cultivate.ie

Cultivate Living & Learning - May 2007

cultivate your mind | community | world

Issue 5 | Vol. 1  |  May 2007

Welcome to our fifth Living & Learning bulletin that focuses on the activities and projects at the Cultivate Centre (Essex St West, Temple Bar, Dublin). Thank you for reading, sharing and sending us your feedback.

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Cultivate in the News

Planet Matters: Jane Powers Recommends the Convergence Festival - The Irish Times Magazine, April 14, 2007

See full text of this article here . 

Some random facts about the planet we live on:

• A gallon of oil produces the same energy as five kilograms (11lb) of coal, 10kg (22lb) of wood or 50 people toiling all day.

• We're using more oil each year, and it's becoming more expensive: in 1999 the world spent 1.3 per cent of its GDP on oil; in 2006 it was 4.8 per cent.

• Most of our food requires 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce each calorie in our diet.

• Biofuels are presented as being kinder to the environment than oil, but some are catastrophically destructive. Each tonne of palm oil is responsible for 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 10 times the amount produced by petroleum. (Massive amounts of carbon are released when forests are cleared and burned to make way for oil-palm plantations.)

Read more

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Cultivate Learning

upcoming educational opportunities

 Gardening for Families / Gardening for Adults

In our rooftop courtyard garden space at our Centre | Most Saturdays throughout the Summer (please inquire) | 10-11am for families | 3-4pm for adults | €5 per child (one adult free) | Adults pay €5 each for afternoon class

Enjoy the summer weather outdoors in the city, learning in fun ways about gardening, food production, and environmental issues. We will supply most of the materials (although we may ask that you bring along a jam jar or two every once in a while!).

The Art of Living Part 1 Course

Join us for an unforgettable experience

 Thursday 17th to Monday 21st of May (weekday evenings & weekend) | Cultivate Main Hall | Cost: €250 / €175 concessions (by arrangement) | Call 087 766 7195 |

The Course integrates practical wisdom, ancient spiritual knowledge and health practices to increase individual well-being at all levels. Extremely effective and revolutionary techniques are taught on the course, which help the individual deal with the day-to-day stresses of life. Read more 

Climate and Biodiversity Symposium

"Energising Us All To Take Action"

 Tuesday May 22nd | 9.30am - 4.30pm | €10 (for lunch) | Booking essential

National Biodiversity Week is part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government’s Notice Nature campaign to promote greater awareness of our natural environment and encourage people to take action on biodiversity loss.  

The New Spirituality with Gordon Lynch

 Thursday May 31st | 7.30 - 9.30pm | €15

Much attention has recently been given to religious fundamentalism and the ‘religious right’. But less attention has been given to their opposite.  Gordon Lynch will speak on the emergence of a new generation of progressive religious thinkers and organisations on the ‘religious left’. He will discuss the rise of a new spirituality which reveres the natural world, connects religious faith with novel scientific theories, and has a forward-looking agenda for the transformation of religion and society.

This talk will be essential for students attempting to understand the shape of religious belief in the twenty-first century and for those interested in finding the development of a progressive faith in today’s fast-changing world. 

Cultivate Living

 practical solutions for sustainable living

Shop:  Featured products this month

Sustainable Supplies : Solio Solar Powered Charger

Solio solar powered charger is a simple and effective way of charging devices such as phones, iPods, cameras, etc. using the power of the sun. The internal battery stores power for whenever you need it, day or night. The Solio can be charged from either the sun or a wall or car socket and is a useful addition for anyone charging on the move. €89.99.

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Community

members, interns, volunteers and partners

News from The Network

Slow Food Dublin

www.slowfoodireland.com | All bookings should be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By organising this event our aim is to increase public awareness of food-related issues by showing and discussing these two very important films. Slow Food is an organisation, which at its core works to promote the ethos of ‘Good, Clean and Fair’ in relation to the food we eat.

