“The thing is, a world before plastic is within living memory, and returning to aspects of it is hardly like going back to the stone age. You only have to look back to our grandparents’ time, or even our parents’ time. We can use much less plastic…” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” No, the Alliance Party did not conjure up a figure about 100 climate related deaths per year in Northern Ireland. It comes from a widely reported study published last year. 1/n

Don't miss Carlingford Lough Keepers’ next event at Newry Gateway Club at 2pm this Sunday 22nd Feb. Learn of the natural and cultural history of this area of outstanding beauty and listen to songs and stories from around the Lough! All welcome!

Thanks to The Irish News for highlighting this important story about how Newry, Mourne and Down Council are exploiting our forest parks, including Kilbroney, and people by viewing them through the cold lens of money 🌳 www.irishnews.com/news/norther...

Did you know there’s a new Forest School just 30 minutes from Newry? 🌳 Courses are for adults and children and aim to reconnect people with nature through activities such as shelter building, tool use and nature exploration. If you’re curious to learn more, have a look at the article below.

We need to stop idolizing billionaires for “saving” forests and nature. The system that creates billionaires and drives biodiversity loss is the same: capitalism. Real change means transforming that system not applauding the ultra-rich, especially those with shady friends like Andrew Windsor.

The excerpt below is from a fascinating chapter in the classic book “Mourne Country” about the traditions that once regulated the harvesting and use of seaweed - a vital resource as a fertiliser, fuel, and food. 1/2

“Very toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects” Agriculture pollutes, but the waste industry is choking the life out of our waters too. Metres from Carlingford Lough, household waste is sprayed with a cocktail of chemicals in Warrenpoint, while those in power continue to look away.

The sun won't set earlier than it did today again until around Halloween... .. a thought that might help some others cope with this dreary time of year.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has collected over £1.1 million from controversial Forest Park parking charges in 20 months and now plans to install access barriers in Kilbroney Park ✋ 🛑 Full details and local reaction on our Facebook post, which has received 80k views this weekend.

“£8.1 million has already been spent on this project.” Unbelievable. Meanwhile our roads are full of potholes that damage cars and put drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists at risk. How can this level of spending be justified, and who is actually accountable?

“Unintended consequences of human action continue to have a devastating impact on the natural world” No. Biodiversity loss is not “unintended”. It is the built-in cost of an economic system that demands perpetual expansion. Conservation leaders should call this out. www.ox.ac.uk/climate-and-...

A periodic reminder that very little has been done to address the biodiversity crisis www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

In the Irish language, the goldfinch is known as 'lasair choille' (pronounced 'lasser-quilla'), which means... The Flame of the Forest! 🔥

Cornerstone are proposing to install a 40 metre tall 5G phone mast at the caravan site in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor. They claim it is “appropriate for the surrounding area.” If you have any comments or concerns, please email them to Cornerstones’s planning consultant: [email protected]

SOMETHING NEW: Since SO MANY great new books on cities, city-building & urbanism have been published since I did my “Top 100” List back in 2013, on 100 (non-consecutive) days I’ll profile 100 NEWER BOOKS for the #UrbanismBookClub in THIS thread! Starting today (in no order), with “Messy Cities!” 1/

If post-Brexit border control posts are no longer needed, what should happen to the one in Warrenpoint beside the new Narrow Water Bridge? Could it be transformed into a space that welcomes visitors, supports local businesses, and celebrates the area? www.bbc.com/news/article...

Pod of this week’s Last Word on the Environment on Today FM now available. We discussed ongoing flooding and I stressed need to look to nature-based solutions, such as Room for the River, that are cost effective and WORK. Dredging, on the other hand, doesn’t. www.todayfm.com/podcasts/the...

Shore to Shore! We’re looking forward to learning and sharing with our neighbours around the shores of Carlingford Lough and The Cooley Peninsula at these two events in Carlingford and Newry next month, hosted by Carlingford Lough Keepers.

This massive Canadian agtech company has put in an application to harvest seaweed from basically the entire west coast. The maps are actually shocking www.gov.ie/en/departmen...

When environmentalists are accused of obstructing “progress”, it’s worth taking a moment to question what exactly progress means. Because too often it seems to mean short-term economic growth and profit, rather than development that respects the environment and the needs of local communities.

Nature is our first line of defence against floods 🌱 Forests and wetlands act like giant sponges, soaking up heavy rain and releasing it slowly. When we pave them over and straighten streams, the water has nowhere to go and floods follow. When we protect nature, we protect ourselves 🌍

“It’s time for America & the world to move on from a social order in which unregulated profit is the driving force. When it comes, I hope & believe the new order will be based on co-operation instead of monopoly, sharing instead of grasping, & mutual helpfulness will replace the law of the jungle.”

