PODCAST · science
EarthChat
by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group Inc
EarthChat presents in-depth conversations and views on the many environment issues affecting our community. EarthChat is brought to you by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group. You can listen live each Tuesday on Seymour FM at 12noon AEST or to the repeat on Saturday at 8am with your hosts Vanessa, Peter, Ruth and Tim. Time to tune in, listen up and get active EarthChatters!
Episodes
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A conversation with Georgie Purcell, Animal Justice Party’s state MP, S26 Ep37
This week on EarthChat, Tim Budge chats with Georgie Purcell, the Animal Justice Party’s MP in the Legislative Council. The EarthChat focuses on Georgie’s work in Parliament, her representation of this big electorate and the important policies of the Animal Justice Party and why they matter for…
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Food plant solution S26 Ep36
This week on Earthchat Marie Gerrard chats to to Una Hobday about a Rotary project that has developed an extensive data bank of native foods suitable for children in danger of malnutrition. In consultation with local gardeners and farmers, the foods have been selected for their nutritional value...
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Learning from other cultures and their ecosytems of care, S26 Ep35
This week Meredith Budge chats with Inaam Barakat, OAM about what it means to be an older migrant, caring within and across communities. Inaam was born in northern Lebanon and moved to Australia as a teenager. Across her life, she has been a committed humanitarian, feminist and advocate for…
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Top Environment issues, S26 Ep34
This week Marie Gerrard chats with Ian Dempsy about the most important issues facing us due to environmental damage. They discuss the damage being done but also possible actions to mitigate them. All on this week's EarthChat.
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Environment Minister Jaclyn Symes joins EarthChat this week
Jaclyn Symes is the State Labor Member for Northern Victoria and the Minister for Environment, Energy and Resources, Climate Action and the SEC. She is also this week's guest on EarthChat, part of our series of talking to sitting local MPs about their vision for the region and how it aligns with...
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How fair is modern society? S26Ep32
Does everyone have the same access to financial, legal and health benefits in today's society? Who will benefit from the massive role out of data centres? Does capitalism only work when socialism bails it out every ten years or so? Why is it that "too big to fail" companies are given absolute…
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Friends of the Earth Melbourne, S26Ep31
FOE's Cam Walker joins Ruth to outline significant environmental issues for this next Victorian State Election. Cam will take us through the issues and then offer ways we can help to be part of the solution. Aside from the destructive and tragic cost for all species of the ongoing wars in Iran,...
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How Indigenous Cultures Remember Everything, S26 Ep30
This week on EarthChat, Tim Budge talks with Dr Lynne Kelly AM, a science writer and Adjunct Research Fellow at LaTrobe University. After a secondary school career, Lynne returned to university to complete a doctorate, astonished by the way Indigenous cultures manage to memorise and teach a vast...
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Caring for Communities, Gardens and Country, S26 Ep29
This week, new EarthChat host Meredith Budge welcomes Clare Claydon as her first guest. A long-time, Central Victoria resident, Clare has spent her life working in community development across education, refugee and migrant support, adult learning, agriculture, Landcare and environmental…
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The Forest Underground – hope for a planet in crisis, S26 Ep28
What if the impact of your efforts to save the planet and plant trees could be seen from space? How exciting would that be? Tony Rinaudo is someone who spent 18 years in West Africa seeking to support farmers to regenerate forests and fight desertification. The program, called Farmer Managed…
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What will be the real cost of data centres? S26 Ep27
This week, EarthChat hosts Mark and Jacqui are talking about the environment impact of data centres. It is generally accepted that they will use significant amounts of energy and water. There will be costs and impacts. AI will require multi-gigawatt power and millions of specialized GPUs. Tech...
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An ode to trees: losing trees means losing our lifeline, S26 Ep26
Ruth is joined by Dr Greg Moore OAM, a Senior Research Associate from the University of Melbourne, and EarthChat regular, Cath Olive from the Euroa Arboretum. They join her to talk about the latest data collected from this year’s bush fires in Victoria with a focus on the dire consequences of…
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Serrated Tussock - a very nasty weed, S26 Ep25
This week on EarthChat Marie chats with Ivan Carter on the detection and control of Serrated Tussock, the working party tasked with its detection and control and the impacts of it. How do we dispose of Serrated Tussock, what are suitable herbicides for controlling it? What help is available to...
