and public authorities; the EPA,
the Department of Environment
(DEHLG) and Local Authorities.
No one organisation can be familiar
with all aspects of the aquatic
environment, but by combining our
knowledge, the Network has become
a force to be reckoned with.
The impetus for SWAN’s work
is the Water Framework Directive,
which calls for integrated catchment-
based water management, with an
emphasis on public involvement
and the ecological health of
aquatic resources. After 5 years
of preparatory work, mapping all
water bodies, setting up a new
water monitoring regime and the
identifying and publishing for public
comment the main pressures and
water management issues in each
of seven Irish River Basin Districts,
draft River Basin Management Plans
for each District will be published
this December. These Plans can
and must spell the beginning of the
end for piecemeal, inadequate water
management. They are required
to outline measures to address the
diverse threats to our waters and
to include new legislation, where
necessary to deal with these. SWAN
is working on a number of fronts to
influence the content of the River
Basin Management Plans, even
before the drafts have been drawn
up, and to ensure minimal use of
derogations.
Whilst it would be naïve to
The Local Planet 13 Summer 2008 25
overestimate the impact of SWAN,
our work to date indicates that
the Network has the capability to
significantly influence the Plans.
Since implementation began in 2003,
we have increased transparency
and stakeholder participation in
the process; we have presented
the environmental view-point
at events usually the preserve of
engineers, technicians and public
administrators and we have garnered
the respect of previously dismissive
senior decision-makers. We have
provided informed critical analysis
at every step in the implementation
of the Water Directive, constantly
challenging the authorities to rethink
their traditional approaches to water
management.
Whilst this input to water policy
and legislation can be excruciatingly
slow, and the results modest in the
short term, the commitment of our
member groups, along with the
support of a full time office, means
that SWAN is well positioned to
positively influence the River Basin
management Plans. We will press
at every opportunity for Plans which
embrace the ambitious targets
of the Directive and deliver truly
integrated water management and
improved quality and conservation
for our rivers, lakes coastal and
groundwaters, for people and for
wildlife.
fluenceWaterManagement
guested.section
energy
