by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group Inc
EarthChat presents in-depth conversations and views on the many environment issues affecting our community. EarthChat is brought to you by BEAM Mitchell Environment Group. You can listen live each Tuesday on Seymour FM at 12noon AEST, with hosts Ruth, Peter, Marie and Tim. Time to tune in, listen up and get active. Don’t forget to like and follow.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/20/2024
Email Addresses
0 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 30, 2025
How safe is nuclear power? Are nuclear submarines safe? Listen here to find out a bit more.
April 24, 2025
Have you ever been struck by the song of a bird and immediately found your curiosity and wonder has led you beyond what it is to be human to another realm? Or a sudden and elusive movement might have caught your eye, be it in your garden or out in the bush. And whilst looking up to the sky have you found yourself witnessing the miracle of birds defying gravity mid air?Birds offer a portal to the wild world providing a sense of connection with nature which can evoke feelings of awe and wonder, promoting greater awareness and appreciation for the environment. No wonder humans have been inspired by birds on so many levels, from music, poetry and art to engineering.Here are a few examples of their remarkable achievements: The Arctic Tern flies 90,000 km round trip every year between the north and South Pole - from Greenland in the North, to the Weddell Sea in the South. The Bar-Headed Geese can fly as high as 6,000 metres when crossing the Himalayas. Humming Birds are the weight of a sheet of paper and the size of the eye of an Ostrich, (who like the Emu and Cassowary don’t fly at all). They can too fast for the human eye to see how they got from A to B, and they can hover mid air without falling to the ground. And what’s more, they can fly backwards. Sharp-tailed Sandpipers migrate from Australia to Siberia and back again every year to breed. And the Lyrebird has inhabited Australia for over 15 million years… Superb fairy-Wren’ fathers sing to their eggs before they hatch. Extraordinary Bird facts go on and on…..On every level of human existence we need the existence of birds. Recent research indicates that of all the natural sounds, bird songs and calls are most often cited as helping people recover from stress, improve mental wellbeing, and enhance cognitive functions like focus and attention. The absence of birdsong would create a noticeable and potentially unsettling silence in nature. Now for some sobering facts for us to address. We are losing birds species and bird numbers to dangerous levels for a healthy survival of the planet. Nearly three billion birds are estimated to have been lost since 1970 in North America alone, and a further 600 million have been lost in the European Union since 1980, an area five times smaller. Since European colonization 69% of Australia has lost at least one bird species with a 61% increase.Without birds, aside from the reasons cited above, ecosystems would face significant disruption, impacting pollination, seed dispersal, insect control, potentially leading to reduced biodiversity and increased disease risk and a reduced food supply with economic consequences of reduced food production and potential health issues. By having more insects roaming the land as a result of no birds, crops will be ravaged by the amount of pests causing loss of human life, and other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and plant life.The good news is there’s much we humans can do to change this trajectory to support the ongoing health and preservation of birdlife around the planet. Join Ruth and her guests, ecologist, Peter Mitchell, and avid birder, Val La May, to explore the wonderful world of birds and how we can support their vital existence.Peter Mitchell: Peter has a PhD in zoology and years of experience in ecology and land management. He has worked as a Landcare coordinator, teacher and land management officer with government departments. Since retiring, Peter is been involved in many volunteer groups working on landscape restoration and the management of many of Mitchell Shire’s Natural Treasures. He has written many of BEAM’s submissions to government agencies including the Shire’s Structure Plans and Rural Strategy.Val La May: Born in Rochester, New York, (USA), Val moved to Boise where she grew up in Idaho's Rocky Mountain West. Picnicking and camping ‘up in the hills’ led she and her siblings to rampage around the forest like wild things. Many years later, on returning to the Idaho woods, she
April 16, 2025
Sustainable House Day (SHD) is an Australian event showcasing (mostly) recently completed energy efficient houses. Be they owner-built or builder-built, there are lots of attractive and efficient and aesthetically stimulating houses to check out near you.What is a Sustainable House? Where does SHD come from? What can we expect from thousands of people checking out hundreds of houses across Australia? Is there an impact of mainstream commercial builds.Peter Lockyer and Tim Budge are joined by a couple of local people whose houses will be on display. Mitchell Shire has 7 houses registered on Sustainable House Day, and they are all very different, from renovations, to new build to retrofit. Mitchell Shire Council is a partner too of the day.Check out SHD here and click here for a list of the local houses. Mitchell Shire Council also has some more information here. The Council will be running an EV webinar on the 8th May.
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at [email protected] for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.