EarthChat

News from the Euroa Arboretum, S25 Ep23

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, who lovingly contribute to the Arb’s great work and its beautiful environment.In consultation with local Traditional Custodians, (The Taungurung), the Arb offers an excellent example of thoughtful land regeneration and conservation including protecting threatened species, running one of only three Victorian Seed Banks, and developing an educational role in local schools and community to encourage a greater connection to the natural environment.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Arb, it is a must! Only 160 kms from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, it’ll take you under two hours to get there. And it offers 24 hour access 365 days a year. The retail plant Nursery is open Monday & Thursday from 12 - 4 pm from late March - check the website for the date the Nursery opens each year. For the Arb’s full history, achievements, and events, It’s well worth a ‘surf’.To help the Arb care for the bush and learn new skills you might like to join their team of fabulous volunteers on a Monday and/or Thursday, working in the Nursery, or in the Grounds, or in the Seedbank. Just fill out the form on their website. Donations are also tax deductible since the Arb is a not-for-profit, charitable incorporation.

Combining Art and Activism for the Sake of the Planet S25 Ep22

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/ activists or just community leaders. Together this week we explore Alex's work as an activist and an artist and how that has led her to be involved in such as issues as indigenous affairs, climate change and Gaza. Alex has been involved in some fascinating and cutting-edge work, she was impact producer on The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, In My Blood it Runs and Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything. Alex has been supported by a Churchill Fellowship, a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship and a Bertha Challenge Fellowship. Alex’s artistic focus is the futuring practice The Things We Did Next, a hybrid of theatre, imagination and democracy and is a member of the Unquiet Collective.
Read more about Alex here and listen in for a fascinating and inspiring conversation.

Repurposing surplus medical and educational goods S25 Ep21

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 that will be sending container loads of carefully sorted goods that the recipients have indicated that they both need but also can service and have the training to use. There are benefits to our neighbouring countries, since this program will reduce the amount of useful equipment that will end in landfill. Join us for what is an interesting conversation.

Celebrating ‘Friends of the Earth’ S25 Ep20

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 Melbourne office was set up. The national Australian office was established in 1974. Since 1973, Friends of the Earth Australia (FoE) has defended and protected forests and waterways, stood as allies in the struggles for First Nations’ self determination and land rights, opposed uranium mining, protested the destruction of war, and kept fossil fuels in the ground. FoE takes a community empowerment approach to its campaigns. FoE has built thriving social enterprises that challenge the status quo, promotes sustainable consumption, puts workers first and helps fund environmental and social action. FoE doesn’t have a CEO or bosses, they strive for anti-hierarchy and practice consensus decision-making. Each group has the autonomy to do whatever they need to protect the natural environment as long as they act in accordance with these principles.
In this week’s EarthChat Ruth Yeatman celebrates ‘Friends of the Earth’ (FoE) with long time member and campaigns’ coordinator, Cam Walker, who has tirelessly worked with the organization since 1989. Cam Walker is responsible for co-ordinating FoE's various campaigns and projects. He has worked for decades on grassroots environmental campaigns, starting with the Franklin River in 1982, and with indigenous communities and organisations. Over the past 8 years Cam’s key priority has been to gain a permanent ban on the process of fracking in Victoria, a rebuild of the Climate Change Act, adoption of strong emission reduction targets, and a strong renewable energy target (VRET) in the state of Victoria. These successful campaigns were effective because they built strong alliances with rural and regional communities. In the last three years Cam has focused on identifying forests of high conservation value in the Victorian high country and campaigning for their protection, and working towards an early end to native forest logging across the state. A long community campaign led to the Victorian government announcing it will end all native forest logging in the east of the state by January 2024. Cam spent a decade working with FoE International, with experience in environmental campaigning in Africa, Europe, North America and Latin America.Cam is clearly is one of Australia’s treasures (and the world’s). Deep gratitude for his sustained commitment, courage, and incredibly hard work supporting our Environment for near half a century! Listen in! You can follow Cam’s Twitter feed at @Cam_Walker. For more information about Friends of the Earth Melbourne : melbournefoe.org.au

Biodiversity - Nature's Insurance Policy for a Sustainable Future S25 Ep19

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 bacteria.  The complex interactions of the species and the balance of natural processes and lifecycles make it possible for us to survive into the future meaningfully.They explore some of the reasons that biodiversity of species and the health of both land and water ecosystems is declining and why urgent action is needed to reverse this trend.  We will also explore some of the excellent projects that are underway in various parts of the world and closer to home in our State and region that offer significant hope for threatened species and their habitats.  There are many opportunities to support and become involved in these and our guests will elaborate more on this.Liz Downes is a forest activist, researcher and campaigner and a Director of the Rainforest Information Centre. The campaign she has mainly been working on in recent years is located in Ecuador where mining and other threats are threatening the Equatorial forests in one of thy world's most biodiverse regions where we are still discovering the species that exist there. Any habitat loss can have severe consequences for species survival and for future generations especially as we lose insect and pollinator species that impact food the health of the entire ecosystem.  Also of interest is MRAG (Melbourne Rainforest Action Group) - https://rainforestactiongroup.org/ Vanessa Malandrin is an agricultural scientist, former EarthChat presenter and leading BEAM member is currently the Facilitator of the South West Goulburn Landcare Network which consists of 5 sub-groups across the Mitchell Shire.  We hear from Vanessa about the important work in the region on biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration as well as opportunities to become involved in some exciting projects.Other sources of useful information are:https://www.iucnredlist.org/ (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species)https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2024/05/protecting-our-pollinators/ (Protecting our pollinators - Australian Geographic)https://euroaarboretum.com.au/matchstick_grasshopper/ (Bringing Endangered bugs back to Taungurung grasslands  – Euroa Arboretum)https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/13/a-horror-movie-sharks-and-octopuses-among-200-species-killed-by-toxic-algae-off-south-australia

Mitchell Shire's green space possibilities S25 Ep18

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 population of this area grows. There is also a great discussion on some of the restrictions to the actual powers of the Shire, what we can and cannot do. 

Post election challenges S25 Ep17

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 laws, and getting serious about a national conversation on a more sustainable water policy.
Retired academic and strategic thinker Alan Jenkins rejoins Peter Lockyer on EarthChat to reflect on what the election means, and some challenges in the coming 3 years.

Nuclear facts and fictions S25 Ep16

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 Australia supplied with eight nuclear-powered submarines, at a cost of approximately $360,000,000,000. Neither party is keen to discuss how they will store spent nuclear fuel, operational waste or the decommissioning of a sub’s reactor at the end of service life, although the waste will need to be stored in highly secured facilities for over 10,000 years and Australia does not have any such facility. Although nuclear waste volumes are relatively small, they remain dangerous for extremely long periods, requiring multi-generational planning and robust political and technical solutions.Both parties assure Australians that their policies are safe, well thought out and needed, but is this the case? On EarthChat this week, Tim and Ruth talk to Prof Ian Lowe, AO about nuclear options. Ian Lowe is an emeritus professor in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University. Among the 16 books he has published, Long Half-Life analyses the nuclear industry in Australia. He has been involved in many advisory bodies, including the expert advisory group for the South Australian Nuclear Royal Commission, and for twelve years represented the public interest on the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council. He is also Patron of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN). Read more about Ian on his Wikipedia page, or an ABC article here. Listen to Ian's musical choice "We'll all go together when we go!" here, it is quite something.

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.