Aoife Moloney
"To raise environmental awareness and create consciousness around the issues that affect mother nature during this time of crisis."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 706 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO44pieces of litterpicked up
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UP TO27single-use bagsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.0community eventhosted or attended
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UP TO870minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO260minutesspent learning
Aoife's actions
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Eco Friendly Beauty Products
To adopt more Eco friendly beauty products
Freshwater + Oceans
Join a Cleanup Effort
I will organize or participate in a trash pickup at a local river, beach, or natural body of water.
Action Track: Community
Keep My Community Clean
At times it may not feel like it's up to us to keep our community clean and healthy, but we all have a role to play. Each day I am outside, I will pick up any litter I see.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Endangered Species
Wildlife and biodiversity play an important role on our planet and are being threatened each year. I will spend 60 minutes each day learning about the current status of local or global wildlife and how I can align my actions to support their livelihood.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Invest in Nature
A healthy world needs both our daily actions and support from larger systems. I will spend 15 minutes learning about how I can use my investments and savings to advance environmental sustainability.
Freshwater + Oceans
Cooking Oil Disposal
Pouring cooking oil down the drain can cause damage to waterways and ecosystems. I will learn how to properly dispose of cooking oil to help support healthy ecosystems.
Land + Forests
Explore My Area
When we explore natural spaces around us, our connections with them change. I will spend 20 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood, office, or campus (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).
Land + Forests
30 for 30 in Nature
Studies have shown that when we spend consistent time in nature, our health improves, our creativity increases, and our connection to the planet gets stronger. Each day of the Ecochallenge, I will spend 30 minutes outside (in a large or small patch of nature), then share my observations, reflections, and learnings on the feed.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Learn about Native Species
The world is full of unique species. I will spend 10 minutes each day learning what the native plants and wildlife are in my region.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Use Reusable Bags
Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by many wild animals and can end up in habitats that harm wildlife. I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Save the Bees
Bees are vital to ecosystems. To help save the bees, I will learn which local flowers provide nectar and plant them in my backyard or in a pot on my balcony.
Action Track: Community
JOIN OR CREATE A GREEN TEAM AT EMERSON
I will continue to contribute to Emerson's environmental sustainability goals beyond April by learning more about the Global Green Teams Network, joining a team near me, or maybe even creating a new team.
Action Track: Community
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NEWS ON SUSTAINABILITY AT EMERSON
I will sign up to the Sustainability Aficionados distribution list to receive global news on sustainability at Emerson, including world news and Greening OF, BY, and WITH news.
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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Aoife Moloney 4/30/2024 3:56 AMI have thoroughly enjoyed Earth month and many of the actions / challenges that I set myself during this month will carry on with me into the future and wont be just for Earth Month. I am looking forward to Plastic Free July and I would encourage everybody to sign up for Plastic free July, a global movement sharing plastic free solutions so we can take action to end plastic waste. Maybe Emerson could set up a similar dashboard to the Earth Month to track & share what people are doing to encourage this movement.-
Stephen Guthrie 4/30/2024 4:54 AMExcellent. Well done
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Aoife Moloney 4/30/2024 2:16 AMThis morning when I was opening the windows i heard a distinctive but familiar sound outside in the garden , it was a male pheasant , so I decided this morning i would learn a bit more about these gorgeous birds:
Pheasants aren’t native to Ireland, or even to the UK, having been introduced as game birds by the Normans there. It’s estimated they have been in Ireland from at least the 1500s, and they are very numerous – certainly not in danger, although they are hunted.
Male pheasants are a big bird, about the size of a small chicken, with sturdy legs and long tail feathers. But it’s his colouring that sets him apart. Overall, he’s a reddish brown colour, but his breast gleams copper and gold in the sun. He has a white neck ring – his neck and the top of his head is an iridescent blue-green, but shades into purple around his cheeks. And then there are the wattles – brilliant scarlet flaps that cover each cheek and hang down either side of his face. Little blue-green crests stick up above the eyes like tiny horns.
All that brilliant plumage makes him very attractive to the ladies, apparently.
