As published in Irish Independent 13th August 2024 Talking about death doesn’t make you die, any more than talking about sex makes you pregnant. But that doesn’t make it any less daunting the first time you talk with someone you love about death and dying. In 2019 I listened to the palliative care consultant and … Talking about death won’t kill you – and sharing your end-of-life wishes is a gift
“For this school we enroll children under 5 years of age, who are in danger of not reaching their 10th birthday.” The words of Uganda Hands for Hope social worker Julius literally took my breath away. I was visiting families in the Namuwongo slum in Kampala, home to 20,000 people, and Julius and Felister, social … Saving Young Lives and Giving Hope in Uganda
Marcus Engman, Creative Director at IKEA, believes a circular mindset can change our world. “We’re moving into a future where waste is the raw material. It’s about designing from the bottom up, and thinking in components,” he says. IKEA are committed to being 100% circular by 2030. I could not have imagined in the early … “A Mindset That Will Change the World” – IKEA’s Goal to be 100% Circular by 2030
My commitment at the beginning of 2023 to write a regular blog about sustainability was driven by the despair I was feeling personally about climate change. I was looking for hope through stories of companies or brands who were innovating to make our world better. A year and 25 blogs later, am I more optimistic? … Reflections on a Year of Writing about Sustainability
The International Energy Agency predicts there will be at least 125 million electric vehicles worldwide by 2030, up from 26 million EVs today. All the experts seem to agree that over the course of their driving life electric vehicles create fewer carbon emissions than traditional vehicles that run on planet-warming fossil fuels.But electric vehicles are … Addressing The Downside of Electric Vehicles
Sixty-eight years ago, two women met for the first time when they both joined the Medical Missionaries of Mary in Drogheda as novices. One of them, Anne Merriman, was a 19-year-old, who had been born to Irish parents in Liverpool. Anne’s arrival to the Medical Missionaries of Mary was delayed by a year as she … Standing on The Shoulders of Giants
Schneider Electric is a brilliant example of a company turning sustainability into a competitive edge and a driver for growth. By embedding sustainability into its operating model, it has created significant competitive differentiation. This is credited with helping this French multinational, which produces specialized digital automation and energy management solutions, grow its annual revenue from … Schneider Electric – Sustainability as a Competitive Edge and Driver of Growth
I love to wear colour – so I have to admit to being more than somewhat taken aback to learn that clothes-dyeing “worldwide, is one of the most polluting industrial processes, causing severe environmental and potential health issues”, that it “causes more than 20 per cent of global industrial water pollution” and that it is … When is Green Not Green?
We need more homes and we need to reduce emissions! It’s a conundrum how to address these seemingly contradictory pressures – but the American construction company Mighty Buildings’ innovations may show us a way forward. The building and construction industry accounts for more than a third of the world’s emissions, according to the United Nations. … Mighty Buildings – Making House Building More Sustainable
Jeans are one of the most polluting items in fashion. Over one billion jeans are sold yearly and manufacturing each pair of jeans takes a staggering 7,000 litres of water. If that doesn’t make you think twice about buying a new pair of jeans, I don’t know what will. Lease your jeans and avoid landfill … MUD – Revolutionising the Sustainability of Jeans
