Environmentality 17 October 2012

Dear Environmentality Listeners,

Jaime and Sarah were joined by our resident gardening expert, Jodi Jackson, to discuss her top 10 herbs to grow in the garden, and gardening tips for limited spaces.

Jodi's top ten herbs for growing at home:

1. Parsley - grows all through the year, in many locations.  Easy to re-establish once has seeded.

Flat Leaf Parsley, Image by Y.Larratt

2. Chives - great for salads and sauces. Can use flowers as a garnish.

3. Dill - works well in salads and with fish. Easy to grow.

4. Mint - great in salads and Asian cuisine, again very easy to grow. If it starts to 'take over', you can always just pull it out!

5. Chervil - a relative of parsley and carrot, it has a mild aniseed flavour. Can be used in soups, salads and dressings.

6. Rosemary - very easy to grow, likes dry conditions. Great with garlic on bread!

Rosemary, Image by Y. Larratt

7. Oregano - very easy to propagate through breaking of small 'branches'. Cut it back in late autumn/winter then it will bounce back in spring.

8. Basil - versatile and delicious fresh. Need we say more about this wonderful herb!

9.Thyme - hardy plant, will look after itself.

Thyme, Image by Y.Larratt

10. Bay leaf - extremely versatile in a range of cooked dishes.

Delicious coriander just missed out on Jodi's top 10 list, due to it being a little more difficult to grow!

Jodi has her own website : www.everydayinthegarden.com where you can find out more about spring gardening.

For small spaces Jodi recommends:
- Pot stacking, whereby pots are placed in a tiered layout, allowing varying spaces for shade and moisture.  Plants that enjoy the sun and dry conditions can be placed on the top.
- Vertical design gardens are also great to save space and look fantastic.
- Potted plants require extra care, feeding, mulching and watering.

Jodi will be hosting the following free garden workshops:

• 'Veggies to Plant in Spring'. Tuesday 23rd October. Roxborough Park Community Garden 12-2pm.
• 'Controlling Pests in the Garden'.  Friday 2nd of November. Meadows Primary School, Gerbet Street, Broadmeadows 10-12pm.

Other upcoming events include:

• The Broadmeadows and District Garden Club 2012 Spring Show on 20th October -21st October, at Wiseman House Cnr Melbourne Ave and Widford St Glenroy.   Will feature different plants, orchids, roses and a sausage sizzle! Entry costs is $2.
• The Lemon Tree Project is hosting a community information session, featuring guest speakers, a short film and refreshments. The objective of the project is to have a communal lemon tree and park bench on as many streets as possible. Wednesday 24th of October Cragieburn Hume Global Learning Centre from 7pm.

Songs played on the show include:
  Portishead - Wandering Star
  Feist -  When I was a Young Girl
  Astrid Gilberto
  The Wailin' Jennys - Arlington

Listen to the show!

Environmentality 10 October 2012

Dear Environmentality Listeners,

Today was a very relaxed show, with co-presenters Smokey, Jaime and Sarah enjoying the opportunity to play lots of great music and discuss news and current events of relevance to the environment.

Banksia Gardens are hosting a Sustainability Workshop, held at 71 Pearcedale Pde Broadmeadows on the 17th of October 6-8pm.  Brainstorming is taking place and working groups are being formed about environmental initiatives for the area.   This is a great opportunity to get involved in environmental projects relevant to Hume and the North West region.

Some of the topics discussed on the program included:

• New modelling of the Murray Darling Basin floodplains show irrigators might not have to give up as much water as first thought, at 3,200 gigalitres a year as opposed to 4,000 gigalitres. This is good news towards coming to an agreement amongst basin stakeholders.
• Protests continue about the gas pipe proposal by Woodside Petroleum at James Price Point, an environmentally sensitive area. The area is a breeding ground and thoroughfare for humpback whales and other marine life, and has the longest chain of dinosaur footprints in the world.

Environmentality is open to ideas about topics to discuss on the show and people we can interview.  Do you know of an environmental program that needs promoting or someone of  interest working in the area of sustainability?  It may be your neighbour, it may even be yourself!  Leave a message on this blog or text message 0447777989.  We would love to hear from you.

Music played today included:
Julian Cope - Reynard the Fox
The Pale Saints - Baby Maker
Dave Graney - Playin' Chicken
Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
Ainslie Wills - Stop Pulling the String
The Jezabels - Mace Spray

Listen to the show!

Environmentality 3 October 2012

Dear Environmentality Listeners,

Smokey, Jaime and Sarah hosted the show with guests Robyn, Editor from Renew Magazine and Scott Parker, General Manager, Corporate Affairs & Marketing from Jemena.

Renew Magazine is a quarterly publication that features articles on renewable energy technology and fuels, DIY projects and sustainable building.   Renew have a new editor, Robyn, who shared with listeners an overview of the current issue.

The articles covered in the October -December 2012 issue include energy efficiency, the future of energy generation companies, grid interactive wind turbines, choosing regulators for independent power systems, future technology in sustainability and  a renewable energy courses guide.  Find out more on their website and obtain a subscription:  http://renew.org.au

Further along in the show Scott Parker from Jemena talked about the introduction of voluntary flexible pricing in Victoria.  The smart meter roll out means that customers are able to reduce their electricity bills through taking more control of their usage.

Customers using flexible pricing will be able to shift using their appliances from peak times, to off peak times.  For example, customer would be able to save in electricity costs by using their washing machines on the weekends or at night as opposed to weekdays.

Jemena has an electricity outlook portal which means customers can compare different electricity retailers to obtain the best prices, monitor electricity usage, set electricity usage targets and install a device to get information about 'real time' electricity usage.

As Smokey commented, this is ultimately good news as with better management of electricity usage by customers, the demand curve will be flattened making electricity generation more efficient.  Information can be obtained here: https://electricityoutlook.jemena.com.au/

Find out more about topics discussed on show by listening to the podcast.  Some excellent tunes were played:
Astrid Gilberto - The Girl from Ipanema
Daniel Johnston & Yo La Tengo - Speeding Motorcycle
Feist - Gatekeeper

Listen to the show!