EarthChat

The fashion industry has been revealed as a major source of waste especially those fabrics which contain a high proportion of synthetic and plastic compounds which take a very long time to degrade and leave a toxic legacy, often far from where they are manufactured or purchased. So called “Fast Fashion” is placing a huge burden on waste streams and the natural environment and while consumer behav...

This week, we discuss the proposal to develop tracks and trails throughout Mitchell Shire. We chat about the possibilities of developing links  within the shire and also with neighbouring shires. We will look at the health benefits of walking and cycling in the environment. We will also examine the need to protect our natural treasures. The planned growth in the population in...

Ravish Sran commissioned Peter Lockyer to build a straw bale house in his family village in Punjab, from 2016 to practical completion in 2020. Ravish was impressed with straw bale houses in Victoria, and together with his mother liked one in Nagambie. “This house in India can demonstrate energy efficient housing”.  Passive solar design, rainwater harvesting and in-ground bric...

NAIDOC Week this year marks a powerful milestone: 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy," celebrates not only the achievements of the past but a future, empowered by the strength of young Indigenous leaders, the vision of communities, and the legacy of ancestors. The NAIDOC journey bega...

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are areas of land and sea Country managed by First Nations groups in accordance with Traditional Owners’ objectives. IPAs deliver biodiversity conservation outcomes for the benefit of all Australians, through voluntary agreements with the Australian Government. There are 87 IPAs across Australia, 9 in the Kimberley. This week on EarthChat, ...

Plastic Free July is only a few sleeps away! Now is the time to think about the small steps we can all take to reduce our use of harmful plastics. To help us, in this week's EarthChat, Tim is again chatting with Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, the founder of the global Plastic Free Foundation. Plastic Free July is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation, inspiring all of us ...

There are always interesting goings on at "the Arb", and, it’s always a joy to catch up with the passionate and innovative folk who work there. Ruth is delighted to welcome development manager, Cathy Olive, and grassy ground cover restoration coordinator, Bronte Haines to this week's EarthChat. Two remarkable people among many caring for the Arboretum, including a group of committed volunteers,...

This week, Tim Budge talks with Alex Kelly, an artist, organiser and filmmaker based on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. Working across film, theatre, communications strategy and troublemaking, Alex purposefully connects the disciplines of art and social change. This EarthChat conversation is part of an ongoing series of programs with people who are seeking to be changemakers/ activi...

This week, Marie Gerrard is chatting about a new group in our area. The group is currently setting up a store of donated medical and educational goods that are being discarded by our own health and educational institutions but are greatly needed by our International neighbourhood. Jenny Foster from the Rotary Club of Change Makers Cub together with a highly motivated group th...

Friends of the Earth (FoE) is the largest grassroots federation of environmental activists in the world and currently active in more than 70 countries, with over 2 million supporters and members world wide. FoE began 56 years ago in the USA (San Francisco in 1969), and 53 years ago FoE set up its first Australian office in Adelaide (1972), and a year later (1973) the Melbour...

This week Tim, Jill and guests will be discussing biodiversity. Biodiversity is a term that is used frequently today - but what does it really mean and why is it so important to many aspects of our lives?  Essentially it is all the variety and variability of all the different life forms on Earth ie plants and animals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fungi and other micro-organisms such as bacteri...

This week Marie and Ruth chat with recently retired shire Councillor Rob Eldridge about some wonderful possibilities in Mitchell Shire for developing our opportunities to set aside significant areas of green space for the future.

They start with the proposed Wallan Wallan  wetland park. This is an opportunity that must not be missed as the p...

With Dutton and much of the Coalition voted out of parliament, we are saved from going down a fraught path of nuclear power, and the voters of Australia have strongly rejected Trumpism here. But there are some big challenges for Australia for the resurgent Labor Government. For starters, ramping up the transmission linkage of renewables, upgrading our environmental protection...

Nuclear power and nuclear weapons are policy realities in this current federal election. Both major parties support them in one way or another. The Leader of the Opposition has been open in saying a Coalition government would build nuclear reactors in Australia to replace “ageing coal power stations”. Both Labor and the Coalition are committed to AUKUS, which would see Austr...

Have you ever been struck by the song of a bird and immediately found your curiosity and wonder has led you beyond what it is to be human to another realm? Or a sudden and elusive movement might have caught your eye, be it in your garden or out in the bush. And whilst looking up to the sky have you found yourself witnessing the miracle of birds defying gravity mid air? Birds...

Sustainable House Day (SHD) is an Australian event showcasing (mostly) recently completed energy efficient houses. Be they owner-built or builder-built, there are lots of attractive and efficient and aesthetically stimulating houses to check out near you. What is a Sustainable House? Where does SHD come from? What can we expect from thousands of people checking out hundreds o...

This EarthChat, Marie and Ruth chat with to Norbert Ryan (President, Wallan Environment Group) about what we hope to hear in the policies being put forward by parties standing for our federal elections. The discussion includes our wish lists for a healthy environment going forward. Together they cover a wide variety of forward looking environmental policies and look at the ...

Who started the war in Gaza? When did it start, 7 October 2023, or much earlier? What is the fighting about and who is involved? Why should it matter to us and what has it got to do with the environment and the global movement for climate justice? This week, Tim Budge and Ruth Yeatman talk to Dr Rachel Coghlan about this conflict. It is almost a year since she was last on E...