EarthChat

Ruth is joined by Dr Greg Moore OAM, a Senior Research Associate from the University of Melbourne, and EarthChat regular, Cath Olive from the Euroa Arboretum. They join her to talk about the latest data collected from this year’s bush fires in Victoria with a focus on the dire consequences of tree loss, particularly old growth trees whose important tree hollows provide much needed habitat for nati...

This week on EarthChat Marie chats with Ivan Carter on the detection and control of Serrated Tussock, the working party tasked with its detection and control and the impacts of it. How do we dispose of Serrated Tussock, what are suitable herbicides for controlling it? What help is available to farmers who detect it on their property? Check out the Working Party website for more information https:/...

This week on EarthChat we want to focus on some of the key issues facing Australia’s energy future including excellent progress being made towards sustainable transport options and the policy developments and behavioural changes needed to meet our future energy needs and climate change challenges.  Our first guest is Mr Stuart Locke, General Manager, Seymour Coaches and President of the Bus Associ...

Treaties between First Peoples and governments have been signed in many other countries, like New Zealand and Canada, but until October 2025, Australia was the only Commonwealth country without a treaty with its First Peoples. Now, at last, Australia’s first Treaty is legislated, and on November 13, 2025, the Victorian Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 was officially given Royal Assent by the Governor of...

Would you risk physical injury, sexual assault and more from a foreign militia just to get baby food and emergency supplies to people cut off from humanitarian aid? Violet Coco did and was prepared to take on these risks because she knows the people of Gaza have endured and continue to endure so much greater hardships and suffering. Why? Violet is a previous guest on EarthChat (one of our most pop...

This week on EarthChat, we discus a range of  environmental issues that affect us here in Mitchell shire as well as those that affect our wider lives.  Forecasts of very high humidity in our warming world causing health problems. How fungi contribution to a healthy soil and healthy forests What we mean by tipping points in nature and why they are important. Wallan wallan Regional Parkland improvin...

This week, Tim chats with Ellen Hunt from the “Impossible Dairy”, which is showing an "udder" approach to dairy farming. What if a small, regenerative dairy could not only produce milk, but also restore soils, retain water, and even help tackle climate change? And what if this little dairy could attract digital dairy devotees from across the world? Tim and Ellen explore how this bold experiment wo...

Many Australians do not know what a treaty is or could involve. To help answer this question and explore other major issues surrounding Indigenous-State treaty-making, Ruth is joined by Uncle Charles Pakana who is the founder and editor of Victorian Aboriginal News, which focuses primarily on Treaty, Reconciliation, Truth-telling and the sharing of positive First Nations stories from across Victor...

Listen to EarthChat this week. Jacqui Fulton and Mark Lyons are exploring the truth about renewables, working their way through quite a few interesting topics of huge relevance to our times, including: The gap in availability of solar and other renewable power, which are being directly affected by wars. The reasons behind the drop in solar and battery prices, why are they collapsing. The misinform...

This week on Earth Chat we discuss all the ways to minimise our prolific and destructive use of plastics in our lives. Can we eliminate the use of single use plastics? What is the major damage that they cause and can we learn to use alternatives? What did we do before plastics became available? It's actually fairly recent history that they have been available.

What if regional communities owned their own power instead of multinationals? What if that power came from reliable renewables, instead of fossil fuels controlled by foreign powers and at risk to global geopolitics? What if locals got the dividends instead of big companies? The Goulburn Community Energy Co-operative in NSW (GCEC) is doing exactly that, all through the power and ownership of their...

Ruth Yeatman invites Phil Bourne and Russell Fisher to join her to reflect on the interconnected crises threatening humanity and the planet today, primarily driven by climate change, extreme poverty, and geopolitical conflict. “Humans are social beings. We need to communicate, make connections, share how we feel, and truly listen to what others are going through. And to do all this, we need to tal...

The reason for discussing this topic is that national and global demand for flowers is increasing due to a number of factors such as: increasing urbanisation and reduced opportunities to garden; a desire to bring “nature inside” for beauty and well-being, at home and in business and event settings. The Australian industry generates about US$ 812 million currently and is expected to grow another 4%...

