This week, Ruth welcomes back Grace Davis-Williams who is our Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Education Officer in Mitchell Shire. This role is part of a collaborative project between Mitchell, Murrindindi and Strathbogie Shire Councils who came together in 2018 to provide a regional approach to waste education, a critical tool for supporting waste management strategies and sustainability. Grace has been straddling her efforts to minimize waster over three shires for the last six years. A b...
Apr 09, 2024•48 min•Season 24Ep. 14
The end of logging in native forests by VicForests raises the wonderful opportunity for us to think of future prospects for these tree communities in Victoria. This week on EarthChat, Tim and Marie talk with Paul Macgregor, forests campaigner for BEAM, and committee member of the Victorian Forest Alliance, about the importance of restoring these forests to biodiverse splendour and cultural richness. 1.8 million hectares of state forest, once reserved for logging, now face a brighter future. Tree...
Apr 02, 2024•47 min•Season 24Ep. 13
On this week's show, Peter is joined by an old friend, Annemaree Docking. She's a hands-on, small-farm landholder who's been practising sustainable farming for 30 years. She is also a former Vice President of the BEAM Committee. Annemaree was raised on a suburban block in Doncaster, on what was then the outskirts of Melbourne, very much a fringe suburb in the 1980’s, apple and pear orchards were giving way to quarter acre Aussie dreams while Annemaree grew up riding horses where the Eastern Free...
Mar 26, 2024•48 min•Season 24Ep. 13
"Climate Safe Rooms" is a Climate retrofitting project to create refuges in low-income households during heatwaves and extreme cold. As our weather bobs around all over the place, and the expected extra hot and dry summer has become a mix of deluge and high humidity, local action on climate has many faces. This week, Peter is joined by the Mitchell Community Energy's President, John Thompson, who is fired up about Seymour being the springboard for community action that contributes to the recentl...
Mar 21, 2024•47 min•Season 24Ep. 2
We are a powerful force for nature! How do we get people involved in environmental action? This week on EarthChat, Tim and Ruth talk to Don Vogt, a long-term environmental activist and convenor of the ACF Inner Melbourne Community Group. Don is a tireless and committed community leader and he dedicates most of his week to organising events, recruiting new members and further strengthening this powerful local group. They plant trees, get AFL footballers involved, run workshops, lobby politicians ...
Mar 21, 2024•45 min•Season 24Ep. 2
Continuing the theme of the importance of volunteering for the environment, Vanessa and Tim will be talking about Vanessa's recent experience working along Hughes Creek near Avenel , and how this relates to an endangered fish species, the Macquarie Perch , that can still be found in this creek. You can also read more about it online on The Country News at this link (subscribe or access articles for free for one month)....
Mar 21, 2024•48 min•Season 24Ep. 1
Vanessa and Ruth discuss Vanessa's recent adventure discovering two very different habitats for native animals. They discuss the largest feral predator-free ecosystem in Victoria, Mount Rothwell, and the sewage treatment lagoons of the Western Treatment Plant, otherwise known as the Werribee sewage farm. Want more information about either location? Read about Mt Rothwell here and the Western Treatment Plant here...
Mar 19, 2024•39 min•Season 24Ep. 11
Marie and Tim chat to Brendan Garrett about Mitchell Shire Council's Climate Emergency Action Plan. We talk about how to reduce our carbon footprint and meet our carbon net zero goals. What are the practical steps we can take? You can read the Plan here .
Mar 12, 2024•47 min•Season 24Ep. 10
Tim and Ruth talk to Dr Rosemary Kelly about superannuation investments, international treaties prohibiting weapons which cause indiscriminate civilian deaths, climate change and fossil fuels and how funds apply screens when investing. Find out why this might be important for your super. An important conversation on the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.
Mar 05, 2024•40 min•Season 24Ep. 9
Seymour now has its own Youth Development Officer. Ryan Hutchison joins Ruth along with the 2 other Youth Development Officers for the Mitchell Shire, Tara Kinsey & Kris Johnson. They fill us in on what the Council is offering Youth aged 12 - 24 throughout the Shire.
Mar 03, 2024•39 min•Season 24Ep. 8
Vanessa Malandrin talks about rivers and an interesting PhD research project. The research by Madeline Grupper from Melbourne Uni looks at how people in the Goulburn Broken River Catchment think about rivers and water use. The hope is to build a shared understanding of river priorities.
Feb 24, 2024•42 min•Season 24Ep. 7
Ruth’s guest is Aeronwyn Schache, a face to face fundraiser’ with The Wilderness Society. This is a fascinating conversation on the path and values that have led this next generation activist to devote her life to supporting the environmental health of our planet and all its residents.
Feb 20, 2024•44 min•Season 24Ep. 141
As someone who cares about the environment, the impact of climate change, or other social justice issues, it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel despair and burnout. How can we rediscover purpose, energy and strength for the journey? This week we talk to Josh Glover on this topic.
Feb 20, 2024•48 min•Season 24Ep. 6
