Climactic

With a few new people joining the campaign, Leigh takes the chance to give an overview of the goals of the campaign. Great short listen this week. Special Guest: Leigh Ewbank. Support Climactic See /privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week is the first of a two-part interview with Brett Hedger, aka Zero Waste man. Brett is a normal enough guy by day, a Sustainability Officer at council, but on special occasions Zero Waste Man comes out to drop reality bombs, and show a way forward. We are actively looking for more interviewers, in the capital cities, and regional areas. We're eager to train, assist, and work with the right...

After an absolutely full-on week for the Act On Climate team, we kick back and talk about the week's events in a more laid-back style. Halfway through the series, and the election run-up, and the nature of the campaign is starting to change. We wrap up the big events and actions AoC had planned, and executed, and note that the action now pivots to a more nimble, reactive role. Stay tuned for a lot...

Part 2 of Maxine's interview with Damien Cole. Part 1 is here . In this episode, Max talks to Damien Cole, independent candidate in the November 24th Victorian state election, about running a climate aware campaign. Damien has a refreshing, common sense approach to climate change, development of a fast-growing region, and putting the environment at the top of the list of electoral priorities. Cred...

This week it was unseasonably hot in the Friends of the Earth building in Collingwood, so this episode comes to you from the mezzanine above the cafe. You'll hear the hustle and bustle of trams and traffic from Smith Street just outside, and hear a great update from Leigh on the campaign, a double pass giveaway to the Environmental Film Festival from Mark, and an explainer on just transition for L...

Climactic is happy to welcome aboard Maxine Bazeley for her inaugural interview. Max will be bringing us stories from the Surf Coast of Victoria, the Greater Geelong region, about how the area is confronting massive changes in the face of the climate crisis. In this episode, Max talks to Damien Cole, independent candidate in the November 24th Victorian state election, about running a climate aware...

This week hear from Kate Wattchow, Act on Climate member, outlining their goals for the election, and why it's so important to her. And get an update from Leigh on what the group has been up to this week. Special Guest: Leigh Ewbank. Support Climactic See /privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is quite possibly one of the most relatable and urgent episodes of Climactic yet. Heidi Taylor is, to people who know of her, inspirational, almost to the point of folk hero status. But when Heidi sits down with Mark, she shows she's much more than an inspiring figure, she's a living, breathing, inspiring human. Heidi founded Tangaroa Blue because of personal concern for the seas, where she p...

Climactic goes behind the scenes with Act on Climate, Friends of the Earth's premiere political action group, as they gear up to fight a pivotal state election. This one's for you if you've ever wondered what political/climate activism is really like. And, spoiler alert, they're a bunch of relatable, earnest, caring people. This is the first miniseries from Climactic made in collaboration with an...

This week Climactic is happy to have the founders of ShareWaste, an amazing app that's connecting and creating communities through the simple act of sharing organic waste. We all produce it, it's our kitchen scraps, our yard clippings, our garden waste. And, in proving that "one's trash is another's treasure" what may be waste to us, may be gold to others. Australia, just like many other countries...

Chan and Lap are the two founders of Effect the Change, a YouTube channel that spreads useful information about sustainability, in a fun and easy way. This episode is a lot more light-hearted than previous interviews. It's obvious that Chan and Lap enjoy what they're doing, and it's quite refreshing. If we can find ways to do good while having this much fun, well, that makes it all the more person...

We've noticed a theme emerging from our first twenty or so episodes, and we're taking an episode to break it down. We all want to do our part, and live sustainable lives, but is that enough? Or would our efforts be better spent pressuring lawmakers, companies, and communities to change their practices? Should we instead be focussed on altering the systems we live in, rather than the way we live wi...

Phil is a leader in the HVAC&R (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Regfrigeration) industry, the largely invisible sector that powers our modern world. Without heating, cooling, and refrigeration, Australia would a very different place. But HVAC&R has done more than just allow progress, it also consumes a huge amount of electricity, and handles and is responsible for some of the...

