EarthChat

Birds: Why We Can’t Live Without Them…. S25 Ep15

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 offer a portal to the wild world providing a sense of connection with nature which can evoke feelings of awe and wonder, promoting greater awareness and appreciation for the environment. No wonder humans have been inspired by birds on so many levels, from music, poetry and art to engineering.Here are a few examples of their remarkable achievements: The Arctic Tern flies 90,000 km round trip every year between the north and South Pole - from Greenland in the North, to the Weddell Sea in the South. The Bar-Headed Geese can fly as high as 6,000 metres when crossing the Himalayas. Humming Birds are the weight of a sheet of paper and the size of the eye of an Ostrich, (who like the Emu and Cassowary don’t fly at all). They can too fast for the human eye to see how they got from A to B, and they can hover mid air without falling to the ground. And what’s more, they can fly backwards. Sharp-tailed Sandpipers migrate from Australia to Siberia and back again every year to breed. And the Lyrebird has inhabited Australia for over 15 million years… Superb fairy-Wren’ fathers sing to their eggs before they hatch. Extraordinary Bird facts go on and on…..On every level of human existence we need the existence of birds. Recent research indicates that of all the natural sounds, bird songs and calls are most often cited as helping people recover from stress, improve mental wellbeing, and enhance cognitive functions like focus and attention. The absence of birdsong would create a noticeable and potentially unsettling silence in nature. Now for some sobering facts for us to address. We are losing birds species and bird numbers to dangerous levels for a healthy survival of the planet. Nearly three billion birds are estimated to have been lost since 1970 in North America alone, and a further 600 million have been lost in the European Union since 1980, an area five times smaller. Since European colonization 69% of Australia has lost at least one bird species with a 61% increase.Without birds, aside from the reasons cited above, ecosystems would face significant disruption, impacting pollination, seed dispersal, insect control, potentially leading to reduced biodiversity and increased disease risk and a reduced food supply with economic consequences of reduced food production and potential health issues. By having more insects roaming the land as a result of no birds, crops will be ravaged by the amount of pests causing loss of human life, and other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and plant life.The good news is there’s much we humans can do to change this trajectory to support the ongoing health and preservation of birdlife around the planet. Join Ruth and her guests, ecologist, Peter Mitchell, and avid birder, Val La May, to explore the wonderful world of birds and how we can support their vital existence.Peter Mitchell: Peter has a PhD in zoology and years of experience in ecology and land management.  He has worked as a Landcare coordinator, teacher and land management officer with government departments. Since retiring, Peter is been involved in many volunteer groups working on landscape restoration and the management of many of Mitchell Shire’s Natural Treasures.  He has written many of BEAM’s submissions to government agencies including the Shire’s Structure Plans and Rural Strategy.Val La May: Born in Rochester, New York, (USA), Val moved to Boise where she grew up in Idaho's Rocky Mountain West. Picnicking and camping ‘up in the hills’ led she and her siblings to rampage around the forest like wild things. Many years later, on returning to the Idaho woods, she became a ‘birdo’ when recognising the sound-track of her childhood with Nuthatch, Clarks Nutcracker, the haunting song of Swainson’s Thrush, and many others. In her early twenties she and her partner heard that Australia was recruiting teachers. They leapt at the chance and the first thing they did on arrival was to ‘go bush’. It was like being on a different planet. The birds, mammals, reptiles and plants were alien to them. Even the frogs didn’t sound at all like ‘proper’ frogs. Val has lived in this country for most of her life having become an Australian, both legally and emotionally. When she travels overseas, she misses the smell of Eucalypts and the sounds of the Australian bush.
Read more:
For indigenous plants to attract birds and insects: euroaarboretum.com.au-Aussie bird count & much more... BirdLife Australia: birdlife.org.au -How to build nesting boxes to mimic natural tree hollows: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/wildlife/nesting-boxes-Bird apps for your phone to help identify bird sightings, songs & calls: Merlin Bird ID & Pizzey & Knight Birds of Australia
 