Pheasants get along with all the other birds – the small birds aren’t afraid of them, and the pheasants don’t seem to be bothered by the big black rooks that descend in flocks.
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Stephen Guthrie 4/30/2024 4:56 AMThank you for sharing.
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Aoife Moloney 4/29/2024 2:04 AMToday i learned about the Giant Irish Elk, which is now extinct around the world:
It was one of the largest species of deer to ever exist, and stood up to 7 feet high at its shoulder alone!
Sadly, they became extinct, with the last ones dying out in Ireland around 11,000 years ago.
Although nobody alive today has been lucky enough to see the Irish elk in all its glory, thanks to a number of well-preserved skeletons and fossils, we have a pretty accurate idea of what they would have looked like in their prime.
We also know that the Irish elk carried the largest antlers of any known deer. There has been evidence enough to show us that these impressive antlers would have spanned a maximum of 3.65 m (12.0 ft) from tip to tip and could have weighed up to an enormous 40 kg (88 lb) in weight. Imagine how strong the Irish elk must have been to be carrying that weight around on its head all day!
The Irish elk evolved during the glacial periods of the last million years. Evidence has been discovered that suggests that they ranged throughout Europe, northern Asia and northern Africa, and a related form has been discovered in China too.
The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin is home to one of the largest and most complete collections of Irish Elk in the world.
The Irish elk skeletons are located throughout the museum and, due to their size, are pretty hard to miss.
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Aoife Moloney 4/29/2024 1:54 AMToday i learned about The Irish Wolfhound:
The Irish wolfhound is one of the oldest breeds in existence. It was developed by monks who needed an animal that could hunt down and kill wolves, which were considered dangerous pests at the time. The breed has been around for over 1,000 years! Today, it’s still used as a hunting dog but also enjoys being part of family life. This large hound can be found all across Europe and Asia.In ancient times, the Irish wolfhound was known as “the Hound of Ulster” or “Ulster’s Hound”. It was said to be bred on the island of Inishowen in County Donegal, where there are still some hounds today. There were two types of Irish Wolfhounds – one with long legs and another with short ones. They were both grey dogs, although they had different coats.
Like many other dogs of this kind of stature, these sighthounds were only really owned by the high born. Over the centuries, they became coveted gifts to emperors and ambassadors, kings and cardinals, often arriving in ancient times in symbolic groups of seven, tied with silver chains. There are many folk tales from Ireland describing Irish wolfhounds in ancient times.
The first recorded importation back into Ireland came about when Lord Edward Fitzgerald brought three Irish wolfhounds over from France in 1818. He had been given the dogs by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, who admired their loyalty and intelligence.
Wolfhound dogs were still hunted occasionally during the mid-1840s. In 1840, two packs of them were brought over from France to hunt foxes in County Cork. One of these packs was owned by Sir Charles Ponsonby, 2nd Baronet, MP for East Grinstead, Sussex. These huntsmen were successful enough to return home with several prizes.
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Aoife Moloney 4/29/2024 1:43 AMMany of us are drowning in reusable bags — cloth totes or thicker, more durable plastic bags — that retailers sell cheaply or give away to customers as an ostensibly greener alternative to single-use plastic. (I have 15 cotton totes and 12 heavy-duty plastic bags stashed in a kitchen drawer, only a few of which see the light of day.)But we need to be careful, Campaigners say these bag hoards are creating fresh environmental problems, with reusable bags having a much higher carbon footprint than thin plastic bags. According to one eye-popping estimate, a cotton bag should be used at least 7,100 times to make it a truly environmentally friendly alternative to a conventional plastic bag.
The answer to what’s the greenest replacement for a single-use plastic bag isn’t straightforward, but the advice boils down to this: Reuse whatever bags you have at home, as many times as you can.
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Aoife Moloney 4/29/2024 1:39 AMToday the community took part in a 5KM walk around the parish in aid of the Autism unit in the local primary school. The weather was glorious and at the end of the walk we were treated to tea's , coffee's (everybody was asked to bring their own reusable cup to cut down on waste) , home baking and music as well as a fantastic raffle with over 56 prizes , such a great day. During the walk people also had brought bags with them to collect rubbish along the way. Was a lovely way to spend a few hours on Saturday morning.
