Editors letter

Hello and Welcome
to the September issue of EM.

Hello and welcome to the September edition of EM We are all very conscious of the damage being done to the environment and the concerns in relation to global warming. Many homes now have a selection of refuse bins where waste is segregated and collected at various times of the month and local authorities are providing better and more recycling facilities.

While the big issues such as industry emissions and climate change are a daily news feature, much nearer to home the problem of litter is still a long way from being tackled. Tourists are still identifying Ireland's litter problem as one of the main negatives about visiting Ireland.

Personally, litter is one of the things that I find myself getting most upset over as I travel, not just around the country, but on my daily commute to work. Visitors point to lack of rubbish bins in our towns and villages as well as in many of our tourist attractions. Fast food takeaways do not seem to be made responsible for the throw away containers and paper dumped around their property at night.

Until local authorities start to seriously impose fines on people caught dropping litter on the streets, around the countryside and from passing cars, then we are never going to make progress on this issue.

I can still go into a number of small shops and service stations and be offered a plastic bag free of charge. If our No Smoking campaign was so successful then why can't a Banish Litter campaign be just as successful? Is it because owners of public premises are threatened with fines as well as individuals in breach of the legislation? We have a beautiful country but we are spoiling it on a daily basis. On your next walk on a village or city street, stroll on a country road or trip on any of our major motorways just look around you and see the effects of our poor attitude to keeping our environment litter free.

Letters to the Editor

I always enjoy EM. It has just the right editorial note: business first, then pleasure. The quality of the photographs is superb and ESB comes across as a good place to be. Certainly, as the widow of a 'spark', I have occasion to be deeply grateful for the kindness I have experienced over the years. What struck me in the current issue (July/Aug.) was the Editor's Letter, concerning the KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOUR WEEKEND (14/17July).

The idea is good and the thought behind it extremely important. When I was a child there were no references to suburbs, estates, communities etc. (All those words to describe bodies of people living together in close proximity.) No, the word in common use was THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, describing both the location and the definition of the particular area.

The neighbourhood was the focal point, the people both good and bad, but with a certain amount of goodwill albeit sometimes in a somewhat grudging manner! People pulled together and helped in a crisis. There were very good neighbours, especially in 1940's Dolphin's Barn.

I have lived in about 10 neighbourhoods in my life of 72 years. What I have noted, as years go by, is the loss of the 'neighbourhood'. Housing estates became huge, and linking up with houses already there difficulties arose because of larger numbers of people. Still, the neighbourliness was there and some neighbourhoods were brilliant.

I like to visit churches in different areas, and I'm always so pleased when someone smiles and says 'Good Morning', it makes me feel that this must be a really friendly place to live. So it got me thinking what is the friendliest area in Dublin the nicest place to live? The winner would receive a plaque testifying to the fact. It could go countrywide!

With the advent (and proliferation of ) apartment blocks now cheek-by-jowl with two-storey houses, will the neighbourhood survive? These are important issues: for a country to survive being a good neighbour is vital. A good neighbour is a treasure. You seem to have had a chequered path to your present place of harmony but you sound happy and settled. It's my dream to find just such a nice environment to end my days in, somewhere in Dublin. Perhaps I will!

M. Lawlor, Dublin 12