The Future of Irish Food - A Film Screening and Debate

Tuesday 8th May 2007, 7.30pm | €12 Members €15 Non-Members | The Sugar Club

Fowl - A film by Andrew Legge, an important film about both facets of the chicken industry in Ireland

The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil - Davie Philip, Education Manager of Cultivate will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards

The Hollies Centre for Practical Sustainability

 023 47981 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.theholliesonline.com

Renewable Energy - 2 Workshops with Andy Wilson

 Saturday 26th May DIY Solar Thermal / Sunday 27th May 2007†DIY Micro Wind and Solar PV

These two one-day workshops are aimed at people who want to learn useful information about setting up solar and wind installations. €90 per day (€160 for both days booked together). Info/ booking 023 47001

There are also ongoing opportunities to stay as a volunteer working in organic gardens, natural building projects and tree care, and as assistants in educational activities in the context of a program called 'Learning to Live with One Planet' (Education for Sustainable Development in primary and secondary schools in West Cork). Another way of getting to know The Hollies is to come on work weekends. The next one will be 5/6 May. Contact Thomas and Ulrike at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 Health Creation

 101 The Willows | Abberley | Killiney | Co. Dublin | www.healthcreation.eu | 087 6845 735

Dispelling the Biggest Myths in Nutrition: What is a healthy diet?

 Dublin Food Coop | 114-116 Pearse Street | Saturday 5th May | 11am | €Free

It is a toxic food environment we live in today.† The sad fact is that many businesses make their profits from promoting foods that make us sick and others by selling remedies that promise us to bring back health!†† Factual health information is hard to locate in the face of aggressive marketing campaigns.† The truth is that health comes from healthful living – it cannot be bought in a bottle or a pill. Find out: Is it possible to create health? What are healthy fats? How much fat should we eat? How to make sense of confusing and conflicting health information. How to construct a healthy diet.

Global Action Plan in Ballymun (GAP Ballymun)

 27 Shangan Road |  Ballymun | (01) 862 5846 | www.globalactionplan.ie

Project Co-Ordinator Needed for South Dublin

 GAP Ballymun aims to provide people with practical tools to build and strengthen sustainable communities by empowering local people to make a difference to their local areas, socially, economically and environmentally. GAP is now recruiting for the position of Project Co-Ordinator to deliver its programmes in South Dublin County. Read more 

Carraig D·lra

 16 Summerhill | Wicklow Town | Co Wicklow | 087 222 3412 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.dulra.org

Garden Complete (Organic Centre course) with Wendy Nairn & Suzie Cahn

 Start: 16 May 2007 - 10:30am | €75 for one day, €300 for five days, €550 for all ten days

A practical hands on course, participants will be expertly guided throughout the gardening year by attending one-day sessions every month. The course takes place on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

 Each day can be booked individually but preference will be given to people who book the complete course. See website for more.

Wise Woman Weekend

 Dromahair, Co.Leitrim | 071 964 3963 | www.wisewomanireland.com

May 25th-27th, 2007

 This is a time for you – a chance to rest and  rejuvenate, to explore and learn, to be received  and affirmed, to become energised and transformed.  We will celebrate the ancient wisdom, explore our  creativity, honour our self and each other and have fun.  The magic of the weekend is in sharing our  experiences and knowledge and realising we are  not alone.

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Members

Cultivate Membership for €4 minimum a month

Becoming a member is a great way to both support and become part of the Cultivate Community. To join email alice @cultivate.ie.

Benefits include:

 • Free access to the Cultivate book and video library

 • Free copy of Cultivate publications

 • 10% discount in the Cultivate shop

 • 20% discount for Cultivate events

 • "Members' Specials" each month with special discounts in the Cultivate shop

Members' Specials in the shop through May

 We have a fantastic new range of natural household cleaners from Auro, a consistently ecological company who make both paints and cleaning products. The new range includes Oven Cleaners, Tile Cleaners, Scale and Rust Removers, Rapid Descalers, Sanitary Power Cleaners and Express Power Cleaners. So for those of you planning a spring clean we are offering 20% off all of these products this month.