Saltgrass

S5 E09 Walking Together

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 together.
Along with the audio from the workshop there is an extended interview with the organisers of that event that includes Oli Moraes from Djaara, Melanie Marshall, Climate Change Coordinator at Mount Alexander Shire Council – my local council and Dr Alexander Saeri – or Zan – from Monash University and Behaviour Works Australia.
Resources and Links
 
About Djaara:
Djaara
Djaara’s settlement agreement
Djaara’s Healing Country Plan
 
Waa
 
Guests:
Oli Moraes from Djaara
Dr Alexander Saeri from Behaviour Works Australia
Melanie Marshall from Mount Alexander Shire
Mount Alexander Shire Climate Change Strategy
 

S5 E08 Living Democracy with Tim Hollo

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

S5 E07 Root to Tip with Duang

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 CSA members at her own home – a way to offer more value to those who subscribed. It was a fun class with Duang peppering the cooking advice with stories of her life. We made pesto out of carrot tops and talked about what makes a good life. Allie then went back later to have a longer chat with Duang. 
 
Links:
SBS episode about Duang's life
Duang’s cooking school
Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative
 
Related Episodes:
Gung Hoe Growers
Mount Alexander Fruit Garden
Food Security and Farmers Markets
 

S5 E06 Talking About Money

Following on from the last episode about the Castlemaine Currency Project, this episode shares audio from a panel discussion that was part of the original exhibition and social experiment. 
Featuring:
Warwick Smith, Castlemaine Institute
Karl Fitzgerald, Prosper Australia
Merryn Tinkler, Mount Alexander Shire - Manager of Economy and Culture
Anitra Nelson, University of Melbourne

S5 E05 The Castlemaine Currency Project

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 Castlemaine fringe arts festival – one year after the Castlemaine Currency Project was launched back in May 2022
 
LINKS:
About the Castlemaine Currency Project:
Castlemaine Currency Website
Castlemaine Currency Facebook
Film “Conversations from the Castlemaine Currency Project“ by Lisa Mills at Storyland
ABC article from time of exhibition
Article in garland magazine
About the Artists:
Jodi Newcomb
Carbon Arts
The Castlemaine Institute
Dale Cox
Ann Ferguson
Other Links:
Get Lost – funded the Currency project in 2022
Castlemaine Pay The Rent
Transition Towns
Wikipedia
Transition Network
Local Lives Global Matters conference
The film Tomorrow
Rob Hopkins – his book ‘from what if to what is’
Totnes
Transition Town
Totnes Pound
Wararak Initiatives
Josh Durum  - Design by Committee
Indigenomics
Regen Melbourne
Brixton Pound – Bowie’s head on the note
Anitra Nelson – Beyond Money

S5 E04 The Salvage Yard

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 anything!
Go to saltgrasspodcast.com to see more about this episode, including a full transcript. 
 

S5 E03 The Good Op Shop

Tiffany Inglis started an op shop (AKA opportunity shop - known as a thrift store in the USA) and all she wants to do is save the world one pair of very cheap second hand jeans at a time. 
Not only is the Good Op shop keeping A LOT of stuff out of landfill, but money raised there is then given to worthy environmental causes. If that is not enough to convince you it is a 'good' op shop - then wait til you hear about the educational programs and recycling initiatives they have started. 
 
Good Op Shop (Facebook)
Good Op Shop (Instagram)
The Salvage Yard
Wettenhall Environment Trust
Muckleford Catchment Landcare Group
Castlemaine Landcare Group
Robyn Annear book on op shops
La Loba – Meri (Instagram)
Fundraiser for the machines (funding goal achieved!!!)
No such thing as a Hero article: https://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-when-the-hero-is-the-problem/

S5 E02 Wilderhoods

Cassia Read and Ada Nano are both ecologists who have been working within a local climate focussed hub called The Castlemaine Institute.  They have been developing a program called “Wilderhoods” that helps neighbours come together, learn about the land they are on and how to turn their nature strips and yards into places that birds, bees and lizards would want to hang out in. This is all while connecting with neighbours and creating climate resilient spaces that work for humans, plants and animals.

S5 E01 Wheelie Bins with Gemma

Are you worried about waste?
If so, join us on an epic adventure of plastic reduction, waste management and letting your wheelie bin get dusty from neglect!
In this episode you can hear all about one inspiring local who has tackled this challenge head on. Gemma has set herself the incredible challenge of putting her landfill wheelie bin out just once per year! Hear all about how she managed to reduce her waste through making different shopping decisions and lifestyle changes. 
What can and can’t be recycled is in constant flux and local landfill is a big pain in the council’s arse. It is becoming clearer and clearer that when we want to throw things away, there is actually no such magical place as ‘away’… it is just ‘over there’.
 
Inspired by Gemma, Allie is up for this challenge and her first goal is to reduce the frequency of putting her bin out to once every 3 months. Follow her journey with this across this new season of Saltgrass and how she reduces what needs to go to landfill.
We are inviting you to join us and challenge yourself to reduce your waste and measure this by how many times you put out your kerbside bin. 
If you normally put it out every week, see if you can put it out once a month. 
If you put it out once a month, see if you can put it out every three or six months. 
Join us to swap notes, resources and tips and ideas.
Find out more https://saltgrasspodcast.com/wheelie-bin-challenge/
 

Zoe Scoglio and the Castlemaine Commons Collective: Episode 4

Back in March 2022 Zoe Scoglio joined Allie live on MAINfm and shared some interviews she had collected for a Castlemaine Commons Collective project. Beautiful conversations about community, connectedness and resilience.
 
Episode 4 includes interviews with:
Allison Nye from Country Womens Association (CWA)
Carolyn Neilson about the Murnong Community