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Australia’s energy future – progress, practical solutions and possibilities, S26 Ep24
This week on EarthChat we want to focus on some of the key issues facing Australia’s energy future including excellent progress being made towards sustainable transport options and the policy developments and behavioural changes needed to meet our future energy needs and climate change…
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Australia’s First Treaty is now six months in, S26 Ep23
Treaties between First Peoples and governments have been signed in many other countries, like New Zealand and Canada, but until October 2025, Australia was the only Commonwealth country without a treaty with its First Peoples. Now, at last, Australia’s first Treaty is legislated, and on November...
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Why Gaza Matters: Violet Coco on Courage, Climate, and Conscience, S26 Ep22
Would you risk physical injury, sexual assault and more from a foreign militia just to get baby food and emergency supplies to people cut off from humanitarian aid? Violet Coco did and was prepared to take on these risks because she knows the people of Gaza have endured and continue to endure so...
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Environmental issues we need to follow S26 Ep21
This week on EarthChat, we discus a range of environmental issues that affect us here in Mitchell shire as well as those that affect our wider lives. Forecasts of very high humidity in our warming world causing health problems. How fungi contribution to a healthy soil and healthy forests What we...
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Cows, Carbon & Change — Inside the Impossible Dairy S26 Ep20
This week, Tim chats with Ellen Hunt from the “Impossible Dairy”, which is showing an "udder" approach to dairy farming. What if a small, regenerative dairy could not only produce milk, but also restore soils, retain water, and even help tackle climate change? And what if this little dairy could...
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Treaties are Essential for Countries that have been Colonized S26 Ep19
Many Australians do not know what a treaty is or could involve. To help answer this question and explore other major issues surrounding Indigenous-State treaty-making, Ruth is joined by Uncle Charles Pakana who is the founder and editor of Victorian Aboriginal News, which focuses primarily on...
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What's the truth about renewables? S26 Ep18
Listen to EarthChat this week. Jacqui Fulton and Mark Lyons are exploring the truth about renewables, working their way through quite a few interesting topics of huge relevance to our times, including: The gap in availability of solar and other renewable power, which are being directly affected…
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Out with Plastics S26 Ep17
This week on Earth Chat we discuss all the ways to minimise our prolific and destructive use of plastics in our lives. Can we eliminate the use of single use plastics? What is the major damage that they cause and can we learn to use alternatives? What did we do before plastics became available?...
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The power of co-ops S26 Ep16
What if regional communities owned their own power instead of multinationals? What if that power came from reliable renewables, instead of fossil fuels controlled by foreign powers and at risk to global geopolitics? What if locals got the dividends instead of big companies? The Goulburn Community...
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Conversations that Matter in these Times, S26 Ep15
Ruth Yeatman invites Phil Bourne and Russell Fisher to join her to reflect on the interconnected crises threatening humanity and the planet today, primarily driven by climate change, extreme poverty, and geopolitical conflict. “Humans are social beings. We need to communicate, make connections,...
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Sustainability in Floristry and the Horticultural Supply Chain, S26 Ep14
The reason for discussing this topic is that national and global demand for flowers is increasing due to a number of factors such as: increasing urbanisation and reduced opportunities to garden; a desire to bring “nature inside” for beauty and well-being, at home and in business and event…
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Mitchell Shire's biodiversity, S26 Ep13
Marie chats with Michael Watson from the upper Plenty Merri Creek Landcare Group about the enormous diversity across Mitchell Shire. We look at the various different environments that are represented across the Shire. There are particular issues affecting the areas from the high level of...
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Caring for the Non-Human Species in Regional Victoria, S26 Ep12
Seymour Vet, Andrew Hogan, and wildlife rescuer and carer, Jenny Oakley, join Ruth to discuss the impact of the recent fires that caused tragic losses of livestock and native wildlife, not to mention the cruel experience of being burnt alive. As well, we’ll hear how we (humans) are generally...
