2006 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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ENFO
Brendan Keenan
Welcoming us into an oasis of calm

Australian environmentalist, Dale Treadwell, capturing the interest of a young audience at an ENFO workshop.

In the busy heart of Dublin, there is an oasis of calm dedicated to providing you with information which could save the world. ENFO on St Andrew St, with a friendly and helpful staff, has been active since 1990 providing information and promoting the care of our precious environment. When you walk in to the ground floor of ENFO the growl of traffic is replaced by an atmosphere of calm. The front desk staff are happy to answer any queries you may have on the environment, or direct you to where you can find the answer.

To your right is an open area where exhibitions on a wide range of environmental themes are displayed. The exhibitions change every few weeks, so it's worth dropping by regularly to see what's on. Quite often workshops are also run in conjunction with the exhibitions.

To your left is a range of shelves displaying over 150 ENFO leaflets spanning the environmental spectrum, from sustainable development, through various habitats and species, to air pollution and the built environment. In one corner, there are three booths where any of 250 videos/DVDs on the environment can be viewed. Adjacent to this is a bank of computers with games with an environmental theme for younger people. Opposite is the Children's Corner with puzzles, games, toys, colouring books, etc for younger children. Here and there, are piles of colourful wildlife posters, all of which are free.

Upstairs is the heart of ENFO � a public reference library with over 20,000 books and journals. The library staff are very helpful in finding whatever environmental information you want for homework, business, or if you want to check the quality of the air you breathe and the water you drink. There is internet access to sites of environmental interest, as well as more specialised resources such as online databases. The national collection of environmental impact assessments is scanned on to computer, and copies can be burned on to CDs which ENFO provide. The library catalogue can be searched on-line on the ENFO website, www.enfo.ie from anywhere on Earth.

ENFO welcomes group visits and can provide a tour and talk if a booking is made in advance. ENFO reaches out to the four provinces by setting up shop at fairs and festivals. ENFO on Tour will be visiting 450 schools around Ireland this year. Children can join the ENFO Children's Club and receive seasonal newsletters and gifts. So drop in to ENFO 10am � 5pm Monday to Saturday. No membership is required and it's all free!

Contact: ENFO
Tel: 01 8883910 or 1890 200191 (Local)
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie