Saltgrass

In these three episodes we will explore how housing is a key climate issue and we’ll look at how the housing crisis is impacting where I live, in regional Victoria.

In this second episode we are looking at what deliberative development is and how co-housing and community building can be a part of our housing solutions. 

In the next episodes we’ll explore what the local community is already doing about housing and at some innovative...

How is the housing crisis linked to sustainability?

In the next three episodes we will explore how housing is a key climate issue and we'll look at how the housing crisis is impacting where I live, in regional Victoria.

In this episode we will look at how the land lies, what is the problem?

In the two following episodes we'll explore what the local community is already doing about it and also at some other innovative solutions that...

Connecting Country is a not for profit organisation which works closely with landcare groups and others in restoring neglected and damaged ecosystems. Hadley Cole and Bonnie Humphries from Connecting Country join Allie to discuss how landcare groups contribute to various restoration efforts, and how the unprecedented nature of climate change and its impact on existing ecosystems makes the task complex and unpredictable. Various str...

Today we are going to Village Dreaming Farm and Orto cooking school. Mara and Ralf live on about 15 acres just outside of Daylesford – about a 30min drive south of where I am in Castlemaine. They have been there since 2015 and in that time have transformed the empty paddocks of former grazing land into a small farm that follows regenerative and permaculture principles, with a kitchen garden, orchards and wetlands. 

Links:

Village...

Are you good at composting? I certainly haven't been in the past. But with the help of a community composting group called YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) I have become a kitchen scrap saviour, a leaf collecting ninja and I make steaming hot compost. 

In today's episode I talk to Lucy Young, Joel Meadows, Mikaela Beckley and Claudia Lang about what this group is all about and why they are passionate about compost. (Spoiler: reducing gr...

Recent episodes have been looking at the farmers out at the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative. We've been out there to explore how farming and agriculture might be done in a way that is earth, biodiversity and humanity friendly.

Each and every one of the farmers talked about how important the support of the local community has been, and how much enthusiasm they have received from people who get what they are trying to do, even i...

It has been almost a decade of effort and love and garlic from Gung Hoe Growers – supplying our local community through the local farmers market, selling to cafes and restaurants and providing boxes of veg to seasonal and annual subscribers.

Many have felt sadness on hearing that Gung Hoe will not be renewing their lease out at the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative.

This episode is a big chat with Mel about how and why this has ...

We are heading back out to the Harcourt Farming Cooperative – this time to talk to Tess Sellar who runs a herd of 10 or so dairy cows and supplies organic milk and yoghurt to our local community.

Tess uses regenerative farming practices, re-usable glass containers and does countless other things to make her micro-dairy as low impact as possible.

Trigger Warning:

Please note that this episode contains conversation about suicide. If ...

Following on from the last episode about the Harcourt Farming Cooperative, today we are looking at The Orchard Keepers.  They are part of the  grand experiment of this farming cooperative, having taken over the orchard management a couple of years ago. 

They are using organic and regenerative practices and they are not just farmers, but they are visionaries and committed activists through the work they do on and in the soil. 

Liste...

This is the first of four episodes that will be released about the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative.

Long term listeners may remember two episodes from season one that captured conversations with farmers from the cooperative as it was just beginning back in 2018. 

I’ve been following the process of this cooperative with interest since it began because it is a fascinating case study of alternative farming... that is, an alternat...

Plastic Free July had humble beginnings in back in 2011 when Rebecca Prince-Ruiz had the idea of refusing to buy or accept single use plastics for the month of July, just to see if she could.  She asked people around her if they wanted to do it too and now it is a global movement with an estimated 140 million people from 195 countries participating in 2022.

I wanted to Talk to Rebecca, not only because she is amazing, but also, P...

How can local councils and Traditional Owners work collaboratively towards climate and environmental goals?

Today's episode explores one way to get things going.

Back in November 2022 Djaara – the Traditional Owners in Central Victoria where Saltgrass is made – invited representatives from local councils to gather on Country and workshop how Djaara and councils can co-design climate strategies and manage environmental issues togeth...

Tim Hollo is many things, musician, politician, anarchist and the author of Living Democracy – An ecological manifesto for the end of the world as we know it. He was in conversation at the Taproom in Castlemaine with Jim Buckell and introduced by Alex Kelly with an extended Q&A with the audience.

Links:

Living Democracy Book

There is no time left not to do everything – an article and now a chapter in the book

The Green Ins...

Duang moved to Castlemaine just a few years ago, but is already an integral part of the fabric of our community.

She sells delicious Thai cooking at the weekly farmers market and came here, as you will hear, in part because she knew about the Harcourt Farming Cooperative and the community supported agriculture (CSA) method that they employ.

Duang was so keen to support the farmers that she offered a free zero waste cooking class to...

Local currencies and alternative money systems... what is that all about? Is it really a helpful thing to be thinking about in the middle of the climate crisis?

A group of artists in Castlemaine have created an art project and social experiment in the form of a local currency they called The Silver Wattle to explore just these questions.

The audio in this episode was recorded at a live event that was held as part of the Castle...

Anna and Matt run the Salvage Yard in Castlemaine. They rescue building materials that would otherwise go to landfill, clean it up and sell it on. It isn't hoarding if you turn it into a business is it?

This episode is exploring waste again, but this time we are looking at the building industry and how we can construct and dismantle buildings better. Another example of how 'Reduce, Re-use and Recycle' can be applied to almost anyth...