EarthChat – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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.

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.

Ruth. Emma and Phil continue their conversation about the impacts of colonization in Australia. On Tuesday's program they will focus on why Treaty in Victoria will ultimately benefit everyone who lives in this State. The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the State Government have formerly declared that negotiations can now begin to create a Treaty for the State of Victoria, Australia. Non indigenous residents as well as indigenous residents will gain from agreeing to a Treaty. How?  By supporting indigenous Victorians having self determination it will ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can choose how best to meet and manage their social, cultural and economic needs so they too can have autonomy to live their best lives. Self determination for all means we are free to be the authority in our own affairs and live in accordance with our own values and beliefs. We all need the ability to decide what we want to do with our lives and to have the freedom to act on that decision. We can then develop a sense of personal empowerment and freely achieve our chosen goals. Living alongside the oldest living culture in the world offers profound richness to our ‘western’ lives, along with unique and exciting opportunities for collaboration and innovative partnerships. ‘Two Way Knowledge’ or ‘Two Way Learning’ means we mix the best of western and indigenous knowledge and bring together the differences in our our two cultures to meet and interface in all aspects of society. The results? Barriers are broken down and together we create cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity. Combining our knowledge and skills means everyone has what they need to thrive. We will illustrate examples of the increasing number of exciting partnerships that have formed and are forming as a result of our two cultures coming together. And we will name the obstacles that are still getting in the way of such creative innovation and well being. What’s needed to overcome and heal the trauma of the past, and to heal the longstanding division and fear that was sorely exposed by the recent referendum? The Truth Telling facilitated by The Yoorrook Justice Commission is helping us learn about and embrace our true history. It reveals much about who we are, how we got here, and where we go if we are good Treaty partners and treat each other and our planet well. The discomfort that we may feel is an invitation to listen, to learn, to understand, and to honour the wisdom of Australia’s indigenous peoples, one that respects people and the planet. You too can join a weekend of Self-Reflection Conversations on Structural Racism, Privilege, Decolonization and Allyship on February 1& 2, 2025, at Commonground, Seymour, Victoria. Enquiries: emma@common-ground.org.au

Tim Forcey has written a handbook that shows why, and how you can shift your home to being all electric. Good for your health, and your pocket, and good for the planet. On EarthChat this week, Tim shares his story and delivers a compelling case to go “all electric” and “get off gas”.  It is cheaper, healthier, and smarter. In this week's EarthChat, Peter and Tim chat with Tim Forcey about his life story, his work helping people make their houses more efficient and the huge benefits which come from going all-electric. It's easier than you think! Want to read a bit more about his work? Read about Tim Forcey here, buy his book here or join the My Efficient Electric Home Facebook Group here.

This week Tim Budge and Ruth Yeatman chat with the Joshua Waters about Indigenous Knowledge. Joshua is a First Nations K/Gamilaroi man, PhD student and Senior Research Fellow with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University. His work explores the critical role of Indigenous Knowledges in global higher education and institutional contexts. He is also a core member of Deakin University's Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Lab and a Director of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Collective (IKSC) where he supports a number of regional, national and international partnerships and research projects aimed at utilising Indigenous knowledges and complexity for global systems innovation and change. On EarthChat, we explore the meaning and significance of Indigenous knowledge and how it can throw light on some of the big questions we are facing as a society. Joshua will talk about how he lives and work with both Indigenous and Western knowledge, particularly his University study. We will also try to get a sense of how environmentalism and climate action can learn from Indigenous knowledge and how we can respect and support it in our work for the environment. Want to listen to the music Joshua suggested? Listen here for Roger Knox and here for Loren Ryan Want to read a bit more about Josh's work? Look here, here and here.

Euroa Arboretum workers, Bronte Haines, Charlotte Langman, and Nelly Watson join Ruth Yeatman to talk about the wonderful conservation work of the ‘Arb’, its many offerings, and why they love working in this truly beautiful natural environment. Spanning 27 hectares, the Euroa Arboretum offers a unique experience to spend time in the natural environment of northeastern Victoria. Working with traditional owners, from the Taungurung Land and Waters Council, the ‘Arb’ is restoring the natural environment to ensure it is preserved for future generations. Established in 1990 the Euroa Arboretum has become a beloved destination for visitors wanting an outdoor experience as well as being a leading service provider of ecological restoration supplies and information. Originally the depot site for the freeway work to by-pass Euroa, the land was handed over by VicRoads to the local community. A volunteer Committee of Management transformed it to a beautiful park of woodland and wetland environments, walking tracks, picnic areas and an indigenous plant nursery. From 2000, with the help of Natural Heritage Trust funding, the ‘Arb’ established the on-site Seed Orchard to provide an accessible and sustainable source of indigenous seed for regional revegetation. From then on the ‘Arb’ has generated income from plant and seed sales, growing approximately 60,000 indigenous seedlings per year including providing seed to the Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seed Bank at Dookie which, in 2019, moved across to the Arboretum where it is now run from. In the ensuing 24 years, the ‘Arb’ expanded its many Conservation initiatives offering a myriad of wonderful innovative services including environmental education, running field days and workshops to promote awareness of and research into local habitat protection and restoration activities; a bush kinder; lovely walking trails; actively managed grasslands; a bush crew you can hire; and, you can even go canoeing and fish (with a licence) for Rainbow Trout!. The ‘Arts’ are also included with beautiful steel sculpture panels produced by local artists. So far, 98 bird species have been sighted. Birders, see if you can add to this list! There’s so much more to be found at this very special and thriving Arboretum. Check out these ‘highlights’ : https://euroaarboretum.com.au/highlights/ On sale are a wide variety of native plants for purchase at very reasonable prices so you too can provide food and habitat for birds and insects in your garden. Volunteering is also possible at the ‘Arb’:                                                                              https://euroaarboretum.com.au/volunteer-at-the-euroa-arboretum/ 

