A full programme of workshops and films will take place over the three days. On Friday the main theme will be waste - reducing, composting, recycling. Participants will include festivals waste specialist Feidhlim Bryan, a local composter, a waste expert from the Environmental Protection Agency and Paddy Berridge, joint partner with Celtic Composting in a new Wexford based company, Ballyshannon Recycling, who is also interested in the wider question of biomass as an energy source.

On Saturday David Korowicz of FEASTA will give an overview of the whole issue of climate change and sustainability and lead a discussion of where Ireland needs to go. Mary White, patron of the Irish Green Gathering and Deputy Leader of the Green Party will preside over this session. Some practical workshops about direct experiences of energy sustainability with the participation of Gerry Wrixon, former president of University College Cork, and Douglas Ffrench Mullen, both of whom have put theory into practice, will follow. Davie Philip from Cultivate in Dublin will be showing and talking about his series of short films examining how communities can prepare for the future by 'Skilling Up for Powerdown', while John Jopling of FEASTA will also talk about the new Global Atmosphere Trust (GAT) which is due to be launched soon in London.

On Sunday the themes will be Food and Farming. Clodagh McKenna, of Ballymaloe and RTE, and now teaching at the Slow Food university near Turin, will lead a discussion about encouraging quality, local food production while Bruce Darrell of FEASTA will speak about the wider issues of agriculture and food security, and the exciting new possibilities of using 'biochar' to capture carbon in the soil at the same time as building up its fertility. JJ Kavanagh, chairman of the Irish Farmers Association committee studying alternative and biofuel crops, will also be present to lead a workshop on the subject.

And then of course there's the music, all of which is played on a stage powered by a bio-fuelled generator (of course). Cork' s funk soul brothers (and sister) Fred join Limerick's not-so-subtle sonic assassins Giveamanakick, the casio-keyboard wielding, punk-rock, folk-hammering minimalist Jinx Lennon, explosive instrumental trio Adebisi Shank, Dublin's no-frills hard-rocking veterans Large Mound, epic indie post-rockers Cars in Walls and the deliriously schizo and leftfield indie kids Grand Pocket Orchestra, among others. And just as the bands are settling down for the night, along comes the post-gig entertainment with DJs and late night visuals from the likes of Donal Dineen, Pressure Drop, Kevin Blake, Dinky Loop and Doc Fiasco.

Tickets are now on sale for the second Irish Green Gathering and can be bought on line or by phone (www.irishgreengathering.com for details). Three day weekend camping tickets cost €65. Day tickets at €25 will be sold at the gate, as last year. Children 13 and under free. Gates open at 6 pm on the Thursday, August 7 and the festival closes when the music stops on the evening of Sunday, August 10.

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