Saltgrass

Meet the invertebrate team as we peel back bark, turn over rocks and shine lights on sheets to catch insects and arachnids out in the Australian desert. One of the smallest teams on Desert Discovery they were looking at the some of the smallest critters, but they had their eyes open to all levels of life. Transcript and show notes available on the Saltgrass Website.

This episode was recorded from a live show on MainFM on 4th of May 2026. The Mount Alexander Shire Council is soon to vote on whether our shire should have FOGO bin, that is, a Food Organics / Garden Organics kerbside waste service. Saltgrass host Allie was joined in the studio my Mayor Toby Heydon and YIMBY co-founder Lucy Young to discuss the proposed service and why it may or may not be the best option for our shire.

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 strategies are being tried, including mixing plant provenances to achieve a higher genetic diversity and boost ecosystem resilience. In this episode are excerpts from an event called 'Revegetation Success in a Changing Climate' featuring Sasha Jellinek from the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Water, Oli Moraes from DJAARA and Tess Greives from the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA), The full recording of the event will be shared in upcoming weeks. Guests: Bonnie Humphries – Connecting Country – Landscape Restoration Specialist Hadley Cole – Connecting Country – Landcare Facilitator Sasha Jellinek - the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Water Oli Moraes - Djaara Tess Greives - North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) Summary: 00:00 Introduction 02:28 Acknowledgement of Country 03:22 Hadley Cole and Bonnie Humphries in conversation about Connecting Country and Landcare 17:30 Excerpts from event: ‘Revegetation Success in a Changing Climate’ 17:53 Sascha Jellinik – climate impact and importance of genetic diversity 21:14 Oli Moraes - The Role of Djaara in landscape restoration and climate strategies 25:36 Tess Greives – Climate ready Reveg projects 28:07 Bonnie and Hadley on the Importance of Genetic Diversity in Ecosystems 31:35 The Role of Climate Future Plots in Ecosystem Restoration 43:09 The Importance of Community Involvement in Ecosystem Restoration 46:03 Conclusion and Final Remarks LINKS: Connecting Country Djaara’s Healing Country Plan Related Episodes: Wilderhoods Walking Together Caring For Country

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 greenhouse gasses, connecting community, building beautiful soil)

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 happened and how this reflects on our farming and food production systems. Listen back to the start of the Gung Hoe story: Saltgrass Season 1 Gung Hoe Growers with Sas and Mel Links: Gung Hoe Growers HOFC – Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative

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. Listen as we discuss the challenges and joys of taking on a mature orchard and trying to make a go of farming with young kids and extreme weather. The Orchard Keepers are: Ingrid Phyland Alex Kelly Yoann Le Guen Megan Roberts Brian Morris Rachael Cilantro Resources and Links The Orchard Keepers Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative World Wildlife Fund – Innovate to Regenerate fund Related Episodes: S5 E11 An Incredible Octopus - with Katie Finlay S1 E05 Mount Alexander Fruit Garden S1 E06 Gung Hoe Growers S2 E13 Food Security and Farmers Markets

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, Plastic Free July is truly a grassroots movement that has made a global impact. And I was so curious to hear how it started and how it grew. Rebecca is also overflowing with stories of people making change at all levels of society and business and she happily delves into discussions about balancing personal responsibility with demanding action from corporations and governments and we also had some great questions from the audience as well. Links: Plastic Free July Book: Plastic Free By Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and Joanna Atherford Finn (Published 2020) Global plastics treaty Zero Waste Victoria BYO Containers Some other plastic education media pieces: Climate Town: Plastic Recycling is a scam DW Planet A: Recycling Myth The Story of Plastic

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 Institute Green Music Australia Fourplay Jim Buckell Democracy for Dinner Democracy for Dinner Substack Tim Low’s book ‘Where Song Began’ Half of our body is not human Nobel Prize winning economist Eleanor Ostrum ‘Defender of the commons’ Philosopher Hannah Arendt who escaped Nazi Germany and dedicated her academic life to exploring totalitarianism and the nature of power Fearless Cities as exampled by Barcelona Murray Bookchin Democratic confederalism as seen in Kurdish communities Related Episodes: Democracy for Dinner Futures