This week Tim Budge and Peter Lockyer chat with the legendary Cam Walker about forests, climate change, supporting Traditional Owners and his enduring love of the High Country.Cam is the campaigns co-ordinator with Friends of the Earth in Melbourne. Friends of the Earth (FoE) is a grassroots, community-based environmental organisation and Cam is responsible for co-ordinating the various campaigns and projects of the organisation. FoE takes a community empowerment approach to its campaigns. He has worked for decades on grassroots environmental campaigns, starting with the Franklin River in 1982, and with indigenous communities, trade unions and civil society groups. In the last three years he 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. He is an active volunteer firefighter, received the National Emergency Medal for his efforts during the Black Summer fires, is a high school teacher by training, with a background in terrestrial ecology. You can read his blog here, read more about Friends of the Earth here.

This week on EarthChat, John Thompson president of Mitchell Community Energy joins Narelle Liepa from Mitchell Shire Council on EarthChat to share some of the good work happening in community renewables in Mitchell Shire. What is happening?    - A Solar farm at the tip - Jeff's work on the old courthouse - Our proposal for a solar carpark at Chittick Park and Community Batteries - The proposed Energy Hub - And what about the FERA windfarm?

It is an energising conversation, so listen in! Learn more about Mitchell Community Energy here.  On this program, we played Ann's Song and Wind in my Head. We don't have the rights to put them on the podcast, but you can find them on Spotify.

Join Tim Budge and Jessica Morrison as they chat about Jessica's involvement in peace and social justice issues. Jess has been a passionate advocate for working towards peace in situations such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and has been outspoken in her opposition to war. She discusses the impact of the war on Gaza on innocent people and how Palestinians (and Lebanese) are suffering. She was Executive Officer for the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) for 13 years.

Jess now works for Quakers Australia.

Other topics we discuss include the problem of burnout and how the climate movement needs should be addressing the trauma of fighting for climate action. See here (by Jessica and others) and here (by Charlie Wood) for good articles on this topic.

We also discussed her work with Pay The Rent. Paying the Rent is about non-Indigenous people honouring the Sovereignty of Aboriginal people; it is a somewhat more just way of living on this stolen land.

Ruth chats with creative team members of the Seymour Performers Workshop (SPW) to explore the far reaching benefits of the performing arts, along with exciting news of their latest production and the creation of a Community Choir.

They explore how creating music theatre along with the act of singing creates social, physical, and mental benefits, not only for the performers but also for the audience who is invited to interact and reciprocate through their attention, engagement, and reaction. This inclusive co-creation allows a collective exploration of new ways to look at the world - an opportunity that can ultimately benefit all species and potentially foster planetary wellbeing.

Using the ‘Visual and Performing Arts to encourage Pro-Environmental Behaviour’, edited by David Curtis, (first published in 2020 by Cambridge Scholars Publishing), provides evidence that artistic methods provide valuable tools to enhance communication about the environment and degradation, and create empathy for nature. Artistic methods can also help us find new ways of looking at a problem, to express solutions, and facilitate community processes. These authors show that the arts and artists are an important part of changing our society so that we exist more sustainably into the future.

Peter Read and Caitlyn Trotter from Seymour Performers’ Workshop join EarthChat for this interesting conversation when we’ll also hear the latest SPW news. About Peter Read: Peter began his working life in the theatre. After many detours and moving to the Seymour district in the mid 1990s, he began performing again, first in Broadford then starting the Seymour Performers Workshop with fellow local performer, Kerry Hogan. Over the past 20 years, Peter has been an actor, writer, director and president of the Workshop as well as a drama teacher in both Seymour and Broadford.

About Caitlyn Trotter Having graduated in A Bachelor of Music (voice) at Monash University in 2018, Caitlyn returned to her rural roots to pursue a career in music and performing arts education. Government projects like 'The Song Room' as a Teaching Artist in rural primary schools, along with becoming a Voice teacher at Notre Dame College, Shepparton has led her to specialize in teaching Voice performance. In addition to performing herself with local theatre and singing groups, Caitlin enjoys the role of choir director for local community choirs. She looks forward to bringing her experience and knowledge of Music and the performing arts to the Seymour area. Read more about the Seymour Performers Workshop here