Living Lightly is a collection of local stories about sustainable living.
The column commenced in 2012 and until 2023 was published in the Border Mail newspaper each week.
The content is community sourced – groups, organisations and individuals have written and contributed each of these informative and entertaining articles – all overseen by a local volunteer coordinator.
We are currently considering a monthly schedule for articles, stay tuned as we explore this option.
Here you can browse and search previous articles or subscribe to receive an email each time an article is published.
The Living Lightly coordinator is always keen to receive articles! Use the link below to find out how you can submit an article for the column.
With a big thank you to all the Living Lightly authors for contributing to this wonderful collection of articles.
By Lauren Salathiel While we were all distracted by the Christmas consumption frenzy, Oxfam released staggering figures that showed that the wealthiest five per cent of Australians – around 1.2 million people – generate more carbon emissions each year than the 11 million inhabitants of the Pacific islands. This is
By Jonathon Howard Scientists don’t all wear white lab coats and have thick glasses like Professor Frink on the Simpsons. We have personalities, honour and respect our colleagues, and have a sense of humour like everyone else. If you don’t believe me – let’s look at how scientists name different
By Ian Davidson and Chris Tzaros – Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability With its distinctive Mohawk style crest, black-and-white striped face, and bright-yellow front, the Crested Shrike-tit should be easy to see. Yet, when feeding in the canopy of trees, they are often difficult to find — it is only the
By Wendy Summer is here again. The days of glorious sunshine are welcomed – until the temperatures get to high 30s and 40s again, and then we will all ache for cool and crank up the air conditioning. But wait – how often and how long is it used for
By Gill Baker Eight years ago I sat down with some young friends and we talked and created. Talked about how we could make our Christmas exciting and atmospheric without having to spend a fortune or create a lot of waste. We made decorations, and created small gifts and cards.
By Libby Rouse You may have noticed a blue ‘Climate Act Now’ flyer in your letter box lately. But what you may not have noticed is that the world’s climatologists, the International Monetary Fund, the Business Council of Australia, the National Farmers Federation are all calling for action on climate
By Mick Webster, Friends of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park Many visitors to the western end of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park will see scattered clumps of Prickly Pear, an introduced cactus that was a real nuisance many years ago. This is largely controlled now by a species of cochineal beetle, which
By Melissa Kane Have you ever heard the urban myth that if you don’t wash your hair for six weeks, you will never need to wash it again? Having been a slave to oily hair, which needed to be washed every two days, this myth had always held appeal. For
By Matthew Charles-Jones Most of us love the smell of freshly cut lawn and its anchor in memories past. Sun-filled summers with friends, family, backyard cricket, burnt sausages and sunburn. To build new memories, last week I purchased a battery mower. As with any significant change in long-held practice, the
By Chris McGorlick Getting a driver’s license and a car is a rite of passage of sorts in Australia. I remember getting mine at 18, and finally having the world (as far as a tank of petrol would take me) at my fingertips. However, increasingly, I’ve come to see my
By Lauren Salathiel There exists a window of historic opportunity right now for Australia to commit to the decarbonisation of its economy and net-zero emissions by 2050, via new federal legislation being introduced to the parliament in early November. Independent member for Warringah, Zali Steggall, is relaunching her Climate Change
By Jonathon Howard We’ve been seeing a lot of each other recently and we need to think about taking the next step. I know, my visits have been sporadic, but I want you know you are always on your mind. As I mow the lawn I see you there by
