Saltgrass

S4 E05 Cycling Together

Recorded at a live, online book launch of Trace Balla’s latest creation Cycling Together.
Trace is a multi award winning author, illustrator and creates the most beautiful graphic novellas, including Rivertime, Rockhopping and the Thank you Dish.
This is a beautiful book with a very important message. Trace has created this book to support the work her brother Mark Balla is doing in India to help girls stay in school with his charity Operation Toilets.  We are joined today by both Trace and Mark. We are also joined by Jane Bennett, menstrual educator and agent of cultural change around how women and girls think and feel about their monthly cycle.
The event happened on Sat 18th September 2021.
 
LINKS:
 
How to get the book:     https://traceballa.com/cyclingtogether
 
Trace Balla website: https://traceballa.com
 
Mark Balla:
TED talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3xr13xFfto
Toilet Warrior: https://www.toiletwarrior.net/
Operation Toilets: https://www.operationtoilets.org.au/
 
Jane Bennett:
Chalice Foundation: https://chalicefoundation.org/
Celebration Day For Girls: https://celebrationdayforgirls.com/
 
Topics we’ve discussed:
Drawdown – educating girls: https://drawdown.org/solutions/health-and-education
United Nations goals: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
 

S4 E04 The Bioenergy Debate - Part 2 - Questions and Answers

Recorded at a recent town meeting this episode shares the Q&A session that followed the presentation by Deane Belfield of MASG  This is our second episode looking at the contentious bioenergy plant proposed for Castlemaine. (hear the presentation in our last episode)
For many who are worried about climate change this kind of renewable energy project seems like a great idea, but those living at its doorstep have some serious reservations. 
Find out more about the proposed project at bioenergy.net.au

S4 E03 The Bioenergy Debate - Part 1 - The Presentation

This episode is the first of two that looks at a contentious issue in Castlemaine at the moment, the proposed bioenergy plant. For many who are worried about climate change this kind of renewable energy project seems like a great idea, but those living at its doorstep have some serious reservations. 
Allie starts the episode by providing a bit of context and then we hear a presentation given by Deane Belfield at a town meeting. Deane explains as much as he can about the proposed bioenergy facility.
Next week we will hear the Q&A session that happened after Deane's presentation and also hear from people as they left the hall to see what they thought about it all.  
Find out more about the proposed project at bioenergy.net.au 

S4 E02 Human Health and Climate

This episode looks at the implications for human health as the climate changes.
Vanora Mulvenna joins us from the DHHS (the Victorian State government's Department of Health and Human Services) to discuss how our state government is already planning for the possible health impacts of climate change. 
Before the interview Allie takes some time to reflect on the latest IPCC report and celebrates Saltgrass being a finalist in the Jackson Wild Awards.  Fellow finalists are The Hopecast, by Jane Goodall and a National geographic project called The Guardians of the River.
 
 

S4 E01 What is Saltgrass?

What is saltgrass?  This show was named after a real plant and we wanted to know more about it... but it actually isn't very well known.  In this episode we chat with Karl Just, local ecologist, who is one of the few people we were able to find who knows about the plant.  We discuss its properties, both biological and metaphorical. 
We also discuss a rare species he has been involved in monitoring and protecting for some time now, the Eltham Copper Butterfly, as mention in our episode Caring for Country

S3 E23 School Strikes: Fund our Future

The final episode for Season 3 has a plethora of voices all asking for the same thing: fund our future, not gas.
The Australian School Strike for Climate crew have struck again.  Just before our state was locked down due to another covid outbreak thousands of students walked out of school and gathered in major cities and country towns.  Allie went to the train station early in the morning to chat with some of those travelling into Melbourne for the strike and also recorded the support rally that happened in Castlemaine later that day.
For links and more information click here 

S3 E22 Full Circle with Scott Ludlam and Alex Kelly

Alex Kelly interviews Scott Ludlam about his new book 'Full Circle - a search for the world that comes next'
 
For full episode details and links click here

S3 E21 Hear Here

Hear Here is a sound art project that featured in the recent Castlemaine State Festival. In this episode we speak with the two artists who created Hear Here - Dan Koop and Daniele Constance.
 
Read full episode notes and find links to things discussed here.
 

S3 E20 GrAiNZ

This episode continues on the theme of bread! We hear from bakers from across Australia who have joined the GrAiNZ movement, a loose collection of sourdough bakers who want to create a new, more sustainable grains economy.
 
See full episode description at saltgrasspodcast.com

S3 E19 Redbeard Bakery with John Reid

This episode takes a look at a local bakery and how it can be an example of everything we want to achieve in terms of community building, supporting local food systems and taking care of the planet.
Find out more at https://saltgrasspodcast.com/2021/04/06/s3-e19-redbeard-bakery-with-john-reid/