Beaming Green
Hosted by Jeremy Melder
A podcast that puts eco-living at the heart of your life. Each episode we showcase sustainability superheroes who share their knowledge and tips that you can implement immediately to experience the joy of living simply and sustainably every day.
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Top 10 Beaming Green Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Beaming Green episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Beaming Green for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Beaming Green episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Sustainable Schools Network - Katie Norman
Beaming Green
08/18/21 • 42 min
Educating our children and making them aware of how to live their lives sustainably is no mean feat. In this episode, I speak with Katie Norman about her business called the Sustainable Schools Network (SSN).
Katie is the chief steward for the organisation that has been in operation for almost two years. The SSN philosophy on Education for Sustainability (EfS) is to engage in an ongoing reciprocal dialogue that explores playful possibilities in our collective educational spaces. As much as this is an inward, and at times, personal journey for us all, it is very much about creating a shared path and a shared vision that engages curiosity, critical thinking and creative expression. Although they started this organisation with a focus on sustainability, the more they lived the experience of sustainability, the more they realised that sustainability is about learning.
In this interview, we discuss how:
- the Sustainable Schools Network came about
- sustainability requires a whole-of-school approach that involves everyone from the kids to the teachers, school staff and parents
- the journal that they produce quarterly to educate students on a wide array of subjects around sustainability is becoming a great success and a useful tool
- this program is available to all schools throughout Australia
- children can influence change, not just for themselves, but for the people around them, including their parents
- schools that engage with this program and educate children about sustainability has a ripple effect, with 9,100 schools throughout Australia using it, shaping our future leaders
- change starts with us as individuals
- sustainability wasn't included in curriculum for student teachers as part of their core subjects.
I really enjoyed this interview with Katie and am sure that you will too.
Links
Sustainable Schools Network
Facebook
Linkedin
Circular Economy Villages
Beaming Green
10/16/20 • 50 min
In this episode I speak with skilled planners and strategic engineers, Nilmini De Silva and Steven Liaros, who have more than 25 years local government and consulting experience. They share their vision of pioneering "Circular Economy Villages" (CEVs) in Australia . A CEV lowers living costs, covering the basic needs of residents, including water, food, energy and shelter. CEVs also integrate sustainable and innovative ideas and infrastructure, reinventing how 'residents and entrepreneurs' live and work together.
The couple have spent the past few years travelling Australia in their motor home and connecting with communities and councils to get important feedback that will inform their vision of sustainable, affordable and connected living.
In this interview they share:
- what their research findings on CEVs are, including anecdotal and academic research from Steven's PHD
- which local councils support the idea and are interested in developing it further e.g. Bellingen Council
- what the master plan of a CEV could look and how it might work
- how CEVs save on commute time
- what shared community amenities will be available, such as electric vehicles, entertainment rooms, pool, gyms etc
- how shared spaces like community gardens and meeting places create connection and enhance mental health
- what E changers are
- how CEVs offer nomads a home and a place in a community for as long as they want.
For more information about CEVs and Nilmini and Steven's vision, visit the links below.
Want to learn more click on the following links:
Link to Fifth Estate Article: Circular economy village Life: Pipedream or solution to all our woes
Social Media & Websites:
FB Page: Circular Economy Villages
Publication on Medium: Ecoliving Journeys
Steven’s PhD: Circular Economy Villages: Local Nodes in a Globally Networked City
Living a rich and purposeful life - EP 3
Beaming Green
05/09/23 • 34 min
In this the final episode of three with Stephen Armytage, he discusses what it means to live a rich and purposeful life. Stephen explains that his goal in sharing this course, and his overall mission, is to leave the world in a better shape than he found it. He reveals the secret to achieving this is coming from a place of abundance and connection.
Stephen believes that living a rich and purposeful life means being the best husband, father, son, and community member possible, together with acknowledging the enrichment that this creates.
Stephen discusses the common misconception that people who have a good start in life don't struggle and are happy. He says that everyone starts somewhere, and we all have different starting places. He understands that some people don't believe they have the power, permission, or deserve to live this way. Stephen emphasises that improving yourself is possible, regardless of your starting point.
To learn more about how to live an abundant and fulfilling life retreat, beginning May 31st, 2023, head to LARPL to register or sign up to the mailing list to hear about future events. You may also want to check out Gymea Eco Retreat, the stunning spot in Northern NSW where Stephen is holding the retreat. I'll be attending and hope to see you there for what promises to be a powerful and transformative five-day experience.
