A unique collaboration between the Louth County Board and Local Authority has seen the Best Presented Football Pitch Competition become an integral part of the county's overall Environmental Campaign. The initiative, introduced in 1996, has resulted in tangible environmental and amenity improvement in GAA facilities throughout the county, which in turn complements the work of the local Tidy Town groups. Clubs have their facilities assessed under a number of environmental headings, including litter and waste management, appearance/impact of entrance, presentation of buildings and any environmental/amenity works such as planting schemes. The GAA club is an integral part of the community life in towns and villages throughout the county so it is felt by Louth County Council that they should play an integral part in local environmental presentation and be recognized accordingly. The competition, since its inauguration has been sponsored by Cuchullain Bakeries and the winning club is presented with the beautiful Cuchullain Crystal Trophy. The standard of entry has improved beyond recognition, but the hope of Louth County Council, the GAA County Board and the faithful sponsor is that non-participating clubs can be persuaded to take part in future years and play their part in improving the environment of Louth. So no GAA club has an excuse now and contact should be made with the local authority for entry into this competition and who knows silverware could be obtained both on and off the field. The ever increasing concerns over our environment has lead to dramatic changes in the way we live today, with everyone becoming involved in making our planet a healthier place to live and that is not limited to GAA clubs. Louth County Council Environmental Awareness Officer Abby McSherry explained how they are helping many diverse groups play their part in the fight against grime. Councils all over the country have made environmental issues one of their main priorities and the local authority in Louth is no different with many different areas to be catered as the fight against grime continues. Abby explained that her role as Environmental Awareness has close parallels with GAA clubs as teamwork is essential for both to achieve their respective goals. "Team work is vital and that does not just apply to here in the council offices. Our work going into the schools to speak to children about the environment and to heighten their awareness of the litter problem spreads out very effectively into the community, making everyone more aware of the issues," said Abby. "We organise a flourishing annual schools environment competition and of course the prestigious Green Flag has been awarded to 17 schools in the county. Our anti-litter mascot "Auntie Litter Bug" has also proven to be a very successful way of getting the message across to the children. Another scheme, the Junior Environmentalist of the Year Award gives public recognition to a young person who has shown remarkable commitment and enthusiasm for environmental matters in their school and environs, and the winner is announced at the Schools Presentation Ceremony. The team work continues with the partnership between the Tidy Towns' groups and the environment section. Funding is provided under the Amenity Grant Scheme to assist community groups of all sorts in carrying out works or activities, which achieve an overall improvement in the environmental status of their area. Groups who avail of the scheme are automatically judged as part of the annual Tidy/Estates/Districts competition. Two silver awards in the National Tidy Towns competition is evidence of the hard work carried out by groups all round the county. Abby admitted that keeping the county tidy involves the use of the stick as well as the carrot of prizes and awards. This is why she believes the €125 on the spot fine for litter offences has been a great success as nobody wants to pay such a hefty fine for an offence that can be easily avoided. "People will certainly think twice about littering the streets as the fine is a serious deterrent to potential offenders and since Louth has the best record for litter fines in the country people realise that the threat is real," she stressed. Team work will continue in the business and farming sectors over the next year and 2007 will see Abby working with farmers to promote solutions to the amounts of farm plastics and chemical contaminated containers that are produced. She is also hoping to work with Teagasc and the IFA on these projects and feels that although there may be extra costs involved, making the environment a safer place is the number one priority for all who live and work in it. Projects with businesses will include providing advice about the Small Change Programme developed under the Race against Waste banner and indeed Louth County Council is always on hand to help out any organisation, including GAA clubs, to manage their waste and people like Abby can offer professional help. All the different work carried out by the Environment Section in Louth is defined by the Waste Management Plan for the North East Region that sets out proposals for managing our waste in the future. The plan proposes an integrated approach to waste management including reduction, reuse and recycling of waste before thermal treatment and final landfilling of just 18% of our waste. This blueprint for how the region will deal with its waste sets out specific targets to be achieved at different times over the lifespan of the plan, so expect to see many new initiatives in addition to those discussed in this article being rolled out over the next five years. Tweet

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