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 Alan Hewett Imagine you are walking through the bush, far from civilisation. It’s a hot day and you stumble onto a creek partly hidden by overhanging trees and flowing majestically over moss covered rocks. You kneel down and take deep, thirst quenching gulps. What could be better than drinking pure
By Richard Paschke Looks like a nice day today. Time to get up, have a shower, brush teeth and start the car so it warms up. Now gather a few things for the day in the office and into the warm car to drive the few kilometers to work. Plenty
By Matthew Charles-Jones, Totally Renewable Yackandandah Many people across the district are deeply engaged in efforts to use less energy and ‘switch-up’ to reliable, clean and affordable renewable energy. This exploration has led to the consideration of ways we can turn to efficient electric appliances and equipment. One such opportunity
By Gill Baker, Wangaratta Sustainability Network The North East Region Sustainability Alliance (NERSA) marks its 10th birthday this month. The brainchild of Dr Rowan O’Hagan, from Wangaratta’s Sustainability Network, the aim of NERSA was to connect volunteer groups in North East Victoria which had arisen out of concerns that our
by Les Langmead Our family didn’t have telly back in 1969, so we joined the two little old ladies next door and all stared at the fuzzy images of the moon landing. It was, and still is, an awe-inspiring achievement. It only happened because the US government took a “whatever
By Sue Brunskill Bike riding holidays are a great way to get a different perspective – you are going at a pace that lets you see and smell and feel your surroundings, but it also gives you time to think. I have recently been on a bike riding holiday in
By Chris McGorlick I think I’m becoming a materialist – I’m learning to love my material objects. I recently bought a bike. Let me be clear – I’m no consumerist. I got no thrill from the act of purchasing this bike. In fact, researching and finding a quality used model
By Matthew Charles-Jones, Totally Renewable Yackandandah How good is hot water? Hot running water blissfully punctuates our days, showers, baths and cleaning! In towns across the region, this acknowledgement is jumping to a new level. Action is underway to reframe the way we generate hot water to; save money, reduce
By Karen Bowley, Wooragee Landcare and Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health member I recently attended a workshop on Fungi organised by Wooragee Landcare. It was given by Alison Pouliot who is not only an amazing photographer but an expert on fungi. In the workshop she helped us identify fungi and told
By Lizette Salmon, Gardens for Wildlife Albury-Wodonga project officer How many Australian birds can you name? Twenty? Fifty? One hundred or more? If you’re at the lower end of the scale but interested in upping your bird ID, we have just the session for you. This Sunday, July 7, ecologist
By Karen Bowley, Member of Wooragee Landcare and Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health Wooragee Landcare has been active in the community since 1989. It was formed by local landholders with the aim to motivate and support landholders to engage in sustainable land management practices, improve the management of our natural
By Richard Paschke Litter is everywhere. It moves with the wind and through our streams until it ends up in the oceans and becomes part of the global pollution that kills wildlife. Recently, a video went viral about a fisher using Mentos wrappers as bait. Two months ago, a dead