NMDD Council has approved the removal of the much-used pontoon at Warrenpoint Breakwater. Many locals are asking why and who called for it be removed - with some suspecting the Warrenpoint Harbour Authority. Details and reaction on the “What’s the Point” Facebook page.

Infrastructure for what kind of development? A single DC in West Dublin (employing a handful of people) uses 10x the energy of a nearby pharmaceutical plant that employs 2000 people, and enough energy for 200,000 homes. Great work from @lnbdublin.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Join us for our 3rd annual Celebrating Starlings event, when together we take in the mesmerising beauty of starling murmurations, learn a bit about this fantastic bird's ecology, and hear the story of Belfast's Albert Bridge murmuration! For more info, go to: www.wildbelfast.org/events-1/cel...

“We long for belonging, for community, for the sense of a village. Yet an uncomfortable truth is becoming harder to ignore: we want all the benefits of community without accepting the responsibilities that make community possible.” kasperbenjamin.substack.com/p/everyone-w...

“Winter isn’t an absence of growth; it’s a necessary pause. The conditions that look harsh and lifeless are laying the groundwork for everything that comes next.” - @aislinnn.bsky.social aislinna.substack.com/p/cold-snap

Happy New Year from Rostrevor! May the wind at your back this year be as strong as it was up at the cairn earlier today!

If you just missed it go to @rteone.rte.ie +1 or the #RTEPlayer and watch this charming documentary on this gentle man of music: Tommy Sands: Clann an Cheoil. Honoured to have spent many happy hours in his company in Rostrevor and elsewhere

Spotted in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor earlier today. A wee reminder that if you’re feeling low or under the weather right now, you’re not alone ☺️🤧

“Mountains return to us the priceless capacity for wonder which can so insensibly be leached away by modern existence, and they urge us to apply that wonder to our own everyday lives.” - Robert Macfarlane

You never know who you’ll meet in Rostrevor rainforest 🌿🎅🏻

Congratulations to Rostrevor Light Orchestra on a superb performance yesterday afternoon, great programme and arrangements with music to light up the spirits and the Star of the Sea on a wintry evening….thank you all for a concert to remember!

“Let there be no mistake, we will not stop until Re-Gen's licence in Warrenpoint is revoked. Residents deserve respect, accountability, and the right to live in their own homes without being subjected to this year after year.” Excellent post from independent councillor Mark Gibbons 👏 👏

The extinction paradox in two graphs: More laws, fewer animals Left: the rise of endangered-species legislation since 1970 📈 Right: the collapse of wild vertebrate populations since 1970 📉 Source: extinctionparadox.org

Slieve Doan - Dún Maol Chobha

Let there be light…a wave of thanks from under the oaks of Rostrevor to all who find ways to brighten the darkness of winter!

In my morning walk about town I see many instances of speeding, & of more dangerous driving - like looking at phones This is often as children are heading to school To explain away speeding behaviours, as in this article, exemplifies the deep selfishness of many www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Please take extreme caution on, or if possible avoid, the Warrenpoint-Rostrevor road this afternoon!

“Perhaps the most interesting supernatural phenomenon relating to the Carlingford Lough Disaster is that of the appearance of the Lord Blayney, "the ghost ship of Carlingford Lough.” Interesting piece on Carlingford Lough’s worst maritime disaster in 1916. www.bbc.co.uk/northernirel...

A solitary figure on the high ground above Hilltown and the beautiful guiding words of Manchán Magan with thoughts on the timeless ways of listening and loving.

“Every week, 10 people are killed or seriously injured in towns, cities, and on rural roads across the country while walking, cycling, or scooting. If this was happening in any other field of activity, it would be a national scandal.” www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

“Just as biological species have evolved to thrive in specific local environments, human knowledge systems are adapted to the particularities of place. When these systems are disrupted, the consequences can ripple far beyond their point of origin.” www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...

A quick word on Re-Gen’s recent social media activity 📢 A few years ago, Donald Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon was reported to have described his media strategy as an effort to “flood the zone with shit” as a way to deceive, distract, and disorient the public from the real agenda at play. 1/3

“‘Development’ is not necessarily good; it depends on who you are - it depends on how the structures in society expose you to its hazards or open you to its fruits…” - Bill Adams

Time for Re-Gen Waste Ltd to stop peddling myths, start answering questions and get themselves to the ‘Point to meet the residents who have dubbed them the “Neighbours from Hell.” Thanks to The Newry Reporter for keeping a finger on the pulse of this story since August 2023 until today.

Guillermo del Toro on wealth: "a wealthy man is a man who has enough, not a man that needs more. If you have enough to invite someone for a beer? You're rich. If you have a yacht, planes, islands, and you still need more? You're not rich."

"And then as if from out of nowhere,⁣ A voice came back from long ago, ⁣ These quiet places if you find them, ⁣ Are the spaces where you grow."⁣ - Colum Sands