Business
Decluttering is the key to a stress-free Christmas
Christmas time doesn’t just mean the arrival of Santa; it also means a whole host of new items winging their way into your home.
WEEE Ireland has created the ultimate ‘Pre Christmas Clean Up’ list for keeping your home tidy and stress free this festive season.
Improve each room in your home, declutter and make some much-needed space in time for the Christmas rush by following WEEE Ireland’s Green tips.
Keep, recycle, donate – go through your rooms and make a list of what can be kept and identify what you don’t need and send it to a better place. Whether this means recycling old electrical toys and gadgets, or donating those ignored books and clothes to friend, relative or a charity follow this simple rule – if you haven’t used it in a year get it out of here!
Hold a swap night with friends or family. A fun way to ‘gift on’ and reuse unwanted or unused items and maybe pick up something for yourself instead. Smaller children in particular can appreciate toys and books whether new or pre-loved.
When you buy something new or receive a gift – get rid of something old. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a similar item, but once you are replacing an old unused item for every new one that comes in to the house you are keeping potential clutter under control.
Recycle any old electrical appliances. Still hanging on to that old hair straightener or toaster hoping it will be of use again? Take this as an opportunity to get rid of anything with a plug or battery that no longer works. Simply bring it to your local civic amenity site, or bring it back to your electrical retailer when replacing it with like for like. Log on to recyclefree.ie for more information.
Check for waste batteries throughout the house and replace them – recycle the old ones (check toys, remote controls, Christmas decorations in drawers) at your local retailer wherever you see the blue battery box. Buy rechargeable batteries or maybe ask Santa for a charger to save on battery costs in 2014.
Energy efficient light bulbs are the norm now and come in almost every shape in size. LED bulbs and lights are becoming more affordable and accessible so consider replacing with these where you can. Local hardware shops and lighting suppliers as well as recycling centres have special recycling bins for these types of bulbs so be sure to recycle responsibly when the lights go out!
Where possible shop locally this year and consider sustainably sourced and eco friendly gifts and gadgets. The best presents of all can be homemade or come in the shape of a babysitting or DIY voucher costing you and the environment nothing but your time.
Now your home should be ready for the arrival of presents, food, decorations, selection boxes, and of course a big green Christmas tree!
The new President of Local Ireland, the association representing local news publishers around the country, is Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan.
Mr Linehan takes over the presidency from Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune. His appointment was confirmed at the recent Annual General Meeting of Local Ireland at Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar, Westmeath.
Mr Linehan, who has served as Vice President of the organisation for the last two years, said: “The coming years are a very important time for local publishers with many important issues to be addressed, including the implementation of the Future of Media Commission recommendations, defamation reform, the role and support for local publishers in public service reporting and helping publishers develop commercial digital offerings.”
Speaking at the AGM, Mr McGuire acknowledged the work done by the Executive in the past two years under the direction of Executive Director, Bob Hughes, on several projects related to the publishing industry but most especially the successful conclusion of the long-running campaign for the abolition of VAT on newspapers.
He also wished Mr Linehan the very best in his new role as President of the association for the next two years.
Mr Hughes thanked Mr McGuire for his leadership and support during his term of office and said he looked forward to working with Mr Linehan on the key policy priorities for the association, including Government supports, Government advertising, fair remuneration for content from the tech platforms and the reform of the legislation for defamation.
Local Ireland members also elected Seán Mahon, Managing Director of the Southern Star, as Vice President for the next two years.
The shortage of affordable housing is the single biggest impediment in attracting and retaining workers in the West, according to business group Ibec.
At a ‘Regional Insights Series’ meeting in the Galmont Hotel in Galway last week, employers were told that capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the region.
Ibec Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said: “There must be greater focus by government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region.
“Ibec’s vision for the West is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.
“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” said Ms Leahy.
Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the West are:
- Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges
- Transitioning towards a new growth model with Net Zero energy powered by Atlantic offshore wind resources
- Adapting businesses to the new economic realities
- Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives
- Investment in people and skills
- Creating competitive advantage through digitalisation
- Innovation as a key driver of productivity growth
One in five Galway businesses want to go fully cashless, as the move towards card payments and tapping continues unabated post-Covid.
In all, 22% of Galway businesses would like to be fully cashless, according to a survey carried out by BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA), a provider of payment technology solutions, which asked Irish businesses about the current payment landscape as well as business confidence and concerns.
Over one-third (36%) of Galway businesses were unaware there is no contactless limit on mobile wallets – just below the national average – while 54% believe the increase in card over cash transactions has helped them run their business.
Six out of ten Galway businesses expect to grow this year despite the cost-of-living crisis and running costs dominating as key concerns; 62% believe their business will grow over the next twelve months despite global economic uncertainty.
Unsurprisingly cost-of-living increases and running costs were the main concerns the majority of businesses had.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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