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Aoife Moloney 4/26/2024 1:16 AM‘Why use reusable bags?’ is t o reduce the impact of plastic bags on the environment. By now we’re all aware that single-use plastics like water bottles and shopping bags are crowding landfills and endangering wildlife.
Did you know that :
- The Center for Biological Diversity reports that harm to at least 267 different species has been attributed to plastic pollution in the oceans.
- Plastic bags alone kill up to 100,000 marine animals every year. One species that is especially hard hit is the leatherback sea turtle, which often confuses plastic bags for the jellyfish they like to eat. One of every three leatherbacks is found with plastic in its stomach.
- Residents in the USA, for example, use nearly one single-use plastic bag per person per day. Let’s put that into perspective, thanks to the National Geographic Society: Danish shoppers use only about four plastic bags per year.
- The Earth Day Network states that only about 1% of the four trillion plastic bags used worldwide annually are recycled.
- A plastic bag takes up to 500 years to degrade in landfill. According to the Earth Day Network, as plastic bags break down, they absorb toxins which can then be released into the wind, water or ground.
Now that you’re aware of the dramatic impact single-use plastic bags have on our environment, we hope you have a better understanding of the reasons to use reusable bags. -
Aoife Moloney 4/25/2024 4:13 AMLearning about Used cooking oil recycling:Used cooking oil is the best possible feedstock for biodiesel production..
Whilst you can make biodiesel from many different crops, this places a burden on land needed to grow food and could contribute to deforestation and threaten biodiversity.
Creating biodiesel from something that would otherwise go to waste, makes it one of the greenest possible alternatives to fossil fuels. Used cooking oils (UCO) and fats are the ideal feedstock to refine into biodiesel. And, because they cannot be recycled into either the human or the animal food supply chains, due to the food safety risks they pose, this is by far the most sustainable way to dispose of them.
Olleco in the UK is changing the way we dispose of our used cooking oil.
Being the UK’s leading refiner of used cooking oil and use it to create biodiesel of the very highest standard. Our biodiesel is ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) compliant and exceeds the EN14214 EU specification required for it to be used as the proportion legally required to be blended into diesel fuel sold in the garage forecourts of UK and EU countries. As a result, our biodiesel can also be used in 100% concentrations in adapted vehicles. This has the effect of reducing carbon emissions by 89% compared to fossil diesel.
Once your used cooking oil arrives at one of our processing sites, any food fragments or particles are removed along with any water contained in the oil. Both the food particles and water removed during processing are then used in our anaerobic digestion plant, so nothing is wasted. As part of this process, the used cooking oil we collect is tested and analysed to assess its quality and value.
The processed used oil is then taken to our state-of-the-art biorefinery. This is the largest facility of its kind in the UK solely devoted to processing used cooking oil and is one of the most advanced in the world.
As your cooking oil passes through, it goes through a series of refinement, reaction and separation processes which convert it into biodiesel. The process is carefully monitored at every stage to ensure that the output will exceed the stringent requirements required by regulators and produces a clean, clear, low-odour biodiesel. This is particularly important in a world where most diesel engines and ignition systems have been technically refined to deliver extremely high levels of performance and efficiency.
Our biorefinery operates to the very highest environmental standards. The biodiesel it produces is made even more sustainable because the refinery has an integral anaerobic digestion plant that generates the heat and power required to run it. Both are fed from different wastes collected from our customers which effectively creates a closed loop recycling process for those customers who provide us with used cooking oil and purchase the resulting biodiesel.
The facility can create enough renewable biodiesel to fuel 1,632 HGVs or 57,000 cars every year.
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Aoife Moloney 4/25/2024 2:20 AMToday i learned about the Connemara Pony , a horse breed native to Ireland:
The Connemara Pony is native to Ireland. They originate in the west coast of Ireland, a rugged yet beautiful landscape. The Connemara region is plentiful in peat bogs, lakes, mountains, beautiful coastline and breathtaking scenery. The harsh climate and rocky terrain has allowed the Connemara pony to adapt and survive, it is for this reason they are known to be hardy.
