On this edition of Enviro:

• Forest Friends interns Guliana, Franseska, Lorena and Federika present detaills of the project they are working on for Heritage Week.
• Jennifer Brady read out Bolivia’s ‘Law of Mother Earth’.
• Jennifer Brady also talked about her forthcoming autobiography ‘If Only I had Left the Beech’ due to be launched on the 15th. September. She explained to the listeners why she wrote it.
• An update on proposed Fairview tree felling.
• The European Commission has stated that 15 countires have reported incidences of egg contamination with a lice insecticilde. The Food Safey Auithority of Ireland maintains that the risk to Irish people is very low. The World Health Organisation has stated that large quantitiles of Fipronil the offending insecticide can cause organ damage, and is not permitted for use associated wit food producing animals. Joe Dunne pointed out some statistics which appear to contradict the government's information which Joe found to be inadequate and the danger understated.
• John pointed out the dangers of the proposed Free Trade agreemet with the US which could lead, it is now feared, to an influx of genetically modified foods and beef drenched with hormones and antibiotics, and chickens decontaminated by washing in chlorinated water. In this regard, Monsanto is the manufacturer of Roundup and is the leading producer of genetically modified seed, whiles Cargill is the leading producer of animal feed. Other major US based agribusiness companies are Dow chemicals and Dupont. The Irish govrnmment supports the extension of the lisence for the use of glyphosate (Roundup) EU decision due by the end of this year. A petition to ban the use of glyphosate was signed by 1.3 million people across the EU.
• John also referred to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings which were remembered, with an annual Dublin ceremony in Merrion Square in rememberance of the 140,000 people of Hiroshima on the 6th. August 1945 ‘nucked’ by the US, unnecessarily it is claimed as the war was effectively over. Three days later 80,000 citizens of Nagasaki were similarly sacrtificed. At this ceremony, praise was given by Midori YIamamitsu daughter of srulvivors or the Hiroshima bombing to the memory of former Iriish foreign minister Frank aiken who was first to make the dase for a nuclear non-prolilferation treaty more than 50 years ago. She also praised Ireland's former minister for foreign affairs charlie Flanagan who visited the site of the bombing in Hiroshima.
• Reference was made to the fact that Kebbel, one of the last remaining desert lions in Namibia is at risk of being killed by trophy hunters. This horrific vista comes fast on the foot after Xanda, son of Cecil, both lions were shot dead recently by hunters in Zimbabwe.
• Elvis Presley died 40 years ago on the 16th. August 1977. This is Elvis Week and the songs, ‘In the Ghetto’, ‘If I can Dream’, ‘Moody Blue’ and & ‘Guitar Man’ were played to remember the ‘King’

Presenter: John Haughton

Panellists: Joseph Dunne and Jennifer Brady

Guests students: Lorena Pitarra, Francesca Ardito, Giuliana Guatino