EarthChat greets Sustainable House Day – lots of local action S25 Ep14

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 of houses across Australia? Is there an impact of mainstream commercial builds.Peter Lockyer and Tim Budge are joined by a couple of local people whose houses will be on display. Mitchell Shire has 7 houses registered on Sustainable House Day, and they are all very different, from renovations, to new build to retrofit. Mitchell Shire Council is a partner too of the day.Check out SHD here and click here for a list of the local houses. Mitchell Shire Council also has some more information here. The Council will be running an EV webinar on the 8th May.

The environment going forward S25 Ep13

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 very varied parts of a Shire like Mitchell and how they can be improved.

Gaza, what narratives make sense? S25 Ep12

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 EarthChat and in that time, another 20,000 Palestinians have died and peace seems an impossibility. People in Gaza are starving and words like genocide and war crimes are regularly raised. Why has the world let this conflict continue? Is the international response and media outlook different for Palestinians, compared to the invasion of Ukraine? What has been the impact of this war on the land and environment in Gaza?Rachel Coghlan did her PhD research in Gaza (palliative care) and has stayed in contact with health workers and friends there. She does what she can and works tirelessly to make sure their voices are heard across the world. She has seen how the reality there gets portrayed in a very different way back in Australia. On this week's EarthChat, we will explore what is going on in Gaza and discuss the "narratives" that sit behind how news of the conflict is interpreted and analysed here. We will also ask "why have so many groups, including politicians, universities and even churches, been silent in response to evidence of genocide?" The good news, for Rachel, is that there is also the possibility of solidarity, and she wonders if this conflict provides an opportunity to rebuild or strengthen global solidarity and to move beyond retaliation and escalating violence?Want to learn more? Join us on Tuesday's EarthChat. Read more about the conflict here and some groups involved in working for a just peace (Jews Against the Occupation), a church group. (PIEN) and the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN)

Building Stronger Communities S25 Ep11

Now more than ever is the need to foster and strengthen local social connections to create a sense of belonging and community, and to create easily accessible and affordable opportunities for people to enrich their lives through connections they might not otherwise make. This week’s EarthChat focuses on Community (or Neighbourhood Houses) which profoundly contribute to the overall strength and resilience of local communities by fostering social connections and offering learning and recreational opportunities. Community Houses facilitate community engagement for people of all ages and backgrounds enabling a sense of belonging - a much needed antidote to social isolation in these times - and generally supporting good community mental health.Our focus is the Seymour and District Community House who since 1981 have been providing access to resources and information, such as job training, ‘occasional childcare program’, support for people with disabilities, and more recently a food share program, and a community garden which is lovingly tended by children from the childcare program.Manager, Krystal Bolejko, (the one paid worker), and President of SDCH’s volunteer Board, Larissa Lambert, fill us in about the House’s offerings, and what inspires them to do this work, along with their exciting future plans to further enrich the offerings already available to the Seymour and District Community.

The Inland Rail Plans, especially in Broadford S25 Ep10

Marie Gerrard and Ruth Yeatman interview Ian Dempsey about the plans to build the Inland Rail, especially through Broadford. Ian Dempsey is a local Broadford citizen with a long record of activism in Mitchell Shire particularly in environmental issues. He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Southern Mitchell as environmental chair. He is also involved in the Rotary Environmental Sustainability Group. He has recently become a member of Mitchell Environmental Advisory Committee.
On this week's show, we will be concentrating on the  environmental effects of the Inland Rail in Broadford with work scheduled to start soon. There are obvious benefits to our region in using trains for transporting freight rather than large trucks, but we need to value our environment as well.  Is there a better option, or how can we support train cargo plans AND the local environment. Listen in!

