EarthChat BEAM Mitchell Environment Group Inc

Tim and Ruth chat with Liz Downes about Deep Ecology. What is Deep Ecology? It is a way of life that supports conscious activism. It’s a sense of being part of the earth and called into action by the web of life. activism and facilitation work then involves creating a sense of community among like-minded people who want to explore this connection with the web of life.
Liz Downes is a forest activist, researcher and campaigner. Her recent focus has been in Ecuador, where mining is threatening the world’s most biodiverse regions. Liz is director of the Rainforest Information Centre and a facilitator of Deep Ecology, helping others do experiential work which aims to ignite our passion for the living Earth and the knowing of ourselves as part of it, which lead to empowerment and action in difficult times.
Want to read more? Check here for information, including course dates, for the Rainforest Information Centre and here for background on Deep Ecology.
You can find out about the Australian Earth Laws Alliance here

 

This week on EarthChat, Marie and Tim chat with Cath Rouse from the community group opposing the proposed Wollert waste to energy incinerator.They discuss and learn about the environmental dangers to the surrounding residents from the  potential toxic emissions caused by burning among other things large quantities of plastic and other chemicals. They also emit large amounts of greenhouse gases while producing energy.Want to read more? Check out this website from Climate Action Merribek. You can also add your name to the petition here. You can also get involved though the No Northern Incinerator Wollert FaceBook page

Peter Mitchell joins Ruth this Tuesday, May14 at noon to give listeners a sneak preview into the latest edition of the ‘Natural Treasures’ in Mitchell Shire prior to its official launch next Sunday, May 19.This new edition offers 16 more sites for us to explore, and Peter has created reserve notes for every site. There are a lot more nature reserves, roadside wild nature corridors, rail trail reserves, and many more walking tracks, all of which beckon us to put on our boots and get out into nature.And there’s more…… !In addition to being able to pick up the leaflet from the Shire’s Libraries and Information Centres from next Monday, May 20, you will also be able to plan your nature expeditions from home via BEAM’s website which goes live at the time of launch (see below). There is also a fabulous "Nature Scavenger Hunt" for children to enjoy.I’ve been privileged to take a sneak peak at this fabulous new leaflet. Here’s an excerpt:“This brochure lists the best of the nature reserves in Mitchell Shire which are available to the public. The landscapes of Mitchell Shire have many Natural Treasures including small but rich patches of wildflowers, tree-lined corridors along roadsides, railways and creeks, larger conservation reserves and state forests, and private bushlands.To find these reserves, download walking maps, and learn more about the natural history that make these Treasures such rich places, go to: beam.org.au/naturaltreasures (live from Sunday, May 19)They have a rich diversity of environments…….” “This diversity of environments provides habitat for a wide range of native plants, animals, fungi and bacteria, and all the complex interactions between them. The form a framework of biodiversity that we can use to rebuild healthy ecosystems and landscapes across the Shire”.What also makes this Natural Treasures’ leaflet so special is that it is the only information of its kind, (thanks to the work of Peter and others acknowledged on the leaflet). Neither Parks Victoria nor Vic Forests offer such extensive and important information.Join us to hear about these exciting new additions to the leaflet, and to be reminded of all the nature reserves open to the public in this Shire. We often don’t realize how lucky we are to have so many places to immerse ourselves in nature nearby - many more compared to most other Shires in this State.

Vanessa and Ruth discuss the recent Landcare forum on soil health and sustainable farming, held at the Seymour Racecourse on the 2nd May,  including a presentation by TV celebrity chef Matthew Evans and his book on Soil. Vanessa outlines the contributions by the various speakers invited to the forum, touching on soil health and productive soils, biology and plant pathology. There were lots of practical examples of soil health applicable to farms, as well as the connection between healthy soil and nutrient rich foods, management approaches in Regenerative Agriculture and an outline of the pitfalls that need to be avoided.

Tony Richardson and his partner Rita have been growing trees on their two farms for 25 years. They invested their super (against advice at the time) and grew different eucalypt species hoping to log them for timber after about 25 years.However, Tony, a transport engineer by profession, had been captivated by the potential of biochar, and peeler logs for plywood. Growing trees for logs locks up carbon for maybe 50 years, and all of the upper tree and branches and leaves (75% of the biomass of a tree) become carbon emitting waste. In contrast, biochar can lock up carbon for 100 years, and all of the tree not peeled for plywood can be pyrolysed…no waste.  Logging takes the base of the tree trunk, but the rest of the tree is left to rot, or burnt; a big carbon emitter, and a wasted resource. Tony recommends a 10 year plantation turnaround as the best carbon storage, with biochar and peeler logs sold on the retail market. A short turnaround means the farmer’s plantation is less likely to be lost to bushfires.What does this all mean? EarthChat this week shares an interview with Tony Richardson, with Peter Lockyer as host and guest commentator and local gardener Brian Bowring offering his perspectives… Brian has been a biochar advocate for years. It's a great yarn.

Over the last six months, the killing of over 30,000 people and the forced relocation of approximately 2 million people has brought global attention to the plight of people in Gaza and the wider conflict between Israel and Palestine. Our EarthChat guest this week is Dr Rachel Coghlan who completed her PhD on palliative care in Gaza and who maintains close contact with health workers and others there who are enduring the ongoing destruction talking place. Houses and hospitals have been damaged and destroyed, fields and trees uprooted, people left without access to food, clean water or sanitation. Tim and Ruth talk to Rachel about the damage to society and to the environment that has taken place and ask what role can we play in advocating for peace, reconciliation and restoration of destroyed ecosystems?Rachel Coghlan is a public health leader with over 20 years’ experience in clinical physiotherapy and in international humanitarian health research, policy, and advocacy. She is also a Fulbright Scholar and holds a PhD from the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, at Deakin University. She has contributed to palliative care research and education in Gaza and maintains connections with Palestinian friends and colleagues. Rachel is a curious thinker and listener, always searching to learn from those most affected by illness and humanitarian crises with a view to trying to help make some sense of the grief and suffering that mark life in our world.Her Crikey articles can be found here