Kirsty Bishop-Fox chairs the group behind Victoria's "Zero Waste Festival" and, as the event's director, talks about the Saturday, September 12, event.

The program has many highlights, among them the Rewear Runway (a fashion parade revolving around used clothing), appearances by the Climate Choir Melbourne, the Riff Raff Radical Marching Band Melbourne, and a session providing advice on how to read your bills, a fabric swap, a Repair Cafe & Mending Circle, a Clothes Swap and a chance to share your home energy story.

There will be a book swap, a chance to become a super eco-warrior, a No-sew Upcycled T-Shirt Bag Workshop and a host of other events to help you reduce your waste.

The festival opens with Australia’s favourite garden gnome, Costa, for the Melbourne launch of his new book, Costa’s Garden: Fruit, with stories, laughter and plenty of gardening inspiration.

Dress in your fruitiest outfits (adults and kids alike!) as Costa shares the awe and wonder of the natural world with young readers, budding gardeners and fruit lovers of all ages.

Immediately after that, those attending can hear about "Rethinking Plastic: The Good, the Bad, and the Biodegradable", then it is "Everyday Sustainability: Progress Over Perfection" and then "The Rise of Data Centres and the Hidden Footprint of AI".

Nepal floods - "Tsunami of dirt: what caused Nepal’s deadly glacial flood?";

"What probably triggered the Nepal flood, and why it could happen more often";

"Australia’s backdown on data centres allows them to use energy from coal and gas. Here’s what that means";

"The fight over AI data centres is becoming Australia’s next Indigenous policy challenge";

"$900 million from a canceled wind deal will benefit a Trump donor";

"The US military’s fatal stance on climate change";

"Data center backlash is preventing cities from learning how to handle them".

About 30 people gathered recently at Geelong's Cellar Door Wine Bar for the launch of Mik Aidt's new book, "Man of Earth".

Mik has been a truly active climate activist for more than a decade, and that lively approach has seen him involved in a range of processes, allowing him to exercise his journalistic skills through podcasting, radio and now, the authorship of a book.

Mik is known to many through "The Sustainable Hour" and "The Geelong Connections Cafe".

Gardening Australia's Costa Georgiadis is excited about the Tatura Transitions event coming up on Sunday, August 23, at both the town's Cussen Park and the Italian Social Club.

GV Community Energy is supporting the event, as are Zero Carbon Tatura; The Goulburn Valley Tree Group; Cussen Park; the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority; Tatura Rotary; Landcare; Sustainability Victoria; and The City of Greater Shepparton.

There has been a rush for tickets for this free event, and even though it recently reached capacity, a few additional spots have been added, and they can be secured through Humanitix.

Europe heatwave sees continent roast - "Germany’s Rhine River may ‘split in two’ as new heatwave roasts Europe";

"Electric car emissions benefits are far greater than first thought";

"‘Truly Devastating’: Trump Ends Federal Funding for Key Arctic Climate Report";

"When fuel prices rise, who picks up the pieces?";

"‘Climate whiplash’ is not simply a buzzword, but a symptom of a warming planet";

"These 5 charts show how far rooftop solar and home batteries can take us – and why we still need the grid";

"Reef relief: how a late summer monsoon helped cool the Great Barrier Reef at just the right time".

Harry Rosson delivered the latest in the Public Money, Public Good lectures, titled "An economy that puts people & planet first: What it looks like & how to get there".

In this lecture, Harry shows how we have been tricked into a destructive growth agenda, and how we can move beyond it for our and our planet's sake.

Monty Don tours the gardens of the River Rhine, wondering frequently about the impact of climate change - "Monty Don's Rhineland Gardens";

"Earth Overshoot Day" – the date when humanity has consumed everything the planet can regenerate during the entire year. In 2026, that date arrived on 30 July;

"What is climate gentrification? Why house prices are rising outside of Europe's city centres";

"Fire, flood and wishful thinking: Why we’re not ready for Victoria’s climate future".

John Lewis came from England in what seems like a lifetime ago, and his first in Australia was with the Shepparton News.

John, who quickly became a favourite with many readers of the city's newspaper, became, along with his family, an important member of the city's community, especially in the arts.

Readers loved his "left field" writing, particularly in his column, "My Word", and the obvious empathy he had for people when he wrote about the daily lives of those he reported on.

His latest column was: "Heated warnings from Europe".

"‘Never seen so many grown men cry’: The everyday Aussies who can’t afford another disaster";

"International rise in chronic idiocy".

Many things trigger migration, but a worsening climate enriches the mood among people to move, to find what they believe is a safer place.

The Guardian tells about the thousands of people who stormed into one of Spain's territories in search of a better life, driven by many things, among them a worsening climate: "At least 57 people die as tens of thousands cross to Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco";

"Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn";

"The Fossil Lobby Is Winning: 45 Climate Policy Reversals in One Year";

"‘It looked like an atomic bomb’: The Aussie pilots flying into a French firestorm";

"George and Amal Clooney flee luxury French home as wildfires rage";

"Earth’s Warming Primed France and Spain to Burn, Scientists Find";

"Extreme Heat Has Transformed What Summer Means Across Generations in Europe";

"Climate migration is coming. Cincinnati wants to shape its effects.";

"Why Climateflation Will Drive Food Prices More Than War";

"Wildfires are raging – and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder".

Tim Flannery (pictured) was on the most recent edition of "Australia's Biggest Book Club" organised by The Australia Institute.

Long had I been concerned that Tim had said, according to my climate-denying friends, Australia's dams would never fill again.

Answering a question about that during this webinar, Tim said it was clearly misinformation and those claiming he said that should produce the evidence.