EarthChat

Following the Victorian fires, on EarthChat we discussed the importance of a respectful  immediate response to people who are seriously affected.  We also acknowledged the fantastic efforts of our first responders who did such a wonderful job. On a related topic, we discussed the central role of bees and other pollinators in the health of our environment and how they are affected by climate change...

From our "best of EarthChat series" You may not know the name Violet Coco, but you would have seen her on the news, arrested for protesting in different places, all to highlight the precarious state of our planet. Violet is a passionate environment and social justice activist. She has been arrested 49 times in 6 years as a non-violent, direct action, change maker.  She was the first person sentenc...

In the State of Victoria, Australia’s first Treaty has been negotiated, legislated, and signed by the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, the Victorian State Government and the Governor of Victoria. Treaty aims to build a new, just relationship, acknowledging history, respecting culture, and creating pathways for prosperity and self-governance, moving beyond past injustices towards a more equitabl...

It's 10 years since the first program, and with EarthChat is in good health, Peter Lockyer is pulling up stumps. So this week, Peter shares how EarthChat started, its objectives, and some highs and lows. EarthChat is a child of BEAM Mitchell Environment Group, and Peter Lockyer has also retired from the BEAM committee too, after about 15 exemplary years. He stays a life member of the BEAM organisa...

On this week's EarthChat, Jill and Tim talk with Andrew Kelly , a writer and waterways' advocate. As a writer, his focus is on children’s picture books, authoring and co-authoring many award-winning books, mainly with environmental themes. His most recent book is ‘ Prayer for a River ’ written with Uncle Glenn Loughrey.       He was the Yarra Riverkeeper for seven years, responsible for seeing the...

This week we are talking weeds starting with Serrated Tussock Grass. We will learn how to identify and control it. We will also chat about the severe damage it can cause, its economic effects caused by productivity damage. We will also explore other significant weeds that affect our local farms, the damage they do and eradication approaches.

Has it been a good year for the climate and our environment? Is the glass half-empty or half-full and is the water polluted in the glass anyway? Is there any good news? Well, yes! To explore this topic Jill Grant and Tim Budge review the year, highlighting the events which cheer us up and bring us hope, while also noting those areas where things may have gone backwards. We will also be talking abo...

We’ve heard a lot over the past year or so about our housing crisis. The commentary has dominated governments, and yet the suburban sprawl continues over farming and grazing land, over wetlands and precious green belts are disappearing. Blocks are too small to grow big trees for shade, and the “heat island” effect is real in our new suburbs with black roofs.  The sprawl grows. Housing shortages co...

This week we will be exploring our wonderful planet and why we need to act to protect it. We will attempt to unravel the complexities of nature and what we need to do for it to flourish. We will be explaining concepts like biodiversity, symbiosis and ecosystems

‘Othering’ is the process of viewing and treating a person or a group as "other," because they seem different, alien, or inferior to us. This "us vs. them" mentality often involves creating a dominant social group identity resulting in exclusion and stigmatizing another group due to assumed perceptions about the other’s race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. It can lead to marginalization,...

This week Marie chats with Paul Lloyd about their recent trip to Madagascar on a Rotary International project. The aim was  to deliver aid to a very poor school in rural Madagascar. “We arrived in Anatarrivo, the capital, as street demonstrations broke out and we had an eventful time  getting to our hotel. We spent three days under curfew before being able to fly south to Port Dauphin to start the...

Did you know that renewables produced more electricity than coal across the world in the first half of 2025? What a huge shift in a short amount of time. More change is to come, with projects like this photo , of an orchard in Switzerland (does the sun even shine there?) where panels produce 300MWh per year in electricity. What a harvest! The good news is that Australia is a world leader in solar...

  Legislation for Australia's first Treaty between the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and the Victorian Government has just been introduced in the Victorian Parliament. An historic moment built on over 200 years of First Nations' advocacy. North East Representative of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Levi Power, returns to EarthChat to chat with Ruth and Phil about this latest excitin...

Join Peter Lockyer, Vanessa Malandrin and Janice Mentiplay-Smith in a great discussion around the value of old trees, hollows and understory -  each part of a local ecosystem which has a valuable contribution to the whole.  The strength of this Web of Life is the sum of the parts - the more diverse, the greater the health. Hear from Vanessa, Facilitator at South-West Goulburn Landcare Network abou...

This week, listen in to Jill Grant exploring the importance of our oceans and chatting about some great organisations that are working to protect this amazing global resource and habitat. Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and they provide a vital regulator of global climate and weather through their currents that transfer heat from the Equator to the Poles and dictate rainfall and wind syste...

This week on Earth Chat our guest is Sean Dooley from Birdlife Australia. Sean has been involved with Birdlife Australia for many years and is an expert on our local birds and ways to accurately identify them. Sean and Marie will be discussing Birdlife Australia's impressively large citizen science project, their annual Aussie bird count which has just been launched. This year's count will be from...

This week's guest is the amazing Sally Quinn , who for over 20 years has been on the cutting edge of social enterprises in the circular economy. Sally is the CEO and Co-founder of Green Collect , a pioneering social enterprise in sustainability and inclusive employment and training practices. Over 20 years she has led the enterprise as a provider of resource recovery services through innovation an...

Nagambie locals and Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority are celebrating 30 years of revegetation work with local native grey box trees grassy woodlands (trees and understory) on Friday. Classified as an endangered environmental community in 2010, Grey Box and derived Grassy Woodlands are iconic. This is our vegetation backyard in the Goulburn Valley. They have enjoyed 30 years of ecolog...

Renewable Avenel Energy is hosting a half day expo on 22/8 “Take the heat out of climate change with home-based solutions & renewable energy“. The informative and entertaining Dr Karl Kruszelnicki headlines an impressive line-up of guest speakers. This Tuesday, Dr Karl joins EarthChat. Peter Lockyer captured Dr Karl in a recorded interview during the week, and this will be shared with John Hyl...

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 behavi...

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 the Shire means that...

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 brick tanks, straw bale wa...

This week Peter Lockyer and Marie Gerrard discuss the very serious long term and widespread damage being caused by military activity both  in war and peace time. We will examine the recent military developments such as drones and the  more traditional forms of conflict. We will try to relate this damage to the populations who are so badly impacted.

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 began a...

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, Jamie Brown, head ranger...