PowerSwitch

Looks like a worthwhile weekend. 25th-26th August
http://www.greenlivingexperience.com/index.html

Quote from the website

Have you ever heard of peak oil ? the moment when we have used half of all the available oil in the world ? some say we have already passed that moment ? learn about how that fact alone will change our lives.

http://www.greenlivingexperience.com/view.html Here in the bit on Zone 2.

Reckon I'll go.

I usually avoid large gatherings of people as far as I can.... but perhaps I'll make an exception for this one.

I would be interested in attending but we have vistors staying with us
that weekend and it is a wee bit of a way from North Donegal.

It would be very useful if anybody who does go could post a report of
their impressions of the event and how they felt this sort of thing helps inform people to change their behaviour.

Roger,

Check this out-short notice and further from North Donegal-but looks good
http://www.irishgreengathering.com/

Wexford!

Castlewellan would be closer to Donegal by a bit.

Both of the events show how to get their by public transport.

I would guess though most attendees will be travelling by car...........

I was there today, crowd wasn't so big although it is quite an expansive site. Unfortunately didn't get to see any of the films on peak oil and there were a few exhibitors I was unsure about but have to say I enjoyed the day.

We're hoping to go tomorrow....

OH and I took our two youngest down for the afternoon and really enjoyed the day.

As Brad said it was not over crowded (A relief as I'm not a crowd person!). The tents were spread over a big area and there was plenty for everybody.

Alternative energy stands ranged from the HI-TEC solutions such as re-formed logs and wood pellet burners (ho-hum, I think the means to make these fuels is somewhat oil-dependent...) to the low tec responses and everything in between. Solar, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal etc all had info on various stands. Plus info on grants etc.

We spent quite a bit of time with the man who paints radiators black and mounts them behind glass on tinfoil - the water he was producing was of shower warmth.... great stuff! He also had a curved sheet of steel reflecting the sun onto a tall black painted copper cylinder - again behind glass - which was producing hot water.... so simple and cheap surely anybody could do it. & As he said even taking the chill off your water on a dull day will save heating bills.

Then there was a rarebreeds stand - and we got talking to a pig judge about the best sort of pig for small holders......

A stand about recycling had a quiz at which we won one of those expanding string bags.

I spoke to a man on another stand about the Mourne Mountains Biodiversity plan and hope later in the year to co-ordinate a visit with my students to see what is going on and to get them some hands on conservation experience.....

We ate a rare breed sausage each at a hot dog stand (sorry forgot to ask which breed!) and bought some Armagh cider.

We ommitted all the alternative health stands, jewelery stalls and herbal baths stuff and then found a stand on bee-keeping. OH has been talking about this for ages and he has now discovered that a group meet once a month less than 5 miles from us! So he's now all inspired... & of course I bought some honey from their stand to get us in the mood!

Also watched hurdle making and wood turning and talked to a man about the lack of hazel rods in N.Ireland and about how to grow willow straight....

Finally some one was doing a falconary display and the girls loved this.

So all in all we had a mellow afternoon ambling about on a mild and sunny afternoon.

Funnily enough I had a great conversation at the bee keeping stall. Filled in the form for a course next year, hopefully will be able to follow it through.

I did enjoy the day and was a lot less crowded than previous events at Castle Espie-lots of room for expansion. You never know we may have a Northern Irish Big Green Gathering.

Anyone know if there is going to be a similar event this year? I can't see anything online.

Only event I have seen advertised is this
http://www.wwt.org.uk/event/164/824/lif ... _show.html

*bump*

http://www.wwt.org.uk/admin/xstandard/w ... 0crops.pdf

Info on this year's event

wish I could go but i think I am working this weekend