Saltgrass

In this episode we chat with Jo Kaptein, manager of MASH (More Australian Solar Homes) They are a not for profit project that is organising bulks buys of solar panels right through central and northern Victoria.  We discuss why rooftop solar is so important, the history of the project and what gets in the way of people getting solar on their roof.    Links: MASH CVGA - MASH's parent organisation T...

Today we chat with Madeline Hudson about waste free cooking.  She is about to run a zero waste cooking course through the Castlemaine Community House and has been running the community lunch for four years. Those locals to Castlemaine may have seen her performing as Lilly Pilly Green in the Zucchini Clan … But people may not know that she comes from a background of frontline direct action and fore...

Today's episode is all about the proposed gas lead recovery for Australia and what our young people are doing to try and stop it. Firstly we will hear from Warwick Smith, an ecologist and economist, who lays out exactly why the gas lead recovery is a nonsense.  Then we have two young people who have been involved in the school strike for climate movement.  They have created an event for Castlemain...

In this episode we speak with Natalie Moxham, a Castlemaine resident of over 10 years. She was a driving force in the Castlemaine Commons you tube series, which was created recently to look at how our community was managing the various factors playing out in this time of pandemic. She has traveled the world and worked in many vulnerable communities, helping people create change… which is what we a...

In this episode I speak with two Dja Dja Wurrung men about what they are doing to connect people to country and in doing that help protect it. Harley Douglas is project manager on a project called Walking Together.  It is a four year project looking at two sites.  They are doing surveys of the flora and fauna in the parks, introducing cultural learning points and also asking for community input ab...

In this episode I am speaking with Ilka White, an artist and textiles worker who has been investigating ways to make wearing clothing more sustainable.  We talk about fast fashion and its antidote - the fibreshed movement - and everything in between.  Basically, what considerations come into play when you want to choose clothing ethically. Saltgrass is produced in Castlemaine, on Djaara country, h...

In this episode we are talking about masks, refugees and permaculture…. How are those things related?  Well, in several ways it turns out.  We have three guests: Ginny Thomas has been working with refugee and immigrant women through an organisation called Sisterworks and they have been making washable, re-usable, cloth masks.  Virginia Solomon has also been making masks, but this time as a fundrai...

In this episode we explore e-bikes. What are they? What are they like to ride? What are some of the drawbacks? And why you should give them a go before you buy one. Allie chats with Sue Tomkinson, who has toured the would on bike and has transitioned to e-bikes in the last few years.  She has run classes on e-bikes to help people understand all of the above.  We also hear from Lucy Young and Euan...

The is the first episode of season 3 of Saltgrass: Turning the Goldfields Green.     In this episode Allie speaks with local aboriginal Elder Aunty Julie McHale.  They discuss her life and what it is about an aboriginal perspective that changes everything about how you treat the environment.  A fundamental shift in perspective that may be exactly what the doctor ordered.     Links:   Castlemaine's...

This episode is a collection of interviews with Uncle Rick and Vic Say about the gold rush era and what was really happening with the Dja Dja Wurrung at that time. Stories of human connection and mutual respect and help shine a different light on a time that has been characterised as one of greed and destruction on so many levels. This is part 7 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Unc...

In this episode we have a collection of interviews with some local folk who each have a connection with the Dja Dja Wurrung. Alvan Briggs talks about didgeridoos, Sarah Moore talks about rapping and Lisa Musket talks about local plants and how to cook with them.   This is part 6 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. It was made possible by a community...

In this episode we have collated all of the episodes that involved Bill Davies, a local man who has taken an interest in researching and exploring the remnants of pre-colonial life here in Central Victoria.  Topics include scar trees, trade routes, oven mounds, quartz scatter and water wells. This is part 5 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. It was...

This episode of Dja Dja Wurrung Radio is a compilation of three episodes.  The first is an interview with Historian Marguritte Stephens, discussing historical records that reveal tiny glimpses of what life was like as Central Victoria was being colonised. Then Uncle Rick and Allie discuss Sorry Day and what it means.  Finally a recording of Aunty Julie McHale's speech at International Women's Day...

This is part 3 of a 2015 series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio featuring musical artists who performed in the stage show 'Ulumbarra'. The show was a soulful, uplifting and educational look at the history of the Dja Dja Wurrung. This is part 3 of a 2015 series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. This series was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Ale...

This episode is a collection of three interviews featuring children from the Meeting Place. This is part 2 of a 2015 series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. This series was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segments.  For ease of listening we have edited them...

This episode is a collection of four interviews that are about Uncle Rick and his activities as elder and Dja Dja Wurrung representative. This is part 1 of a 2015 series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. This series was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segment...

In this episode we explore the emerging practice of regenerative agriculture, perhaps one of the best ways to drawdown carbon out of our atmosphere and help reduce the impacts of climate change. Under the leadership of Deane Belfield, the Mount Alexander Regenerative Agriculture Group has been running a program for local farmers to learn about the techniques involved in regenerative agriculture an...

In this episode we speak with several clothing creators about how they do it ethically and with the planet in mind.  Ellen Doyle joins regular host Alison Hanly to discuss issues around fast fashion and the textiles industries.  We also have interviews with Linnet Good talks about upcycling, that is, how she makes beautiful clothing out of second hand fabric, table cloths and sheets and Kathryn Mc...

In this episode we joined by Amy Atkinson and Kerrily Jennings as we explore how Neighbourhood Houses can use their position in a community to help educate community members about sustainability and climate related topics. But more than that, how can organisations like this lead their communities in action around mitigation and adaptation to climate change.   Saltgrass is produced in Castlemaine o...

In this episode I speak with Taryn Lane (from Hepburn Wind and Hepburn Znet ) and Terry White (from MASG ) about a new plan to get us to zero net emissions in our little regional shire as quickly as possible. It is a huge collaborative effort with the Shire Council, MASG, Sustainability Vic, and many other groups.  Join us as we unpack what Z-NET even means and how it may be achieved in a communit...

In this episode I speak with Maikel Linke about the impact of our digital lives on the planet.   Maikel lives in Newstead, just 10 minutes out of Castlemaine.  He runs a not for profit email service that makes your emailing as green as it can be.  We talk about what the physical requirements of our digital world really are, what cost they have for the environment and what choices we, the consumers...

In this episode we speak with Cam Walker who has been working at Friends of the Earth (FoE) for 30 years and has been an activist for even longer than that.  If you want someone who really understands the push and pull, the nuance and dynamics of running a long term campaign for the environment Cam is your guy. Today I talk to him about Friends of the Earth, his life, what he sees as important in...

In this episode I speak with Castlemaine local, Kerry Calcraft, who spent her twenties protesting logging in Western Australia at Giblett forest.  We discuss the training she got in Deep Ecology and Non Violent Direct Action and how that has impacted her life since then... including how it helps her during this Covid-19 pandemic and into the future as the climate emergency increases. We also have...

In this episode I speak with a family of activists about the Adani coal mine and why it is being protested.  Ben Laycock, Jacynta Walsh and their daughter Rilka Laycock-Walsh have each participated in different ways; Ben joined last year's Adani convoy as lead by Bob Brown, Rilka has been protesting Adani with non violent direct action and all three have led a life of environmental activism.      ...

In this episode we speak with a funeral director and an artist about how we can exit this world with as little harm as possible. Libby Moloney from Natural Grace Funerals in Woodend talks about how she got into the industry of natural funerals and what is really possible in terms of our choices when it is time to return to the earth. Then Helen Bodicomb talks to us about her fully biodegradable ar...