The Greener Living Programme (GAP) is having an introduction evening at the Maritime Hotel in Bantry on Wednesday the 26th November.  This is a course designed to help people reduce bills and reduce waste.  The course will begin in January and everyone is welcome to attend.

GAP training is an international programme for householders to encourage changes towards Sustainable Development and reduced environmental impact.  The content of the course has six topics; Waste, Water, Energy, Transport, Consumerism and Community, which are delivered in six one hour informal meeting style sessions by Environmental Educator Jessica Mason.

Jessica says ‘The aim of all my projects is to inspire people to make changes, be they big or small, towards sustainable development. At present humans live well beyond the means of our planet, and in order to continue enjoying this marvel that is Earth we need to conserve and protect what we have and start to live within the bounds of our planet. I love using creative projects to inspire people to look at waste differently, and making functional things from everyday rubbish’

This week is European Week for Waste Reduction, and as a part of a project funded by the Environmental Awareness Department of Cork County Council Jessica has worked with four Bantry Schools to create a waste installation: ‘One World Don’t Waste It!’. The installation will be up in the foyer of Bantry library for the next two weeks and contains lots of facts and information around environmental impact, waste creation and personal action.

Jessica believes that  ‘the key to environmental change is encouraging people to appreciate the world we live in and showing how making simple changes can benefit both our lives and the planet’.