Last October, Derry & Strabane District Council approved planning for one data centre, with three more already having outline permission. While data centres power much of our online world, they also come with huge environmental costs. While still in the early stages, the expansion of data centres here in NI will place immense strain on both electricity and water resources. Data centres are energy-intensive and also require vast amounts of cooling, consuming either millions of litres of water or huge amounts of electricity to keep them cool. Massive corporations like Amazon, Google and Facebook are behind many of the data centres being built - dumping a vast amounts of useless data in these centres while draining local energy and water sources. What's more, as more and more data centres are built, there is a real risk that we will be unable meet to our legally-binding emissions target under the Climate Change Act 2022. Not only that, we are deeply concerned that large scale wind farms will be fast tracked and built on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), damaging those protected areas in order to keep up with the electricity demands of these centres. We demand an immediate review of the planning and approval processes for data centre developments in Northern Ireland and a comprehensive public consultation before they expand further. https://www.savethemoat.com/blog-post

The shore of Belfast Lough is special - lovely walks at low tide, seals, birds, the beach. It's a perfect place for people to enjoy, and to improve their physical and mental health, and appreciate our natural environment. Yet it's closed off. Access denied! NIWater and MEABC have the power to change that. So simply open the gate, and #ShareTheShore!

It's been 40 years since the first integrated school was started here, but in 2022 only 7.5% of schools here are integrated schools - bringing together children from all backgrounds - Catholic, Protestant and other. But there is overwhelming demand: 71% of people here believe our children should be educated together. Stormont has commissioned a new Independent Review of Education that could change everything - but we need you to tell them integrated education matters to you so that they make recommendations to promote integrated education! Now's your chance to speak up! Email the panel members now and tell them that you want to live in a future where all our children are educated together, promoting reconciliation.