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Witnessing Erasure, Practising Presence, S26 Ep11
What do you do when you see someone’s house being stolen or confiscated, their olive trees chopped down, their ground water diverted. What do you do when you see someone’s child stopped at a military checkpoint and harassed by soldiers who won’t let them get to school? What do you do when all…
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Why alliances matter for the environment, S26 Ep10
Our guest this week is local environmental legend Jacqui Fulton. Mark Lyons talks to Jacqui Fulton from Broadford about her connection to various conservation groups. Her work on various aspects of Biolinks and biodiversity recovery is a fascinating topic and of interest to local and other...
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What's killing our owls? S26 Ep9
Our guest this week is Dr Christlina Zdeneck from birdlife Australia. We discuss the major problem caused by the poisons commonly used to kill rodent pests. These poisons are readily available and widely used. The problem is that they are slow acting and when birds of prey kill the poisoned…
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The wallan-wallan Regional Park, a win for everyone, S26 Ep8
Imagine 3,000ha of beautiful wetlands linking Merri Creek and the Southern reaches of Mitchell Shire. Imagine a space to be used by 200,000 people that would preserve natural beauty forever, maintain wetlands and habitat for all kinds of species. This proposed parkland, extending north from the...
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How to function when feeling overwhelmed by Eco-Grief, S26 Ep7
As a follow on to last Tuesday’s program on Eco-Anxiety, we now shine the light on Eco-Grief, a profound sense of loss felt in response to the negative impacts of global warming on the planet. It is an experience of deep sadness about the consequences of environmental degradation of our air…
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The Rise of Eco Anxiety, S26 Ep6
The Rise of Eco-Anxiety: positive and practical ways to prepare for and process climate related events. Climate anxiety is increasing worldwide and affecting a wide range of groups, especially younger people and other vulnerable groups such as older people and those with limited resources to take...
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A Treaty for the Future S26 Ep5
This week Marie chats with Julian Cribb. He is a very experienced science communicator specializing in environmental issues, the problems and what we need to do to alleviate them. He has written several books including "The Earth System Treaty" which presents a plan for humanity going ahead and...
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Can Stories Shape Communities? How Bendigo Found Self-Belief S26 Ep4
Tim chats with Anthony Radford about how stories can have a positive impact on how people think and act. Anthony grew up in Broadford and is now a Bendigo-based media professional who cares deeply about good storytelling and strong local communities. Through Radford Media, he works with community...
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News from Friends of the Earth S26 Ep3
Ruth welcomes back Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth (FOE) to talk about FOE’s current environmental focus including the latest fires in Victoria, both from FOE’s perspective and his own personal experience, having been on the ground as a CFA volunteer firefighter in the recent...
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What does a Green Philosophy of Life offer in 2026? S26Ep2
2026 has started with heartbreaking fires in central Victoria, floods on the South West Coast and political tremors around the world. Many of us are directly affected by the impact of the local fires and any sort of recovery will take a long time. Local communities have rallied with dedicated...
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Responding to recent fires and why bees are important S26Ep1
Following the Victorian fires, on EarthChat we discussed the importance of a respectful immediate response to people who are seriously affected. We also acknowledged the fantastic efforts of our first responders who did such a wonderful job. On a related topic, we discussed the central role of…
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Best of EarthChat - Violet Coco S25 Ep49
From our "best of EarthChat series" You may not know the name Violet Coco, but you would have seen her on the news, arrested for protesting in different places, all to highlight the precarious state of our planet. Violet is a passionate environment and social justice activist. She has been…
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TREATY IS HERE IN VICTORIA - LET THE HEALING BEGIN! S25 Ep48
In the State of Victoria, Australia’s first Treaty has been negotiated, legislated, and signed by the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, the Victorian State Government and the Governor of Victoria. Treaty aims to build a new, just relationship, acknowledging history, respecting culture, and...
