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 Mick Webster, Friends of Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park If you ask anyone what koalas eat, they’ll probably say ‘eucalyptus leaves’, and my ‘Mammals of Victoria’ (Menkhorst) says just that with no mention of anything else. But it’s now become apparent that the koalas in the Park are broadening
By Jonathon Howard
Wombats have an important role in helping our forest wildlife recover from megafires.
By Liz Hammond, Repair Café Albury-Wodonga volunteer
On the first Saturday of each month, the Albury Wodonga Repair Cafe comes alive, as volunteers arrive and prepare for another busy session.
By Lizette Salmon, Gardens 4 Wildlife Albury-Wodonga Project Officer
Lots of locals love gardening but some of us are unintentionally planting species that jump fence-lines and wreak havoc in our local parks and reserves.
In consultation with Wodonga Council and Parklands Albury Wodonga, Gardens 4 Wildlife Albury-Wodonga has developed a list of the fifteen most problematic local garden escapees.
By Alan Hewett
It seems that everybody has a snake story to tell and why not? Here in Australia we have two hundred known snake species, twenty-five are considered potentially deadly and five are the most poisonous in the world.
By Jenni Huber, Knitting Nannas for Renewables Albury-Wodonga
It’s easy to think we have no control over what our politicians do. However now and again we have all the power. We have control over whether they even have the job. That’s the power of our vote at election times.
By Kirsten Coates, Coordinator 2020-2023. As I leave the role of coordinating Living Lightly, I have been reflecting on the three things I have learnt in that time. Firstly, I am regularly reminded what an incredible and (literally) awesome world we live in. Through articles on birds in our local
By Jonathon Howard Many insects survive on a diet of gum leaves. This is a food source low in nutrients. It also contains eucalyptol, an organic compound that is toxic in high doses as well as flavonoids (plant-based antioxidants), volatile oils, and tannins. So what enables insects to not just
By Ian Davidson and Chris Tzaros – Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability In this week’s Living Lightly we are featuring a marsupial, the Swamp Wallaby. They are solitary, nocturnal animals that occasionally gather at a common food source with other unrelated animals without showing signs of territorial defense. Like the larger
By Jonathon Howard The bird communities you find urban settings are significantly different to those in natural areas, small birds such as fairy wrens and spinebills are much less common, while larger aggressive birds such as the noisy miners and magpies dominate. Yet it is these smaller species that we
By Ian Davidson and Chris Tzaros – Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability One of our most commonly seen and widespread parrots is the Eastern Rosella, and it is arguably one of Australia’s most beautiful birds. The plumage of the Eastern Rosella is especially vivid — red, yellow, blue, green and black.
By Jonathon Howard It is great time to be getting things into the ground. Especially local natives because they create a garden that not only survives but thrives. But planting is not as simple as digging a hole. The process begins with the plants you select at a nursery Here are some tips and
