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 Bruce Key Sometimes we come across a story with a message. Here is one such story. The story is about a large pond, about the size of a farm dam. On day one, a microscopic weed blows into the pond. The weed is very vigorous, and every day it
By Jonathon Howard I try my best to recycle but it can be confusing. It’s the mixed materials I have difficulty with. Take a packet of Tim Tams… the plastic tray is hard plastic, so it goes in the domestic recycle bin. By contrast, the wrapper is soft plastic so
By Charles Robinson After noticing the increasing intensity of summer downpours on our property over a ten-year period, I decided to take decisive action. Heavy rainfall would often result in water lapping at our doorstep and it would only be a matter of time before extreme rains would force this
By Geoff Williams of the Australian Platypus Conservancy We’ve frequently had cause to describe how the Australian Platypus Monitoring Network (APMN) is helping to harness volunteer energy and enthusiasm on behalf of platypus conservation. APMN participants have to date conducted over 43,000 standardised scans and recorded nearly 12,000 platypus sightings
By David Coleman For Albury to play its part in combatting climate change, supporting clean and green transport throughout the community offers the best ‘bang for buck’ actions Council can take. Everyone’s health and prosperity will improve enormously if we slash the harm transport causes. The transport sector contributes 21%
By Karen Retra Did you know there are about 500 species of ladybird beetles in Australia? Of these, I regularly see five species in my garden. Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae family) are terrific pest controllers. For many species, both the larvae and adults feed on small, soft-bodied and sap-sucking insects like
By Nicole Weyandt It’s been just under two years of us living in the strange and isolating situation of the pandemic, removed from what was once ‘normal’. Just as our social worlds are opening up and we are reconnecting with our loved ones, the leaves and flowers are also opening
By Jonathon Howard Dear Santa Although I am in my fifties, this is my first letter to you. You see I normally don’t ask for anything at Christmas. I think it is because part of me believes I am on your ‘naughty list’. But this letter is not about me.
By Karen Bowley, WATCH and Wooragee Landcare member It is great that we can spend Christmas with family and/or friends again. But does that mean your Christmas will be exactly the same as before COVID? Will we buy the same kinds of gifts and food for our festive feast? I would
By Ian Davidson and Chris Tzaros – Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability When winter moves to spring one of the birds that becomes increasingly visible locally is the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. This large slender cuckoo with its repeated, sad-sounding descending trill is one of the most distinctive sounds of the Australian bush.
By Kirsten Coates A generation ago, our public service campaigns were about “Slip, Slop, Slap”, “Keep Australia Beautiful” and “Life. Be in it”. Looking back nostalgically at this time is like comfort food; simple, palatable and easy to digest. How much more difficult is it now to consume the messages
By Jonathon Howard The river is important to most of us. We use its water for drinking, washing, growing food, and even for recreation. No wonder determining how we share this resource is a key environmental challenge for the basin community. The NSW Parliament is currently conducting hearings into Floodplain
