The conservation and sustainable use of our agricultural biodiversity is critical to future sustainable development, both in Ireland and internationally.

The Irish Society for European Law (ISEL) continues its regulatory law lecture series on Thursday, February 2nd, with a lecture on - 'An Update on Irish Implementation of the EU Third Internal Energy Package'.

The EPA has published information on Ireland’s position in relation to meeting its 2010 obligations under the National Emissions Ceilings Directive (NEC Directive).

This year, the Stop Food Waste Programme is encouraging everyone to start the New Year afresh by rethinking food storage habits, sorting the freezer and avoid throwing out up to €700 worth of food every year.

The Atlantic Area Conference - 'The Marine Economy’ - a key component of the EU Integrated Strategy for the Atlantic Area' - hosted by the Border, Midland and Western Regional Assembly - will yake place on 7th February 2012 at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Co Dublin.

IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, has welcomed the announcement by Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan’s of a roadmap for the development of Ireland's national climate policy response.

IBEC has welcomed the recent publication of the Expert Commission Review in relation to the Meath-Tyrone (North-South) 400 kV Interconnection Project.

TOBIN have announced the appointment of Mr. Brian Allum as UK Country Manager, with effect from 3rd January 2012.

Anua, the environmental systems business owned by Bord na Móna, has received CEN certification for its unique septic tank.

The Marine Institute invites students to apply for a number of work experience placements in many exciting areas for this summer 2012.

Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, together with The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague and comedian Dara O'Briain, last week launched Dublin City of Science.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have, following discussions with representatives of the pig and poultry industry, agreed a new approach for the control and management of pig and poultry manure from Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) licensed installations.

Speaking in the Dáil last week at Report Stage of the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011, Environment Minister Phil Hogan said - ‘My Department is currently in discussions with the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the performance standard guidelines that will have to be adhered to by septic tank and wastewater systems in 2013.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan’s announcement of a firm timetable for the adoption of national policy and legislation on climate change has been widely welcomed, even by his critics.

A new solar-powered water disinfection system could revolutionise the provision of clean water in developing countries, according to a research team at Trinity College Dublin.

Tyndall National Institute at UCC has recently received certification under the ISO 50001 (Energy Management System) standard and is one of the first research institutes of its kind in the world to receive this award.

Ireland and the United Kingdom are not fully in line with EU gas market rules, according to the EU Commission.

The installation of water meters could cost the State less than €200 million or more than €800 million, depending on the method chosen, the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and Gaeltacht has heard.

The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) has made publicly available an anonymised version of the detailed data underlying the smart metering gas customer behaviour trial results.

A consumer watchdog has called for a review of the system of Building Energy Rating (BER) certificates after a price survey revealed huge differences in fees quoted by providers - with some charging over 100pc more than others.

Green-Schools, the hugely successful international environmental education programme administered in Ireland by An Taisce, has launched a brand new website in Larkin Community College, which was awarded their first Green Flag last year.

The 17th Mid-West Regional Authority (MWRA) Annual Conference 2012 will take place on 16th & 17th February 2012 at The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, Co. Clare.

Thousands of euro worth of food product at a west Limerick company had to be destroyed because of the pollution of the River Deel.

Coastal erosion is threatening the extensive sand dune system in the Co Sligo seaside resort of Strandhill, where the golf course is also now at risk, according to local people.

Arklow Marine Services has officially launched its first vessel designed and built specifically for export to service offshore wind farms in the UK.

The Dublin Region water mains rehabilitation project, worth €118 million, has begun to carry out major improvement works in Dublin City to replace old leaking Victorian water mains.

The managing director of the West Clare Railway has claimed that a planned €200 million windfarm - with pylons topping 400ft - would place the railway’s future development in considerable doubt.

A €500 million renewable energy storage reservoir proposed for north Co Mayo could export 10 terawatt hours of 'clean power' to Britain, according to its backers, providing the equivalent of 2 per cent of Britain’s electricity requirement by 2016, when the project is targeted for completion.

Oil and gas multinational Shell has injected €90 million into its Irish subsidiary to deal with the spiralling costs of the Corrib gas field project.

More farmers should be allowed to enter a scheme that would pay them to make wildlife-friendly improvements.

Wildlife crime reports have rocketed in Northern Ireland, with a fourfold increase in bat persecution incidents and cases of bird nest destruction surging by more than 10 times.

Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill has called on landowners to help increase woodland cover across the north of Ireland by planting more trees.

Northern Ireland Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Michelle O’Neill, visited B&Q in Craigavon to learn more about their ‘Forest Friendly’ programme.

