Local volunteer group FADA Newbridge organised a free Energy Workshop in Ryston Social Centre, Newbridge on Saturday 12^th of April 2008. The event was organised in order to assist local people in Newbridge on choosing suitable alternative and sustainable energy systems such as wood pellet boilers, solar panels for water heating as well heat pumps. These cheaper alternative heating systems to oil and gas are becoming particularly relevant considering the rising costs of both fuels over the past year.

Left: FADA member, Katerina Karantzi describes the process of applying for a Greener Homes Scheme grant from Sustainable Energy Ireland. Right: Dr. Jean Fletcher outlines the pros and cons of installing a wood pellet boiler into her house

The workshop was attended by Dr. Patrick Waterfield, an energy consultant from Belfast who gave a very informative talk on how these various alternative systems operate as well as advice on the importance of insulation. FADA members Triona Muldoon and Katerina Karantzi provided practical information on building Energy Ratings and how to apply for grants from Sustainable Energy Ireland. This was followed by talks from Dr. Jean Fletcher and Adrian Geissel who gave brief presentations on the pros and cons of wood pellet boilers and solar panels that they installed in their own homes respectively. The workshop was followed by a question and answer session over tea and coffee.

Energy Consultant, Dr. Patrick Waterfield gives a presentation on the alternative technology systems available for domestic houses.

April 2008: Cuba Documentary Screening

Hermann Geissel of the Newbridge Integral Philosophy Group organised this half-day visit to the exiting project that is the Eco-village ("The Village"), currently being built in Cloughjordan. On a sunny February morning, a few members of FADA and the Philosophy group made their way to the formally sleepy town were a perfect example of a community-centred, sustainable and environmentally friendly development is starting to be built.

"The Village" springing into life! View from the group's headquarters

The group was given a very interesting presentation on the project by Duncan   Martin, a former lecturer of Chemical Engineering. The project has been in the planning for 10 years and it is finally starting to materialise. From what we saw and heard on our visit, it was definitely worth the effort!

For more information on The Village, visit their website (www.thevillage.ie) or, even better,  pay them a visit! Oh, and don't forget to have a cup of heart-warming hot chocolate in one of the cutest café/bookshops in Ireland, just a few doors down from their headquarters!

 FADA and Philosophy Group members with Duncan Martin (middle, with yellow top)

           December 2007: Christmas Cooking Workshops with Newbridge Chef William Crowley

In December 2007, FADA organised a number of Christmas cooking courses with Newbridge Chef William Crowley. The courses were open to both FADA members and the public. Everyone attending the courses was shown how to make truly delicious and healthy dishes from fresh, basic ingredients. William shared tips and advocated the use of produce that is in season and bought from farmers' markets. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and voted the Butternut Squash and Celeriac soup as the most delicious dish of the night!

Right: William making his delicious Casablanca Cous-Cous. Left: Glazed Breast of Duck

14 November 2007-

Eddie Hobbs  talk on "When the Oil Runs Out, preparing our community for the change" 

Mr Hobbs during his talk

Eddie Hobbs, the long-time consumer advocate, kindly gave a talk organised by FADA at Ryston Social Club in Newbridge.

Mr Hobbs started his talk with an introduction to the idea of peak oil presenting relevant graphs to the audience and discussing what threats this could pose to Ireland. He went on to give an interesting overview of opportunities arising from this situation. These varied from  investment opportunities in specific companies to personal steps we can all take to prepare, like insulating our houses and choosing local products in order to strengthen the local economy.

A video of the event will soon be availble on this website. Until then, click here for a video hosted on the excellent Newbridge Shopper website.

A press release for the event can be found here

FADA Chairman Eamonn Parker with Mr Hobbs during the Q&A session

January 2006 - May 2006: 4th Monday Plenary Meeting Talks

FADA organised some interesting talks for our members that took place during our plenary meetings on the 4th Monday of each month. The following talks took place:

• January : Marty Whelan kicked off the talk season by giving a very interesting talk on how to approach the media. A copy of the presentation can be found here.
• February: FADA member journalist Brian Kaller gave a thought-provoking talk on how Climate Change coupled with Peak Oil will shape the world's future.
• March: FADA member Herman Geissel talked about bogs in Ireland, how they are formed and what their current status is.
• April: Angela Nolan and Liam Ryan, both members of local farmers' markets, came in to give an insightful account of how farmer's markets operate and what would need to be done to organise one for Newbridge.
• May: For the last talk of the season, FADA members Mary Ash and PJ Dooley gave an introduction on how to apply for funding for community groups and discussed a list of possible funding sources for FADA.

10 April 2007: Public Debate of General Election Candidates

FADA, together with Newbridge Concerned Residents (NCR) and Newbridge Community Development (NCD), organised a General Election debate with seven candidates of the South Kildare area.

The debare focused on three main issues: the cinema in Newbride (NCR), the proposed coutdown of the Liffey Valley linear park in Newbridge (NCD) and food and energy localisation (FADA). The debate was very succesful, with a good turnout and a serious and interesting discussion on all the subjects.

Parts of the debate were recorded can be viewed or listened to by clicking here.

Left: FADA Secretary Dr Padraic Dunne. Right: FADA chairperson, Eamonn Parker and Fianna Fail TD for South Kildare, Sean O'Fearghaill

14 December 2006: Mountmellick Waste Talk

Kitty and Imelda talking about recycling

This talk took place at the Newbridge Parish Centre. Imelda, Kitty and Theresa from the Mountmellick Environmental Group (MEG) talked to the audience about the group itself, how it started and what it has achieved. It was trully inspiring to hear about a project that has managed to get the whole community involved and very interesting for FADA members to hear how this was achieved.

Most of the night, however, was dedicated to practical advice about waste management in our homes. Topics discussed included what we can and cannot recycle, possible reuse options for different materials, an introduction to composting and very useful tips on how to compost properly. There was also a discussion on how to get schools involved in recycling and practical ways for keeping the interest of students alive.

Tips on composting  (left) and Imelda talking about MEG (right)

22 October 2006: Energy Fair in Newbridge

Click here to download the FADA Newbridge Information Pamphlet available at the event

Photographs from the Energy Fair

Visitors of the Energy Fair in front of the FADA Stand

The Energy Fair took place at St Conleth’s Vocational School, Newbridge on Sunday 22 October from 2pm to 6 pm. The event focused on the reasons of the recent price hikes, what should be expected in the future and, mainly, practical solutions for householders and businesses to reduce their power use bills.

The event comprised of two parts. Firstly, experts gave talks on subjects of interest around the issue, including practical advice. The speakers were the following:

· Duncan Stewart, Architect and TV presenter

· Jim Power, Economist

· Declan Meally from Sustainable Energy Ireland

· Siobhan Higgs, from the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, Ireland.

· Michael Layden, Energy Consultant

After the talks, there was a question and answer session, followed by a wine reception with live traditional music. Those attending were able to talk to professional providers of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that could potentially help them reduce their electricity or gas use.

In parallel with the whole event, there was a screening of "The End of Suburbia", a very interesting and thought-provoking documentary about peak oil and its potential effect on our everyday life.

Some of the speakers of the Energy Fair from left to right: Michael Layden, Duncan Stewart and Declan Meally