Living Well, Dying Well - with Hermione Elliot
Beaming Green
08/04/21 • 53 min
In this week’s episode I am excited to welcome guest presenter Andia Cally. Together, we interview Hermione Elliot, who shares her wisdom and wealth of experience and knowledge on a subject that eventually impacts us all—death. Based in the UK, Hermione is an End of Life Doula and the Director of Living Well, Dying Well, an organisation that pioneered (and continues to offer) the only certified end of life training in the UK, since 2009.
It was a rich and very rewarding conversation. Hermione’s compassion, experience and insight around the importance of preparing for, and creating, a positive end-of-life experience was humbling.
We touched on many topics, including that:
- the role of a End of Life Doula is to create a calm, comforting, safe and loving space to help the dying person and their family let go
- death itself is brief and much of their work is around supporting the preparation for death and what comes after
- for the dying it is often important to tie up loose ends and let go of attachments to things and people
- every death is unique and often reflects how a person has lived
- end of life can be harder for the ones being left behind than the one dying
- we can rehearse for death by regularly ‘stopping to listen to the whispering of [our] soul’ rather than waiting for deathbed regrets
- death is a human, rather than a medical event, which is why hospitals and institutions don’t do death well
- the end of life is treated differently in various cultures
- death and permanent brain injury can affect people at any age, so it’s worth creating an advanced health care directive a.s.a.p
- Covid-19 has made people more aware of the importance of having loved ones with you as you die
- every person that does their training is doing a public service as they normalise and expand the conversation around death
- including children in the conversations and experiences of death will help them to face the inevitable in the future
- healing rituals, like washing the body of a loved one, or bringing them home for a few days can be very healing.
Death is a challenging topic for many of us, including me. I hope that like me, you find this interview enriching and feel reassured that it is possible to die well.
Bio of Hermione Elliot
After a career in nursing, midwifery, palliative care, training, health coaching and mentorship, Hermione brought all her interests and experience together to develop the End of Life Doula Training in 2009. She established Living Well, Dying Well as a not-for-profit organisation to further this work. She is passionate about engaging with people from all walks of life, encouraging them to become more informed and confident about being with death and dying – recognising it not as something to be feared, but as a natural and normal part of life.
Links to training and information
Home | Living Well Dying Well – End of Life Doula Training (lwdwtraining.uk)
Home End of Life Doula UK – Death Doula in the community (eol-doula.uk)
Healthy homes better for people & the planet
Beaming Green
09/18/20 • 25 min
Michael Leung - Architect from Balanced Earth
Michael Leung has had a passion for architecture since the age of sixteen, when he started working in an architectural firm in the UK. He then went on to university to study architecture.
Michael became a UK registered architect in March 2000. He has 30 years experience in architecture and project management.
For 8 years, his primary focus was property development and project management for commercial, residential and hospitality projects in Australia and the South Pacific.
During this phase he started Lausanne Property's Sydney office and headed up Andrew Forrest's Private Minderoo Property Group in Perth building over $300m of projects.
Michael has worked at prominent architectural practices like TP Bennett, KSS in London and Hassell Architects in Sydney designing and delivering a variety of interesting and exciting commercial projects.
He has also run his own design and building businesses for many years and completed a variety of quality design projects over the years.
Michael has been involved in commercial, residential and hospitality projects in Australia, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands and Vanuatu. He has worked alongside high profile clients and prominent hotel brands, including building Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Property Group, Paspaley Projects, GHM hotels, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt, Alila Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Malmaison Hotels. Many of these projects have won design awards and been published. (Listed below in Awards)
Michael brings leadership and design experience with a wealth of construction delivery knowledge to all his projects. He has recently delivered major projects like the international award winning Musters Residences; The Indian Ocean Suites MBA award winning; The Baynton Residences; Minderoo Homestead all in WA, Further afield The Fiji Beach Resort and Spa, The Rottnest Island and Ningaloo reef resort design projects have taken his work and experience to new levels.
Michael now prefers designing and building more healthy and sustainable homes with their team at Balanced Earth and has set up home and business in Byron Bay.
Balanced Earth have won awards for designs of Skyfarm, Goninan Hemp houses, Cape Byron Steiner School as well as many other unique residential projects.
Balanced Earth provide end to end project management from the design of your project to the build.
Please click on the links to visit the websites of Michael's and Balanced Earth for examples of their work.
For more information on this episode please visit the Beaming Green website
So, you want to become a beekeeper
Beaming Green
11/27/20 • 34 min
So, you want to become a beekeeper
I'm excited to be speaking with Leonie Schwarzel, who is a fellow beekeeper with extensive experience (more than me).