Wain Morehead Architects Ltd. enjoyed an impressive turn out when clients John & Sally O'Leary generously opened their doors to enable visitors experience the air quality and general comfort levels in a Passive House first hand during the International Passive House Open Days held recently.

Birdwatch Ireland is calling for the responsible use of poisons following a series of red kite deaths in Fingal, Co Dublin, last year.

NTR’s US wind energy arm has closed a deal with a group of international institutions that will allow it to borrow €270 million to fund a project in Kansas.

Louth County Council has successfully prosecuted a further offender under environmental protection legislation.

The Marine Institute’s Open Access Repository library, which holds over 650 publications online, has had over 6,000 visits from more than 46 countries since its recent launch last year.

The Competition Authority is investigating complaints about the new dominance of private waste firms in Dublin following the transfer of the city council’s household bin collection service to Greyhound.

One of the biggest landfill sites in Ireland is due to close in the next 12 months, with management planning to grow grass and plant trees on the 236-acre ‘red mud’ pond at the Aughinish Alumina plant.

The provisional Northern Ireland Municipal Waste Management Statistics, July - September 2011, show that almost 56% of municipal waste was sent to landfill during the second quarter of the year.

A councillor who represents a community labelled one of the country’s worst litter blackspots has launched a blistering attack on an anti-litter group.

Lower electricity prices generated by renewable energy are not being passed on to householders, the North's Consumer Council has said.

A Kerry superloo is costing a town council €38,000 a year - but only generates €650 in revenue.

The EU is "closely following" efforts to remove more than 2300 tonnes of diesel from the wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas has said.

Computing giant IBM is working on a battery that could allow electric vehicles to travel 500 miles on a single charge, a development that would revolutionise the market for zero-emissions cars.

Better Place has delivered the first 100 electric cars taking part in its high-profile battery swap scheme for Israeli customers.

Large-scale energy storage technologies could play a major role in electricity grids by 2016, according to a report that predicts the falling cost of storage systems will help accelerate the rollout of intermittent renewable energy technologies.

On his six-hectare farm in the village of Keisen, on Japan's Kyushu island, Takao Furuno, 61, grows rice and wheat without chemicals.

A plan to build a plutonium-burning reactor at Sellafield in Cumbria has been rejected by the UK government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

Ecotricity has confirmed it has entered the marine energy sector, announcing ambitious plans to install 200 SeaRaser wave power devices off the UK coast within the next five years.

Britain's rivers are drying up - unless emergency measures are adopted, some of the finest waterways could be reduced to trickles over the next few decades.

Earlier this month, the Beijing government started informing the public about a hazardous form of air pollution as the population geared up for a new year firework frenzy that would see the skies filled with chemicals and particulates on Sunday (22nd Feb) night.

The south-west of England is to be named as the UK's first marine energy park.

Ofgem has kicked off plans to upgrade Scotland's aging grid networks in a bid to accommodate a new generation of renewable energy projects, such as wind turbines and marine energy parks.

Interactive maps displaying data on surface and groundwater bodies across Europe have been updated by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has published a review of the biodiversity requirements of 36 environmental standards.

The UK now boasts 6GW of wind energy capacity, enough to provide power to over 3.3 million homes, according to the latest update from trade association RenewableUK.

A 12-strong European consortium has secured €1.9m of EU funding to develop processes to add value to recycled plastics for food contact applications.

Green campaigners have responded angrily to blocking tactics deployed by a small number of MPs to stop a parliamentary vote on the Daylight Savings Bill, which had held out the promise of an independent report and potential trial on moving the clocks to create lighter evenings.

As Beijingers coughed and hacked their way through another smoggy day, there were tentative signs the government was becoming aware of the broader impact of climate change and may be gearing up to do something about it.

The European Commission is gathering views and additional information on the potential measures related to Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Bad news for PVC packaging continues to mount as Hasbro plans to eliminate PVC from core product packaging beginning in 2013.

Donald Trump is on the brink of abandoning his plans for the "world's greatest golf course" near Aberdeen after claiming his £750m project is being threatened by an offshore windfarm.

The investment arm of Abu Dhabi's green energy company, which commands over $540m of capital, has revealed it is "very interested" in the UK waste sector.

Panasonic, Samsung, Kia and other manufacturers are hailing the energy and resource efficiency of their offerings at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) recently in Las Vegas, where green tech has again emerged as a strong product theme.

Other companies talk about their environmental footprint.

Windows, steam boilers and computer servers should be prioritised during the next round of EU ecodesign proposals, according to a draft work plan released by the European Commission - the final list will be approved in the spring.

The European Commission has launched a new instrument to help companies that are developing innovative environmental technologies.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan has issued a work programme setting out the steps and milestones for the development of national climate policy and legislation.