Environmentality, 15th May 2013

Hello Environmental Listeners,

Jaime, Ahmed and May spoke to Sarah Robertson about Issue 23 of Sanctuary Magazine: Renos and Retrofits on a budget. Sarah is the associated editor of the Sanctuary Magazine from the AlternativeTechnology Association. The alternative technology association is a not-for-profit organization providing independent advice about sustainable solutions for home owners and members. 

Issue 23, courtesy of the ATA

The Merrick house in the Mornington Peninsula is one of the houses featured in the latest issue. Having already participating in environmental sustainability through landcare works, the family sought environmental design features when the house was extended. Looking like a long thin box, the house is separated into 2 wings with the kitchen located in the middle of the house. The house is passively designed to make the most of its views and minimize the need for heating and cooling. The house faces the north, allowing the northern sun to heat the home. The house features solar panels, water tank, double glazing, sustainable timber and low volatile organic compound paint.

Sarah gave some handy tips about retrofitting kitchens and bathrooms. She recommends using as much recycled material as possible. If using recycled timber, Sarah suggest measuring how deep you would like your benches to be to ensure that your appliances will fit. If you are buying new appliances, look into run out appliances, end of season stock and energy rating.   

With new homes built to an average of 6 stars, it’s certainly good to hear about the 8 star home in the tropics that maximises the breeze to cool down the house.  

As usual we digressed and chatted about the budget, soccer and social issues. 

Sadly May is leaving us for a while as she has found a temporary position. We look forward to have May back some time soon.

To learn more about renos and retrofits on a budget and green homes, don’t forget to listen to the podcast and look at the latest issue of Sanctuary.

Tracks Played:

John Coltrane Quartet- Giant Steps

Sea lakes- Morse Code

Medisky Wood -Hey Hee Hi Ho

The Transatlantics- A Man Like That

Killer him

Environmentality, 8th May 2013

Hello Environmentality Listeners,

Jaime, Ahmed and Smokey chatted to Vanessa and Mat from Melbourne City Rooftop Honey. Starting off as a hobby in Vanessa and Mat’s backyard, it has since turned into a commercial enterprise. Vanessa and Mat places bee hives on building rooftops around the Melbourne Central Business District and surrounding suburbs. 

Matt and Vanessa, courtesy of milkbarmag.com

There are 1 to 2 hives at each site. Vanessa and Mat’s bee hives is bee friendly, they ensure that the 2 bottom boxes are left for the bees thus preventing the need to feed the bees with artificial sugar syrups unlike commercial bee hives. It was certainly surprising to learn that the taste of honey differs with the location of the bee hive.    

To host one of Vanessa and Mat’s bee hives, all you need to do is pay for an annual sponsorship fee. The sponsorship fee is inclusive of the cost of the bee hives, bees and maintenance. Honey is shared between the host, bees and Melbourne Rooftop Honey. Any remaining honey is sold to local businesses and individuals. Other than to enjoy the bees, hosts responsibility is just to make sure the bees have enough water.

Colony collapse disorder happens when worker bees disappear from the colony. We in Australia have been fortunate; the Northern Hemisphere has seen dramatic losses in bees. Although there is no known cause, neonicotinoid pesticides, parasitic mite and commercial bee keeping practices are thought to play a role.    

Bees are very important to our ecosystem and agriculture; 1/3 of every mouthful of food is a result of bee pollination. Hence the loss of bees would certainly be disastrous! To learn more about the role of bees, drones, bee keeping and the Melbourne City Rooftop bees, don’t forget to listen to thepodcast.

You can also follow Melbourne City Rooftop Bees on twitter @rooftopbees

Tracks Played:

Taming Parlor- Elephant

Dead Can Dance

The Smiths- Panic

Stereo Love- Ping Pong

The drones- How to see through fog

Environmentality, 1 May 2013

Today we had two returning guest on Environmentality, Chandra from the Moreland Energy Foundation and Christina from Landcare Australia. Landcare Australia is a non for profit, non-government organisation, national support body for landcare groups such as friends of, coast care and bush care groups.

Courtesy of dpi.vic.gov.au

Chandra was back to talk about a series of radio segments that the Moreland Energy Foundation has created to reach out to business. We had the pleasure for listening to a few of the 5 different segments highlighting the work of some businesses in terms of energy efficiency and saving they have achieved through things such as timers on fridges and LED lights. Segments are also available in languages other than English. If you would like to get in touch with them, leave a comment on the blog!

Courtesy of dse.vic.gov.au 

Catching up with Christina, it was exciting to hear that the Live Grow Explore community day event was a success with a good turnout on the day. Nominations for State and Territory Landcare awards are now open with 9 categories such as junior Landcare team and individual awards. Click here to learn more and start applying!

Upcoming Events:

World Environment day- Wednesday 5^th June

National Tree day Sunday 28^th July

For other grants or funding opportunities from Landcare click here

Tracks played:

Tell me something I don’t know- The Pardoners

Kick it- The Coolie

Jayne Denham - Addicted To The Diesel 

 Shortest time of the year- David Bridie

Get the podcast here!

