Where better than your own home country to start exploring something that is very close to one’s heart? And I believe to lots of people’s hearts when they start to think about it. At Constructive Voices, we’re not only exploring the obvious parts of the built environment.

“In fact, we’re digging a bit deeper. And connecting the people and their places together, because this is what it’s all about.” Jackie De Burca

How the environment affects us every single day with our health in mind, with how our daily activities are able to be conducted. There’s just a whole host of things that our environment brings to us or perhaps makes more difficult for us.

So tune in to Jackie De Burca as she speaks with Stephen Barrett. He’s the program manager for the Whole Life Carbon Programme at the Irish Green Building Council, and he is going to talk to us about Cobh, which is a picturesque Irish town just outside Cork.

Stephen has planted his roots there for the moment, and now he questions some aspects of the area, such as development.

Biodiversity transport and community pride and how this area Cobh and Cork in general can shape a more sustainable way forward. This episode touches on subjects such as underused train lines to cruise ship impacts, and the local lens that Stephen sees on global challenges.

“What struck me moving from the UK to Ireland is how undervalued Tidy Towns is—those people know their place better than anyone.” – Stephen Barrett on the untapped expertise within community-led groups

Stephen joined the