I know it has been a while since there was anything new on Saltgrass, so here is a quick (6 min) update for you. In summary: There will be 5 new episodes coming out soon which will wrap up season 5 of Saltgrass and then we will get stuck into season 6. Also, Saltgrass won some cool awards :) Yay!Door Saltgrass

This is the full audio from the Connecting Country event called ‘Revegetation Success in a Changing Climate’ The event featured presentations from Sasha Jellinek from the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Water, Oli Moraes - Project Manager at Djaara and Tess Greives from the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA)…

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 it…

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 per…

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…

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…

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…

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. Tr…

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 visio…

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 b…

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 …

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…

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 n…

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 w…

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 …

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 …

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 bette…

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…

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…

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 on…

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…

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 3 includes interviews with: Madz from Community Lunch and Growing Abundance and Lorraine from MASDAG…

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 Two includes interviews Zoe did with two locals; author Robyn Annear and ecologist Karl Just. Song referenced: Sunset Vil…

This is the first of four episodes created in collaboration with The Castlemaine Commons Collective and artist Zoe Scoglio. They were recorded live at MAINfm in March 2022. Zoe had been collecting local stories of community organising and collective care. Each episode in this series includes short edited excerpts from some of the conversations held…

Allie and some other podcasters got together last year at the NonfictioNow Conference and had a long chat about what it is to make media and try to communicate about climate change. In this second part of the discussion we explore why we make our shows and the various problems we grapple with as we try to make the complexities of the climate crisis…

Allie and some other podcasters got together last year at the NonfictioNow Conference and had a long chat about what it is to make media and try to communicate about climate change. In this first part of the discussion we interview each other about our shows - what our shows are, how they came about and what we hope to achieve with it. Featuring: A…

A short message from Saltgrass host and producer Allie to close season four including some clues about what is coming soon.Door Saltgrass

This is part two on Djakitj Larr - Eating Country Healthy. Please listen to the previous episode first to hear the full story. In 2019 Bendigo was designated a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy. In early 2021 about 100 people gathered at a winery just outside of Harcourt. Djakitj Larr was an afternoon of food, performance and creative c…

In 2019 Bendigo was designated a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy. In this episode we discuss what that means and also deep dive into an event called Djakitj Larr which explores all the reasons why our region was chosen for this. In early 2021 about 100 people gathered at a winery just outside of Harcourt. Djakitj Larr was an afternoon…

Today I’ll be taking you along for the ride as my 14 year old Nephew Oliver and I head into Melbourne and take part in the student strike for climate that happened on the 25th of March. It was a global day of action so there were similar events not just around Australia, but around the world. We joined a huge crowd in the city and marched several c…

Today we are going to be chatting with Castlemaine local Bryn Davies and a group he has been a part of called Democracy for Dinner. I thought it was a very pleasant sounding enterprise and an example of how we can, where ever we are, get together in a grassroots kind of way and start to take it upon ourselves to understand all of the above mentione…

The Castlemaine Seed Library has been running for over five years with people 'borrowing' seeds to plant and grow food, and then 'returning' seeds once the plants have run their course. In this episode Seed Library founder Grace McCaughy and coordinator Eliza-Jane Gilchrist talk about the value of seeds and all that we can learn from them. We discu…

I was lucky enough to have a wonderful conversation about possible climate futures, not through a lens of disaster and doom but gritty possibility, radical hope and extraordinary courage. Alex Kelly and John Wiseman joined me recently to talk about their futuring practices. John has just published a book called Hope and Courage in the Climate Crisi…

Hello podcast crew, I haven't forgotten you even though there has been a bit of radio or podcast silence over the last month. This very short message is just to explain what has been going on and what is coming up soon. Hope all is well in your world! AllieDoor Saltgrass

Steve Healy is Executive General Manager of Climate and Population Adaptation at Coliban Water. Climate change predictions for our region point to hotter and drier weather patterns and when it rains it is going to be more extreme, big dump kind of events. So water is on a lot of people’s minds when they think about how we might be able to keep livi…

Kathryn Coff is a committed community leader and she joins us to discuss race, privilege and power, which are themes that she lives with and grapples with every day of her life. She shares a beautiful way of getting to know people that opens us up so much more than 'and what do you do?' Links: Kathryn's speech at the Black Live's Matter rally in 20…

Today’s episode is a series of interviews collected in Mildura at the local eco village. We had heard they were having a working bee and thought we might get a sense of the site and what goes on there. Interestingly the site is managed by council, so I wasn’t sure how community driven it was. However, as you will hear, every person there that day w…

This episode was recorded and first released in May 2020. This is an updated version with a new intro. The interview remains exactly the same. In this episode we speak with a family of activists and we take a closer look at what is going on with the Adani Coal mine. A hotly contested mine that is still in construction in Queensland. Long term resid…

The climate related news media has been saturated over the last few weeks in reactions, reflections and commentary about COP26. For a show about grassroots climate action it has been hard to know what to say about it all. Enter Cam Walker, who you might remember from a past episode about Friends of the Earth, he has just released an article with re…

Following on from our last episode with Rob Law we head up to Mildura, over 400km to the north of Castlemaine. My interest in Mildura has been growing lately. It is a regional city sitting right on the mighty Murray River, and at the heart of a region called the Mallee. I have been up to Mildura twice this year and have collected interviews each ti…

Rob Law, Executive Officer of the CVGA – or the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance – joins us to talk about alliances and collaborations between local councils, its not as boring as it sounds, I promise. After years of careful and persistent efforts the CVGA has been instrumental in helping numerous councils in Victoria come together and commit …

'Don't treat your soil like dirt' is a motto today's guest Dr Jess Drake lives by. Soil scientist and science educator Jess tells us how soil plays a vital part in healthy ecosystems, carbon sequestration and life itself.Door Saltgrass

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…

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…

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 co…

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 ref…

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 r…

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…

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 hereDoor Saltgrass

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.Door Saltgrass