I met Leonie when I joined the Gold Coast Amateur Beekeepers Society three years ago.
There is a lot beekeepers need to know, so I thought it would be useful to discuss the basics before starting a hive.
In this interview we speak about things to consider before you start beekeeping, including:
- deciding if beekeeping is right for you
- finding out the benefits of joining a bee club
- doing a beekeeper training course
- determining if your environment is suitable for European honey bees
- questioning why you want to be a beekeeper
- registering your hive with Department of Primary Industries (NSW Australia)
- reporting and logbook requirements to monitor and prevent pests.
Bio: Leonie Schwarzel
“Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds”.Thor Hanson
Growing up in rural areas between Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Leonie developed an avid interest in honeybees when a beekeeper would bring his hives to her parent's orchards and horticultural properties during the flowering/pollination season each year.
At their large farm-shed stall, her family stocked and sold a wide variety of honeys, in addition to the fruit &and flowers they produced. That bees were vital in producing abundant fruit and rewarded us with honey, sealed Leonie's lifelong gratitude, love and fascination for these industrious little insects.
Fast forward forty years; after a successful career teaching at schools and university, Leonie returned to her rural roots by settling on a small farm near Mt Warning in the beautiful Tweed Valley, northern New South Wales, Australia. She immediately established several honeybee hives and opened a farm-gate stall to sell the exquisite honey her bees produce in the rural & World Heritage listed Mt Warning environs.
Leonie is a committee member of the Gold Coast Amateur Beekeepers Society (GCABS). She trains and mentors new beekeepers and in addition to her own hives, she manages another small commercial apiary in the Tweed Valley region.
It takes a town with Carmen Stewart
Beaming Green
10/23/20 • 33 min
It Takes a Town — with Carmen Stewart
It Takes a Town (ITAT) started in 2017 in the 2484 postcode area, which includes Murwillumbah, Northern New South Wales and surrounding villages. It operates under the premise that we all — residents, services, clubs, churches, businesses, schools and government—have a role to play in creating change. With 1 in 3 children below the poverty line in 2484, children and families have become ITAT's primary focus. ITAT focuses on nurturing the qualities of collaboration, generosity and responsiveness, with the understanding that if we get the culture of community ‘right’ and provide support for the seeding of new collaborations and initiatives then it will benefit of children, families and individuals.
In this episode we ask Carmen how the project is progressing how the community is engaging with it.
In this interview we discuss how:
- natural disasters, like the 2017 floods, impact local communities and help build resilience
- to tap into the generosity of a community willing to help those in need
- ITAT attracted funding to support the movement
- ITAT's managed to respond more quickly to people in need during the floods than larger organisations subject to bureaucracy
- the community gathered together to determine how they could be more self sufficient.
Bio of Carmen Stewart
Carmen has a Masters in Applied Science (Social Ecology) and a background in government, education, community and not-for-profit sectors. For the past 17 years she has worked as a consultant, specialising in community engagement, project design and management, the facilitation of workshops and strategic planning.
Carmen’s key role at present is the design and activation of ‘It Takes a Town’. This is a collective impact project focused on the 2484 postcode area. It aims to grow a culture of trust, generosity and responsiveness, in order to create opportunities and environments for children to thrive.
Prior to this she designed and managed the award winning Making Places project, an initiative to imagine safer, healthier and more sustainable futures in communities across SEQ and Melbourne.
Carmen has worked extensively as a consultant with organisations in the Northern Rivers, including Social Futures, The Family Centre, Momentum Collective, Tweed Ballina Byron Community Transport, the NNSW Local Health District and the (former) Tweed Valley Women’s Service. She has also worked for multiple government agencies including the Tweed Shire Council, Logan City Council, City of Gold Coast and the Queensland State Government.
Carmen is a highly skilled and engaging facilitator. She is passionate about inspiring and activating change to create futures we would all love to live in. Right now she is particularly interested in how we can collaborate post COVID-19 to NOT return to business as usual.
You can find out more about Carmen’s present work at www.thrive2484.com
Connect with It Takes a Town
Building with hemp a way of the future
Beaming Green
09/11/20 • 44 min
Building with hemp a way of the future
In this episode I am excited to be interviewing Klara Marosszeky who is the Managing Director of the Australian Hemp Masonry Company, Australia’s lead organisation in hemp building materials research. The company sources hemp from Australian farmers, manufacturers that are BCA-compliant Australian hemp building materials in Sydney. They supply hemp building materials to more than 180 construction projects across all states, including two commercial projects.
