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 Dr Juliette Milbank As I sit here at my desk, with the blind down keeping out the heat, I’m feeling what many are probably feeling: a tightness in my chest and throat, a pervasive feeling of worry and uncertainty. I can forget them sometimes, and I’ll bury myself in
By Lauren Salathiel The climate science is indisputable and it’s writ large across our skies in smoke and embers. Whether your community has been affected by fire, or choked by smoke, what has become clear this week is that we can no longer afford to watch on as our national
By Di Pritchard With summer full on now, drought and fire around us, there is still a way to delight in your garden and connect with other forms of life. Recently I discovered a strange formation on a wind spinner under the grapevine. The culprit is a bird dropping spider
By Chris McGorlick The arrival of a nephew in my family has breathed new energy into our annual family Christmas gathering. His excitement is infectious, and I find myself recalling all the things that I used to love about the yuletide before it became hard work. There was so much
By Graham Parton Ask a group of well-informed people what the major problems of the world are and chances are climate change is going to be on the list. Plastic pollution might also be there too as we become more aware of just how damaging and extensive this problem is.
By Lauren Salathiel Slurping on strawless drinks in reusable cups at our local pub the other night, a friend fired off what sounded like a riddle. “What do you think is one of the biggest contributors to our individual carbon footprints?” she asked. I like to consider myself to be
By Alan Hewett How many photographs did you take on your last holiday? Did you share them on the multitude of platforms that now exist? More importantly, where were you positioned when you took those photographs? Were you perched precariously on a cliff? Did you scramble up a tree or tramp
By Graham Parton In October the 2019 NSW Local Councils Conference debated the question of whether or not they should declare a climate emergency. The “No” case was championed by former Liberal MP Phillip Ruddock, now the Mayor of Hornsby Council, who said he didn’t like “vague statements”. He was
By Lizette Salmon, Gardens for Wildlife Albury-Wodonga Project Officer As we head into uncertain seasons, what should we be thinking about when planting into our parks and gardens? Does our changing climate mean we need to think differently about retaining and improving biodiversity, and how should we do that? This
By Eli Davern There is this misconception that young people are oblivious to what’s going on around them, but what I saw on Friday, September 20 at the School Strike 4 Climate, I think we are proving them wrong. Because I believe that as young people it is our moral
By Jonathon Howard Isn’t it funny how once you notice something, it has flow-on effects? I live on small farm and a dead tree had fallen across my boundary fence some months ago. While I fixed the fence to prevent my sheep escaping, I’d left the rest of the tree
By Lizette Salmon, Coordinator Repair Cafe Albury-Wodonga If Time can publicise its 100 most influential people, Cleo its 50 eligible bachelors and Forbes its rich list, we think it’s time for Repair Cafe Albury-Wodonga to publish its 10 ‘most popular’. On the eve of our fourth birthday we’re revealing everything
