End of the line for Eco Eye but we need to keep sight of its message

I was sorry to see RTÉ’s Eco Eye come to an end after 21 years on our television screens.

The final episode aired earlier this month.  And though RTÉ says it will continue to build on its environment and sustainability content, it is hard to imagine a more passionate and informed presenter than Duncan Stewart.

Over the last 21 years, Stewart has been much more than the guy in front of the camera. It was he who came up with the concept for the programme, long before the phrase ‘green agenda’ was coined or even recognised as something other than a niche, hippy sort of thing.

He approached RTÉ, who refused to fund it. However, sponsors were sourced and the show made it to air. Its longevity is a sure sign of its significance and relevance to viewers.

Eco Eye highlighted a lot of environmental concerns but it did so much more than that. It explored systems and projects that were working well, championing those innovators who were devising technology to tackle big environmental concerns.

Globally, Eco Eye looked at major issues such as the impact of climate change on people’s lives, poor water quality, and the damaging, large scale agricultural practices of which we are now so much more aware

When it came to looking at sustainable homes, Stewart really came into his own.

An architect by trade and a committed environmentalist, he inspired confidence and trust as he took viewers beneath the skin of new construction concepts. 

His great awareness of people’s needs, concerns and doubts meant that rather than simply preaching about the merits of something he asked the questions that people wanted answered.

How would a strawbale house fare in a fire? Very well, Stewart told us, explaining the fireproofing in enough detail to reassure us without being so technical that we would zone out.

Were timber frame homes suitable for Irish weather? Yes, if the right materials and construction methods were used.

Was it really possible to have a ‘passive house’ that was self regulated in terms of temperature? Again, yes.

Further building themes that were explored included solar panels and other methods of heating water and radiators. Each advancement in technology was subjected to the same scrutiny.

In the earlier years of Eco Eye, many of these construction methods were considered quite niche, and obtaining planning permission for a sustainable home was often the biggest challenge.

Thanks to Duncan Stewart and his team, more and more people became aware of the potential of passive homes and other environmental considerations. 

Nowadays, local authorities that might once have refused planning permission are themselves providing social housing to a sustainability spec that would have been considered at best aspirational 20 or even 10 years ago.

Duncan Stewart and the Eco Eye team have played a huge role in bringing these concepts and technologies into the mainstream, and of raising awareness of environmental concerns locally, nationally and globally.

That is the legacy of 21 years of Eco Eye. As it comes to an end, it is really important not to take our eye off the ball. Many of the concerns raised over the 21 years have now come to pass. 

As the last ever episode of Eco Eye showed, our poor water quality is a cause for concern. 

On a global level, deforestation and habitat loss is continuing at an alarming rate. The worrying state of our seas has been well documented. 

We have learned a lot from Eco Eye throughout its time on air. I hope RTÉ will maintain the high standards set by Duncan Stewart and the  team  as it moves forward with new content on these important themes.