Marie chats with Michael Watson from the upper Plenty  Merri Creek Landcare Group about the enormous diversity across Mitchell Shire. We look at the various different environments that are represented across the Shire.   There are particular issues affecting the  areas from the high level of development in much of the south to the need to protect organisms in the forests and farmlands. They also d...

Seymour Vet, Andrew Hogan, and wildlife rescuer and carer, Jenny Oakley, join Ruth to discuss the impact of the recent fires that caused tragic losses of livestock and native wildlife, not to mention the cruel experience of being burnt alive. As well, we’ll hear how we (humans) are generally managing our duty of care for wildlife, farm, and domestic animals. As of 2019, over 30 countries formally...

What do you do when you see someone’s house being stolen or confiscated, their olive trees chopped down, their ground water diverted. What do you do when you see someone’s child stopped at a military checkpoint and harassed by soldiers who won’t let them get to school? What do you do when all these crimes are excused or ignored or the victims blamed? John and Di are part of a group which has decid...

Our guest this week is local environmental legend Jacqui Fulton. Mark Lyons talks to Jacqui Fulton from Broadford about her connection to various conservation groups. Her work on various aspects of Biolinks and biodiversity recovery is a fascinating topic and of interest to local and other listeners. Be ready too for a discussion about the environmental damage caused by wars. Now there is a curren...

Our guest this week is Dr Christlina Zdeneck from birdlife Australia. We discuss the major problem caused by the poisons commonly used to kill rodent pests. These poisons are readily available and widely used. The problem is that they are slow acting and when birds of prey kill the poisoned rodents the poisons accumulate in their bodies over time and sicken them. The birds then become ill and are...

Imagine 3,000ha of beautiful wetlands linking Merri Creek and the Southern reaches of Mitchell Shire. Imagine a space to be used by 200,000 people that would preserve natural beauty forever, maintain wetlands and habitat for all kinds of species. This proposed parkland, extending north from the existing marram baba Upper Merri Creek Parklands, would protect a significant green corridor – comprisin...

As a follow on to last Tuesday’s program on Eco-Anxiety, we now shine the light on Eco-Grief, a profound sense of loss felt in response to the negative impacts of global warming on the planet. It is an experience of deep sadness about the consequences of environmental degradation of our air, land, and waters, and the subsequent loss of many species, along with natural systems’ breakdown on our pre...

The Rise of Eco-Anxiety: positive and practical ways to prepare for and process climate related events. Climate anxiety is increasing worldwide and affecting a wide range of groups, especially younger people and other vulnerable groups such as older people and those with limited resources to take preventative action or adapt to climate risks. A 2023 Mission Australia study of 19 000, 15-19 year ol...

This week Marie  chats with  Julian Cribb. He is a very experienced science communicator specializing in environmental issues, the problems and what we need to do to alleviate them. He has written several books including "The Earth System Treaty" which presents a plan for humanity going ahead and outlines the issue we are facing which will be central to our discussion. You can find out more about...

Tim chats with Anthony Radford about how stories can have a positive impact on how people think and act. Anthony grew up in Broadford and is now a Bendigo-based media professional who cares deeply about good storytelling and strong local communities. Through Radford Media , he works with community organisations, Traditional Owners and businesses to help them tell clear, honest stories about who th...

Ruth welcomes back Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth (FOE) to talk about FOE’s current environmental focus including the latest fires in Victoria, both from FOE’s perspective and his own personal experience, having been on the ground as a CFA volunteer firefighter in the recent Harcourt-Ravenswood fires that destroyed 48 houses earlier this month. Cam brings a fresh perspective on how to prepar...

2026 has started with heartbreaking fires in central Victoria, floods on the South West Coast and political tremors around the world. Many of us are directly affected by the impact of the local fires and any sort of recovery will take a long time. Local communities have rallied with dedicated emergency support and compassion. The best of human behaviours is there in the midst of uncertain and diff...