Recycling Renewables
By Bruce Key – member of Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health (WATCH) One of the challenges of a modern society is how to dispose of waste. A particular concern that people often draw to my attention is the massive amount of waste that will come from solar panels when they reach the end of their …
An opportunity gone missing?
By Jonathon Howard There is increasing interest in ‘regenerative’ agriculture. It is a system of farming that promotes a reduction in external inputs, such as chemicals and synthetic fertilisers, and focuses on ‘regenerating’ the natural assets on the farm. In doing so there is evidence to suggest the approach reduces peaks and troughs in farm …
Breaking the Supply Chain
By Kirsten Coates The annual tradition of announcing the “Word of the Year” by various dictionaries is always interesting but never surprising. We have had “vax”, “quarantine” and “iso” in the last two years. But before that, the 2019 Word of the Year according to the Cambridge Dictionary was “upcycling”, the activity of making new …
Resolving to recycle more in 2022
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 should be put in the …
Dear Santa
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. I am a dad now …
A different Christmas?
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 like to think that will …
They don’t make them like they used to
By Alan Hewett How often have you taken something to be repaired and been told it’s cheaper to buy a replacement than fix it? We have an Australian made vacuum cleaner that is over fifty years old. Sure, it’s a bit heavy to drag around but it does its job, and it hasn’t broken down …
The unacceptable impact of litter on platypus
By Geoff Williams A research paper by Australian Platypus Conservancy biologists (recently published by Australian Mammalogy) has confirmed that platypus suffer horrific injuries and potentially die after becoming entangled in rubbish. The study found that, on average, 4% of platypus encountered in live-trapping surveys in Greater Melbourne were found to be encircled by rubbish. In …
Message in a (re-usable) bottle
By Lauriston Muirhead If you could have your favourite drink in a byo glass for less than one cent or the identical drink in its own glass for $3.50, which would you choose? So why do we buy bottled water? Australia has some of the best tap water for drinking in the world. State Health …
Making compost
By Charles Robinson Autumn is compost-making time and I love it. About twelve years ago I planted an extensive deciduous forest comprising English Oaks, Liquidamber, Claret and Golden Ash, Tulip Trees, Ginko Biloba, Red Oaks and Pin Oaks. These trees have many benefits but, best of all, they provide masses of leaves for the compost. …
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About Living Lightly …
Living Lightly is a column in the Border Mail newspaper on Wednesdays featuring local stories about sustainable living.
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