Homes using the company’s products have won the 2018 Housing Industry Association National GreenSmart Award, several Master Builders Awards and several sustainable design awards.
Klara is also a qualified educator, delivering training in hemp building for builders, owner builders, as well as advising architects and building designers. She’s been involved with hemp fibre farming since 1999 and with hemp construction research since 2000.
Her work has included supporting the development of a mobile hemp processing unit that she believes has the potential to transform where and how hemp building materials are processed for the Australian market.
Here is a link to the Hemp Masonry Company and their upcoming workshops.
Klara has also provided Beaming Green with a list of recommended builders and architects in Northern NSW, this information will be on our website under episode three.
Remember to go to the Beaming Green website to register your details to go into the draw to win a bottle of Tooth Tonic.
Learn Syntropic Agriculture with Victor Pires
Beaming Green
08/27/20 • 50 min
I would like to introduce you to Syntropic Agriculture, a concept I learnt about 3 years ago with Victor Pires.
You may ask, what is syntropic agriculture?
Syntropic agriculture is an intensive, successional form of agroforestry that tries to imitate natural forest dynamics through several principles and practices, aiming to maximise photosynthesis at all times and optimise productivity through all spaces. Thus, it not only produces food, timber and fibre crops but it is also able to generate its own fertility, while building stable humus, improving the water and energy cycles and nurturing soil biology.
Victor is a Brazilian that has lived in Australia for the last 20 years, and together with a friend is responsible for planting the first Syntropic Agriculture seed in Australia, in April 2016, when they brought Patricia Vaz and Namaste Messerschmitt and held three in-depth courses near Byron Bay.
Syntropically, Victor has immersed himself in its theory and practice for the last 5 years, where he not only travelled many times to Brazil to train with the most experienced practitioners, including Ernst Gotsch, but he is also a co-founder of the first syntropic farm in Australia – Gabalah Farm – and for the last 20 months he and his partner have been experimenting with the syntropic powers of regeneration in a severely degraded land in Uki, NSW.
Victor is now in the process of embarking in another exciting initiative which he calls “A Syntropic Gardener” where he aims to share all his experiences and passion for subsistence syntropic practices with the world, and hopefully help many individuals and families to move towards self-sufficiency, resilience and regeneration.
Check out this film of Life in Syntropy https://vimeo.com/146953911
If you want to contact Victor about doing a course his email is [email protected] You can also go to his website www.syntropicgardener.com
These are photos taken at Victors property in UKI that he is in the process of transforming.
06/23/21 • 37 min
In this episode I speak with Matthew Harris about his first book, The Way of the Courageous Vulnerable – How to Find Meaning and Purpose From the 7 Stages of the Hero’s Journey in your daily life. The book centres on the hero's journey, the underlying template in stories from all around the world, as a way for people to understand and achieve their purpose in life.
"The book brings a hopeful message, enabling one to more easily bear and even value the hard times. It is an approach that teaches patience, humility and the 'long view'. Matthew explains the steps in detail and shows how they have applied in his own life, which has involved a journey often marked by depression, illness and poverty. This enables the reader to see how the stages can apply in their own lives. The book includes exercises and questions at the end of each chapter to help you apply the'journey' to your own life." (Review by H Smart)
The hero's journey is a subject I'm really passionate about and I enjoyed hearing Matthew's take on:
- the creative process of writing this book from a place of vulnerability, initially expressed in a collection of his personal Facebook posts
- how he transformed obstacles, like depression, into opportunities and inspiration for the hero's journey and the book
- the unsung everyday heroes, like his Mum, who have inspired him
- the importance of eldership acknowledgement culturally in Australia and the role elders can play in holding space for young people
- the feminine version of the hero's journey, as something more internal and how both genders experience the masculine and feminine expressions of the hero's journey
- Matthew's future plans for workshops, seminars and retreats on this topic.
I really enjoyed my discussion with Matthew, and I hope you enjoy this interview and reading his new book.
The book is available: www.courageousjourney.com.au or via Amazon for E -book
Go to Beaming Green to see more info about the author.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Beaming Green have?
Beaming Green currently has 35 episodes available.
What topics does Beaming Green cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, Thrive, Mental Health, Podcasts and Sustainability.
What is the most popular episode on Beaming Green?
The episode title 'Living Well, Dying Well - with Hermione Elliot' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Beaming Green?
The average episode length on Beaming Green is 40 minutes.
How often are episodes of Beaming Green released?
Episodes of Beaming Green are typically released every 13 days, 22 hours.
When was the first episode of Beaming Green?
The first episode of Beaming Green was released on Aug 6, 2020.
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