Environmentality, 24th April 2013

Today we have Geoff Porter, Mayor of the Hume City Council dropping by to chat about the Hume Horizons 2040 strategy. Hume Horizons 2040 enables local people to have their say about how Hume will grow. From improving transport links, more bicycle paths, plantings, open spaces, One Direction to a beach; you can have your say by post cards located at council office or the library, council website and online discussion forum.

Courtesy of Hume City Council 

ABC News released that Australia’s population has grown to 23 million and world population of 7 billion. With the way we currently use our resources and consumption per head of the population, do we keep growing our population or is transiting to aging population inevitable? Is the answer growth? With limited policies that are possible, do you agree with Jaime’s suggestion to try to discourage growth by removing some of the incentives such as the baby bonus? To read the article click here

In light of the news of the collapse of the Europe Union carbon price, the potential impacts to Australia’s carbon trading scheme was discussed, leading to more discussions of politics, the fall of Labor, increasing popularity of Liberals and decline in the Greens influence.     

Furthermore, this week we heard about the announcement of a new coal mine located in Galilee Basin, central QLD by GVK Hancock. To listen to the audio click here

Tracks played:

Ask- The Smiths

Hands will cradle- Oh Mercy & Nadia Omar

You’ll never walk alone- Gerry and the pacemakers

Ghost- The Presets

Listen to the Podcast here!

Environmentality, 17th April 2013

Today Jodie was unable to come into the studio, but we do look forward to having Jodie back soon. While we waited for our guest, John Merory, we learnt a little bit more about our blogger and presenter, May, and chatted briefly about the passing of Margaret Thatcher.

John was able to chat to us about the link between health, transport and climate change. John highlights that pollutants from our cars are killing about 2000 people per year and causes diseases such as heart and lung disease. By using more public transport and biking, we not only help decrease the green house gases, but improve our health!

Sadly we ran out of time, but look forward to having John back soon.

Tracks Played:

Cold Play- Don’t Panic

Elton John- Tiny Dancer

Frou Frou- Let go

Oasis- Turn up the sun

The Gorillaz- Re-hashed

The Pardoner's- Perfect life

Eskimo Joe- New York

Gurrumul Yunupingu

Listen to the Podcast here!

Environmentality, 10th April 2013

Unfortunately our guest, John Merory, was unable to come in today as he was ill. Instead Smokey and Ahmed chatted about the politics, carbon emissions trading and the role of the media.  

With the need to understand disciplines such as economics, international politics and climatology, it’s easy to see the complexities involved in carbon emissions trading and difficulties for the people in making political judgments based on competition systems of thought.  The need for a ‘balanced’ debate in the media has contributed to difficulties in the climate science discussions, blurring the sense of ‘experts’.    

We also managed to call Jaime and got a glimpse into how the radio show works.

Tracked played:

Love- You set the scene

Lust- Mad love

Joy Division- So many (live)

Amnesia- Dead can dance

Ainslie Wills- Stop pulling the string

Listen to the podcast here!

Environmentality, 3rd April 2013

We had a jammed packed show today with 3 guest, Emma de Campo and Chandra Sundareswara from the Moreland Energy Foundation (MEFL), and Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith, Senior Advisor for the InternationalPOPs Elimination Network (IPEN) and Senior Advisor for National Toxics NetworkInc. The Moreland Energy Foundation (MEFL) is non-for-profit organisation working with community that provides advice to residents and businesses about easy energy saving tips. The National Toxicity Network is a non- profit, non-government organisation that works with communities across Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific towards a toxic free world. IPEN is comprised of over 700 non-government organisations over 100 countries, all working towards a world which chemicals that are produced and used in way that are safe on humans, animals and the environment

First up were Emma and Chandra to chat about MEFL’s segments about business energy efficiency. A series of interviews with business owners, the segments highlights some of the great work by Chandra and the Positive Charge team. Federally funded by the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program, working across 9 municipalities in the north and numerous multicultural communities, the program works with businesses to make saving energy easy, simple and affordable!

Unfortunately we were unable to play the segments, hopefully when Emma and Chandra are back in a few weeks the segments will be working. To find out more go to the website or call 9385 8555

Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith provided us with an engrossing discussion about endocrine disruptors. It was alarming to discover that out of the 80,000 chemicals in the world; only a handful has been assessed, and that Australia has only tested 2-3 thousand of its 3800 chemicals.  Found in a range of products such as plastics, preservatives and pesticides, endocrine disruptors interfere with our ability to regulate growth, metabolism and development by mimicking natural hormones. The effects of endocrine disruptors can be seen to effects at very low levels. Exposure at early development can lead to reproductive issues later in life, behavioural and learning disorders, endocrine cancers, diabetes, fat development and weight gain.  For the latest effects see World healthOrganisation: state of science of endocrine disruptors

   

With trade secrets protecting industries from labelling and listing harmful chemicals, we can all do our part by choosing to purchase organic and things made from natural products, eating less meat and dairy, avoiding exposure, minimising cosmetic products, and put pressure on companies, industry and governments to regulate these chemicals.    

To learn more about the Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), click here

For further reading: Slow death by rubber duck

Don't forget to tune into the podcast!

Tracked played:

Yothu Yindi- Healing Stone

Charlie McGee- Get together

Tarmac Adam

Grace Knight- Your Cheatin Heart