The exact origins of the Connemara pony are uncertain, but was mainly influenced by the Scandinavian and Spanish blood. It wasn’t until in 1855 when the Spanish Armanda ran aground. This was where the Spanish sailors found themselves on the coast of Galway. Their Andalusian horses were let off loose and they began to breed with the wild Scandinavian ponies in the west of Ireland.
The Connemara pony is one of the larger pony breed. They vary in height from 12.2hh to 15.2hh. The average height is between 14hh – 14.2hh. The Connemara pony must be 14.2hh or under to meet the breed standards of the Connemara Pony Breeder Society. They generally mature at about 5 year of age and can live well into their 30’s. The most dominant colour is grey and dun, their are also bay, brown, black, chestnut, roan and palomino.
The pony has a fantastic temperament, love human affection and are inquisitive, making them very easy to handle.
The Connemara pony is a safe and sensible breed, which makes them a fantastic mount for both children and adults alike. They are extremely intelligent and very trainable.The Connemara pony were heavily relied on in times gone by. They were the backbone of many farming families who loved them dearly. They worked from dawn to dusk doing what ever task was being asked of them. This strong, sturdy pony was used to plough to land, pull the cart to carry turf, rocks and seaweed, the were a mode of transport carrying the family to mass on a Sunday, as well as a mount for hunting, racing and local shows.
The largest display of Connemara Ponies can be seen at the International Connemara pony show which is held in Clifden. Co. Galway in August each year. This is a huge gathering from both home and abroad. The show attracts many tourists from overseas which make up 60% of the attendance. It is a great gathering where ponies are judged and sold.
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Aoife Moloney 4/25/2024 2:06 AMToday I learned about Irelands Waste Action Plan for a Circularity Economy & how what we do at home feeds into the bigger picture:
Out of Europe’s worst plastic waste offenders, Ireland is ranked the worst in Europe.
Each year, we produce 61kg per person – which is the equivalent of nearly 6000 disposable coffee cups or more than 2000 water bottles – for each and every person in Ireland. We are producing too much waste for a country of our size. Plastics and their byproducts are littering our country, our roads, our seas, our rivers, and now our bodies. We need to find solutions.
A circular, or zero waste, economy is the green way to go. It will help tackle climate change, help preserve dwindling resources, but it will also save money. It is a win from all sides.
The ‘Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy’ (the “Plan”) outlines an ambitious roadmap for Ireland’s waste policy up to the period of 2025. Taking a holistic view of resources, the Plan actively encourages a more circular, sustainable waste management model that will maximise the value of materials throughout a product's life cycle, putting climate action at the core of national resource management policy.
Under the Plan households are challenged with reducing waste, improving recycling activities and generally embracing and expanding their social responsibility efforts. To encourage engagement, a deposit and return scheme for plastic bottles was signed into regulation in November 2021 and is set to become operational during 2022 (This was delayed until 2024).
Waste bin colours will also be standardised across the country and apartment complexes will be required to properly segregate waste.So what are the benefits of a zero waste economy, firstly lets start with you and your household:
While the switch to zero waste can be hard, there can be many benefits for you on a personal level as well as for your household in general, such as:- Improved physical health
- Improved wellbeing
- Fewer toxic chemicals in your home
- Reduced unnecessary spending
Now if we extend this to a Zero waste community:Making the switch to zero waste in your home or business doesn’t just affect you, but can also have many positive benefits in your wider community, such as:
- Getting food and goods to those who need them instead of disposing of unused food.
- Saving money that can be reinvested into your community
- Improving social cohesion
- Creating jobs and improving the local economy
- Reducing localized pollution
Think global, act local, and you’ll start to see the benefits of zero waste on a worldwide scale, including:
- A reduction of non-biodegradable waste such as plastic
- A drop in the production of greenhouse gases
- Fewer finite natural resources being extracted
So if you think the changes you are making in your everyday life are not making any differences , think again , what you are doing on a daily basis has a knock on effect to the bigger picture , so keep doing what you are doing and little by little we can help save our planet.