Too Hot for Footy! S25 Ep9

Not many people may have heard about Footy for Climate, but it is a ground-breaking organisation. It was founded by two AFLM players, Tom Campbell (Melbourne FC, St Kilda, North Melbourne and Western Bulldogs) and Jasper Pittard (North Melbourne and Port Adelaide) in the wake of the 2020 Black Summer bushfires. Tom and Jasper were North Melbourne teammates when their training was forced indoors due to hazardous air quality caused by those fires. This led to a conversation about climate change and the role AFL and AFLW players can play in supporting the communities being impacted by extreme weather caused by climate change.It is now a thriving organisation with a vision to have positive climate action as an embedded part of AFL culture, actively protecting the future of the game through our members, our partners and the wider football community.With the start of the 2025 season upon us, co-founder Tom, Campbell and CEO Lex Lynch are on EarthChat this week to talk about Footy for Climate, how they work with clubs and players at all levels and how clubs everywhere are adapting to the impact of climate on our game. It is a thought-provoking  thoughtful and important conversation.
More Information?Footy for Climate website and Facebook page
A great article on climate change from Dockers Captain Alex Pearce

Treaty Negotiations Commence in Victoria S25 Ep8

Join Ruth and Phil this week as they continue their Treaty conversation with First Peoples’ Assembly North East Representative, Levi Power, who returns to update us on the Treaty process here in Victoria. After years of careful consultation (Phase One of Three),The Allan Labor Government and the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria have entered the Second Phase of the Victorian treaty process which is to agree and establish the rules of treaty-making as part of the Treaty Negotiation Framework. This follows close to a decade of preparatory work by the parties, including Australia’s first Treaty legislation passed by the Victorian Parliament in 2018, and the Treaty Authority Act which received bipartisan support in the Victorian Parliament in 2022.Treaty is about making a better and fairer state for every Victorian. Treaty will achieve practical change, with the initial round of negotiations focusing on securing a foundation for Treaty in Victoria that recognises the relationship between the State and First Peoples. Key areas will include structural measures to support reconciliation, truth, education and healing between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Victorians.Negotiations are overseen by the independent Treaty Authority according to rules set out in the Treaty Negotiation Framework. A landmark ceremony in November 2024 celebrated the commencement of negotiations which resumed in January 2025 with weekly talks. The parties will release regular Joint Statements to keep all Victorians updated.
Information:First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria: firstpeoplesvic.org/treaty/Victorian Government: https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/treaty
 

Do the Right Bin S25 Ep7

Four roadside bins to grace your kerbside. What is this, how will it work?Mitchell Shire begins the four-bin roadside collection system in March. A bin for glass only, another for other recyclables, one for green waste and the red bin for landfill. Four bins will take some thinking, and becoming familiar with timetables.Australia’s recycling per capita is not high: we can do better.  In Mitchell Shire. 66% of our rubbish bin is organic waste, so taking that out of the red bin will save on methane generating landfill and enabling a large scale composting operation.However, there’s a lot to get your head around. Narelle Liepa is Mitchell Shire’s  Manager of Environment and Sustainability. She joins Peter Lockyer on EarthChat this week and we will work our way through the new 4 bin system, the reasons behind the new system, and the desired outcomes.  4 bins is a big waste management step, all on your kerbside.EarthChat …. Its food for thought, yours and mine. Listen up.

A Rising Tide stops coal boats, S25 Ep6

Mitchell local and BEAM committee member Peter Gaffney is an organiser for Rising Tide and he joins EarthChat again to talk about this amazing movement. Peter is dedicated to the well-being of both the planet and its inhabitants. He is both an impassioned environmental activist and palliative care nurse specialist. Throughout his career, the planet's welfare has remained a central priority. He has sought to bridge the gap between environmental activism and healthcare, recognizing the intricate relationship between a healthy planet and the well-being of its inhabitants.We hear from Peter about his passions and advocacy work and we will get a first hand report on the Rising Tide blockade work in November 2024. Listen in and find out why this work is important and what you can do to support climate action. Read more about Rising Tide in Victoria on Facebook or check out Rising Tide's website here.