Repair works at Delphi Bridge, County Mayo, may have destroyed Ireland's largest colony of rare freshwater pearl mussels, which are in the Bundorragh River.

In November 2011 repair works were being carried out on the bridge during heavy rainfall. The contents of 36 sandbags spilled out into the river. This smothered the young mussels 'in a matter of hours', according to a report compiled by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), a lobby group.

Read the full article on the Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) web site.

Often we think of going green as a long term goal for the well being of future generations. This is admirable but cleaning up is very much an immediate concern too. Clean Air in London is calling on the current Mayor and all candidates in the forthcoming London Mayor elections on the 3rd of May to "Lead the fight to improve London’s air; Clean up London’s transport; Build a low emission city; Protect the most vulnerable; and Ensure a legacy from the Olympic Game".

Simon Birkett, Founder and Director of Clean Air in London, said:

“London is back where we thought it was during the Great Smog of 1952.

Boris Johnson says there were 4,267 early deaths in London in 2008 attributable to long-term exposure to ‘invisible’ air pollution (at an average of 11.5 years each). This compares to 4,075 due to short-term exposure during the ‘visible’ Great Smog of 1952 when we knew nothing of the health impact of long-term exposure to air pollution. Only smoking causes more early deaths now.

The Mayor must protect the health of Londoners and ensure full compliance with UK and European air quality laws throughout London. We need a Mayor who will:

• Lead the fight to improve London’s air by championing the tightening of health and legal protections, ensuring good governance and improving public understanding of poor air quality
• Clean up London’s transport by reducing traffic emissions, cleaning up the public transport system, reducing emissions from non-road mobile machinery and supporting active travel
• Build a low emission city by using planning powers and other opportunities to reduce emissions from buildings and improve indoor air quality
• Protect the most vulnerable through a focus on children, the elderly, the poor and ethnic minorities
• Ensure a legacy from the Olympic Games by delivering a low emission Olympics and more

Clean Air in London is therefore calling on all the Mayoral candidates to promise in their manifestos to end the biggest public health crisis for decades. After four years of backward steps on air quality measures, Boris is well behind on this issue.

We need a Mayor who will show the world, starting with the Olympics, that London is leading the way in tackling air pollution as it did after the Great Smog of 1952.”

You can see more on the Clear Air in London web site.

This new site exists to bring together a variety of web sites, blogs and environmental initiatives across the UK and Ireland dedicated to environmental concerns.

My concern is to demonstrate that there are many initiatives across the UK and Ireland that can make a difference to our ecology and improve the quality of everyday life on planet earth, whether in business, the home, schools or in our open spaces.

The main part of it is the Directory, where you can submit details of your business, group or venture. In time I hope to add some articles on environmental issues and develop new features as time allows.