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Peter Lockyer is leaving EarthChat S25 Ep47
It's 10 years since the first program, and with EarthChat is in good health, Peter Lockyer is pulling up stumps. So this week, Peter shares how EarthChat started, its objectives, and some highs and lows. EarthChat is a child of BEAM Mitchell Environment Group, and Peter Lockyer has also retired...
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Seeing rivers as living entities - Andrew Kelly's advocacy S25 Ep46
On this week's EarthChat, Jill and Tim talk with Andrew Kelly, a writer and waterways' advocate. As a writer, his focus is on children’s picture books, authoring and co-authoring many award-winning books, mainly with environmental themes. His most recent book is ‘Prayer for a River’ written with...
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What Weed is That? S25 Ep45
This week we are talking weeds starting with Serrated Tussock Grass. We will learn how to identify and control it. We will also chat about the severe damage it can cause, its economic effects caused by productivity damage. We will also explore other significant weeds that affect our local farms,...
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How will the environment remember 2025 S25 Ep44
Has it been a good year for the climate and our environment? Is the glass half-empty or half-full and is the water polluted in the glass anyway? Is there any good news? Well, yes! To explore this topic Jill Grant and Tim Budge review the year, highlighting the events which cheer us up and bring…
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Australia’s Housing Crisis S25 Ep43
We’ve heard a lot over the past year or so about our housing crisis. The commentary has dominated governments, and yet the suburban sprawl continues over farming and grazing land, over wetlands and precious green belts are disappearing. Blocks are too small to grow big trees for shade, and the...
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Climate change - why worry S25 Ep42
This week we will be exploring our wonderful planet and why we need to act to protect it. We will attempt to unravel the complexities of nature and what we need to do for it to flourish. We will be explaining concepts like biodiversity, symbiosis and ecosystems
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Exploring Othering S25 Ep41
‘Othering’ is the process of viewing and treating a person or a group as "other," because they seem different, alien, or inferior to us. This "us vs. them" mentality often involves creating a dominant social group identity resulting in exclusion and stigmatizing another group due to assumed...
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School aid for Madagascar S25 Ep40
This week Marie chats with Paul Lloyd about their recent trip to Madagascar on a Rotary International project. The aim was to deliver aid to a very poor school in rural Madagascar. “We arrived in Anatarrivo, the capital, as street demonstrations broke out and we had an eventful time getting to…
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Here Comes the Sun S25 Ep39
Did you know that renewables produced more electricity than coal across the world in the first half of 2025? What a huge shift in a short amount of time. More change is to come, with projects like this photo, of an orchard in Switzerland (does the sun even shine there?) where panels produce…
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Treaty in Victoria S25 Ep38
Legislation for Australia's first Treaty between the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and the Victorian Government has just been introduced in the Victorian Parliament. An historic moment built on over 200 years of First Nations' advocacy. North East Representative of the First Peoples’…
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Box trees and rural conservation successes S25 Ep37
Join Peter Lockyer, Vanessa Malandrin and Janice Mentiplay-Smith in a great discussion around the value of old trees, hollows and understory - each part of a local ecosystem which has a valuable contribution to the whole. The strength of this Web of Life is the sum of the parts - the more…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
EarthChat presents in-depth conversations and views on the many environment issues affecting our community. EarthChat is brought to you by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group. You can listen live each Tuesday on Seymour FM at 12noon AEST or to the repeat on Saturday at 8am with your hosts Vanessa, Peter, Ruth and Tim. Time to tune in, listen up and get active EarthChatters!
HOSTED BY
BEAM Mitchell Environment Group Inc
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does EarthChat have?
EarthChat currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is EarthChat about?
EarthChat presents in-depth conversations and views on the many environment issues affecting our community. EarthChat is brought to you by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group. You can listen live each Tuesday on Seymour FM at 12noon AEST or to the repeat on Saturday at 8am with your hosts Vanessa,...
How often does EarthChat release new episodes?
EarthChat has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to EarthChat?
You can listen to EarthChat on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts EarthChat?
EarthChat is created and hosted by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group Inc.
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