July 22, 2014 View all news Energy policy has got increasingly controversial in recent years. And now you can do something about it.First, there was Shell's destructive impact on the community of Erris, Co Mayo. Then there was a string of communities from Leitrim to Clare rising up to stave off the threat of fracking for unconventional gas. There was talk of oil off Dalkey, and more talk about the reduced taxes any successful commercial production would pay. And most recently various community groupings around the country have protested about the export of wind energy and the new pylons planned to upgrade the national grid.Finally, it is your turn to have your say.The Government has launched a "Green Paper on Energy Policy" for consultation. It's basically an extended public survey. The first step is a call for online submissions by next week. They have said there will then be, at the very least, regional workshops to tease out the dilemmas and trade-offs we face. Should unconventional gas be fracked, or stay in the ground? Should Money point just keep burning coal, or be shut down? Should we grasp the opportunity to develop a mix of clean renewable technologies that are community owned? How can we reduce energy wastage and use energy more efficiently?Friends of the Earth has teamed up with the Environmental Pillar, of which we are a member, to construct an online facility where you can choose from a menu of options to include in your own submission to the consultation.It will only take a few minutes - you can write your own introduction and leave out items you don't agree with - or you can just click and send the pre-set submission.Every submission that addresses the big picture of climate change, energy security and the need for the public to fully participate in creating a new, truly sustainable energy system, will help push the policy debate in a constructive, progressive direction.Thanks for taking part! Categorised in: Energy