This Enviro program started with forest Friends internship students Vanesse and Julia explaining how they learned about the environment and its importance to them. They recited the song about gardening “Inch by Inch” made popular by Pete Seeger.

The program celebrated Bob Dylan for his Nobel Lauriet award, which he was recently awarded. Singer Songwriter Patti Smith attended the awards on his behalf. It was John Lennon’s anniversary on the 8th December and we celebrated his anti-war stance and the promotion of Peace.

Other matters dealt with included Donald Trump’s appointment of people who promote war, are racist, deny climate change, are opposed to the work of the Environmental Protection Agency, are causing great damage to the environment in their oil and gas projects, Exxon Mobil being the latest damaging member of the team. The program talked about the  cyclone Vardah which has hit Chennai, India, causing casualties, the death of poet John Motague, Oxfam’s statement that Ireland is a primary tax haven, the cessation of the Dakota Access oil pipeline adjacent to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, the fact that Donald Trump has plans to privatise oil and gas rich Indian lands which have a fifth of America’s oil and gas and vast coal reserves.

We had a brief discussion on the meaning of Christmas. Music included Bob Dylan’s ‘Roll on John’, his “Song for Woody”, Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ and John Lennon’s ‘Grow Old with Me’.

Presenter: John Haughton 

Panellist: Joe Dunne

Also including students from Paris, France: Vaneese and Julia