Leigh has been a very important member of the Climactic community since Mark met her at an event in Melbourne. Her focus on scaleable solutions, and the way she keeps her finger on the pulse of the promising developments happening around the world, are a big inspiration to the Climactic team. It was Leigh that introduced us to Project Drawdown, the most comprehensive plan to reverse global warming...

What do food waste, a smartphone app, and discounted meals have in common? That's the formulae for a great new start-up from Melbourne. Mark sat down with Jane Kou, founder of Bring Me Home, a mission focused tech start-up that's set it sights on one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gas emissions, and one we can all easily make a dent in, food waste. You'll hear the origin story of the company,...

AYCC, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, is an environmental advocacy group famous in Australia for it's laser focus on youth. All AYCC staff and volunteers are under 30. In this episode Mark sits down with one of AYCC's organizers, Nick Carter, who is working to expand the organization to Northern Queensland, home to both the Great Barrier Reef, world-class institute of reef study James Cook...

This episode our two hosts will be heard only briefly, before we dive into a live conversation from the beautiful Australian Galleries in Fitzroy, Melbourne. This is a very on-topic conversation about living in the time of climate change, meaningful action, and mental health, all in the context of amazing artwork. You can see this artwork yourself and follow along with the discussion! Simply look...

Mark sat down with two of his personal heroes, Liz O'Dwyer, hospitality consultant, author, and sustainability leader, and Madeline Clarke, individual sustainability consultant, who runs workshops, does waste talks on Trash Bags on Tour, and much more. Liz and Madeline are both fonts of wisdom, and Mark largely just got to sit back and listen. There's a lot of great advice in this episode, and def...

Filmmaker, writer, academic, journalist and activist Tracy Sorensen is a woman of many talents. She touches on, and in some cases dives deeply into many of these areas in her chat with Rich. Her personal experience in learning about and coping with climate change is insightful and relatable and her gift for communication is obvious. Hear her perspective on the power of arts in talking to people on...

This is a great chat with one of those quietly inspiring people that surround us everyday. Gabby generously tells us about her life story, to really set the scene before getting into her experience of going totally waste-free for six weeks. Gabby is a volunteer facilitator at Climate for Change, a great group that's now expanded into Queensland from Victoria, and I think she represents well the sk...

This week Rich talks to second generation biodynamic farmer Mark Rathbone about biodynamics, replenishment of the soil, creating a closed system (circular economy) and the relevance of biodynamics in helping farmers mitigate against the effects of climate change. We also have a little chat about the upcoming climate change storytelling competition Climactic is running for University of Melbourne s...

In this episode Mark does a panel interview with members of the Climate Reality Project, the group formed by Al Gore just after the release of An Inconvenient Truth, to train others to give his powerful presentation on climate change facts. In the panel are the two interns that together with Linh Do make up the Australian chapter of the group. Katy and Chris are just finishing their post-graduate...

This week is an exciting first for Climactic, with two Kiwis in the studio. Mark talks to Laura Wilson of Big Little Brush, a social enterprise in Melbourne using bamboo toothbrushes to do much, much more. Laura's story before getting involved with Big Little Brush is extremely relatable, and we talk landfills, minimalism, and backpacking through Europe. Then we dig into Big Little Brush, their mi...

This week Rich talks to Fiona Rossiter, cafe owner, business woman, author, registered nurse, mother of eight and former councillor in the Central West city of Orange, NSW. Fiona tells her own history in running Orange’s iconic Bissy’s Cafe with husband Paul; how they “discovered” permaculture and how they now apply it their businesses, family life and even mode of thinking. A wonderful chat at a...

This week Mark does a solo flight, and by that we mean he takes a bus tour. But this is no normal tour — this is a beach clean-up and environmental outing put on by two tour groups employees looking to do something positive. And they pulled it off. Listen along with Mark as he gets up terribly early, heads out on a bus, makes new friends, and learns about what a beach clean really is. Credits: Cal...