Kate Hall: Sustainable Spring Activities

Spring has sprung and it’s the perfect time to pick up a few simple, sustainable habits that connect you to nature. 

Kate Hall has a few suggestions that she joined Jack Tame to delve into, including:  

• Plant and swap: Sow quick wins like salad greens, radishes, and herbs. Share or swap seeds and seedlings with neighbours.  
• Line-drying: The spring winds are free! Ditch the dryer and line-dry for that “fresh air” scent and big energy savings.  
• Clean-out & donate: Spring clean time! Sort your wardrobe, kids’ toys, or kitchen gear. Donate or swap rather than binning - it keeps items in circulation.  
• Eco-picnics: Pack homemade snacks in jars and containers, bring reusable cups and cutlery, and enjoy local parks or beaches waste-free. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks at BE.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Sustainability expert Kate Hall is here with us this morning,
so she's looking at sustainable spring Habitskelder Kate, Good morning, Jack,
Sustainable spring activities. Spring has sprung. At that time of year,
we all try to reset and I try and have
some slightly better habits maybe as we go into the
warmer weather. So you've got a whole series for us

(00:33):
this morning. Let's start off with things that you can
do in the garden, and you reckon, it's a great
time to start planting and swapping.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Oh yeah, yeah, planting and stopping because I think, like
I do things with neighbors. If you grow kind of
one crop that works really well in your property, you
can stop with I stop with my dad, or we
stopped seedling, stop produce. I think springs it feel like
a good refresh time. Even if you don't, you know,
haven't had a garden, maybe consider even just planting a

(01:01):
few things like some salad greens or tomatoes. I've got
tomatoes and basil and pippers on growing at the moment,
little seasonings. But as you try that, even just in pots.
You know, if you have a small space, plant them
in pots and start, yeah, seeing what you can swop
with neighbors and what you can grow in your own space.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
So have you got your basil going already?

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yes, yep, I've got to said that, grow really really well.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Oh that's good.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
See.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
I usually wait until like the latter half of October
maybe starting a vimbit to get in the basil. And
but you're putting me to shame. Maybe I need to.

Speaker 3 (01:33):
I haven't put them in the ground yet.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Really, Yeah, that's pretty brave. Yeah, yeah, okay, that's good.
The it is given, I don't want to say it's
like totally dry, but given the weather is supposedly starting
to improve at the very least the sun has a
bit of bite, it is a great time to start
hanging out your washing.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah. Yeah, I think people can get into quite become
quite reliant on the dry. But now it's a good
time to think. Actually, no, there are some you know,
drier days, and just there are some windy days which
can actually be really great at drying things too. So
just looking at your kind of habits that you've fallen

(02:16):
into with drying things and you know, turning heat pumps
on and stuff like that, and thinking, actually, now I
can slowly transition out of using those quite energy intensive machines.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, it's a good time of year for a spring clean,
and if you're spring cleaning, you shouldn't necessarily be checking
everything out.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
No, absolutely nuts, no spring clean responsibly. So if you
are donating things, make sure they're clean and repaired. Make
sure it's cities and all too. I think a lot
of oup shops they don't have heaps of space, and
so donating things now they're good for summer, you know,
not donating kind of your winter woollies, hold on to

(02:56):
those and donate them in the future, like before winter
next year. So just being like not treating up shops
like a dumping ground or like another landfill site, because
I think people just you know, drop and run and
kind of hope that people did the ark shops want
that stuff, but reading that they often have like a
blackboard out the front with things that they will take.

(03:18):
So just being really responsible with that when you donate.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
I think that's that's a great point. So this time
of year is for the first time in about five months,
a time when my local park doesn't have these massive
puddles right in the middle of it, and like that,
right in the middle of the walkways and everyone likes
to go. Yeah, which means it's a great time for
a picnic.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yes, absolutely, I think you know, we've all had our
Netflix binge watching movies and the depths of winter and
so yeah, grab a picnic, rug, make some homemade snacks
and jazz and containers. I think that's a really fun
spring activity to remind ourselves that we can get out
and about again and start that now.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
If you're doing your composting and you've been holding off
the outdoor composting, now is the perfect time.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
And winter even that walk to the compost it can
be quite daunting and muddy. So just I think springs
just a great time to refresh our sustainable hacks and activities.
So setting your compast, you know, maybe giving it a
good turn, adding some good you know, leaves and cardboard,

(04:27):
and just starting that system again. You may need to
refresh your composting sign for you're running your house to
know how to compost throughout spring and summer.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
It's also a good time to get on your bike
if you haven't been over winter, and to try and
reset the old transport habits.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yes, yeah, I mean there's some troopers, so I see
out the raincoats and all sorts of my friends. Bella
has been amazing at continuing to not have a car
actually all winter and walking and biking. But I think
for those who it just wasn't possible over winter starting
to yeah, get the bike out, you know, take the
bike to the bike shop and given a you know,

(05:06):
a waft as it were, and get your rain coats,
hang them up, but maybe take them just in case
the spring can be quite wet. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Nice.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
And last but not least, on your tips for getting
organized the spring and getting more sustainable the spring. Local volunteering,
so it's not just a spring clean at home, but
maybe a spring clean in your community. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
I think it's another thing to get out and about
to do beach clean apps. They can be volunteer like
planting days at local gardens, which is a great way
to actually learn tips to implement in your own garden too.
So yeah, another spring activity as well as the eco
picnics love it.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Hey, thank you so much, Kate. Great tips. As always,
we're going to make sure your sustainable springtime tips are
on the news. Talks he'd be website. You can find
Kate of course, on the social media platforms by searching
ethically Kate and we will see you again soon.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
Thank you for more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame.
Listen live to news talks he'd be from nine am Saturday,
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