Selling organic wines in Ireland is definitely a challenge. Now although we 'new agers' all know that challenges are good, there are times when I feel like grabbing one of my bottles and hitting the high road. Why is selling organic wine a challenge? Well there are two main factors involved. One is consumer unfamiliarity with the fact that wine can be organic and the other is the sheer lack of adventure in Irish consumers when it comes to choosing wine.

Is there anyone who believes that humanity can go on polluting the planet to such an extent that we are causing the climate to change without it having rather nasty consequences somewhere along the line?

“How can the world’s population be fed without the extensive use of fossil fuels in the production distribution and processing of food?”

“What will we eat as the oil runs out? Food security in an energy-scarce world.” This was the title of a three day conference that focused on the fact that Peak Oil has provided us with the geological requirement for reducing the amount of fossil fuels in our diet. Held in University College Dublin at the end of June, this conference was organised by Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, in association with the Department of Environmental Resource Management at the Faculty of Agri-Food and the Environment, UCD. Over a three day period an impressive list of 30 speakers addressed up to 140 delegates from a wide variety of backgrounds in the first major gathering in the world to explore the direct relationship between food security and energy scarcity.