We do this by sharing stories of sustainability shaped by the people, places and projects of regional communities across Australia.
The ReNewy Living Podcast
Listen to sustainability stories from regional communities
Listen to the Latest Episodes…
24. Connecting Connecting through Good, Clean & Fair Food
Have you heard about the Slow Food Movement? It’s a global movement that believes everyone has the right to good, clean and fair food.
Helping us understand the movement from a localised perspective, I’m chatting with Amorelle Dempster from Slow Food Hunter Valley.
Listen to Ep 24 Connecting Community through Good, Clean & Fair Food on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts or your wherever you get your podcasts
23. Sustainable Interior Design is Made to Wear In, Not Out
Using healthy and sustainable materials in your interior design is an overlooked and not considered yet important element in your daily living.
In this episode, I’m chatting with Nadine Samwell from Eco Edition. Nadine helps homeowners with better choices for healthy and sustainable materials for new builds and renovations. All with the aim of making it simpler and easier for you.
Listen to 23. Sustainable Interior Design is made to Wear In, Not Out on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts or your wherever you get your podcasts
22. What’s Threatening Lake Macquarie’s Green Sea Turtles?
Did you know that in Lake Macquarie the local green sea turtles are at risk. It’s not just specific to the Great Barrier Reef. There are at least three reasons why our sea turtles are being impacted so badly. So what’s happening and what can we do about it?
My guest is Tania Rossiter from Hunter Wildlife Rescue which is an organisation that’s spent more than 45 years rescuing and rehabilitating native wildlife.
Listen to 22. What’s Threatening Lake Macquarie’s Green Sea Turtles? on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts.
21. Practical Steps to Decluttering after Loss
Decluttering your home is tough enough, right? Finding the time, energy, and headspace when you’re feeling your best is a challenge on its own. But what happens when the responsibility shifts? I’m chatting with ReNewy Living Community member Rowena from the Central Coast of NSW. She recently navigated the emotional and practical challenges of clearing her dad’s estate after his passing.
Listen to 21. Practical Steps to Decluttering after Loss on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts.
20. Sustainable Home Renovation Design that Puts People First
Renovating your home is exciting—but it can also be overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to make sustainable short and long-term choices. Is it possible to create your dream design without a massive environmental footprint? That’s exactly what we’re talking about with my guest Natalie Van de Merwe from On Home Ground!
Listen to 20. Sustainable Home Renovation Design That Puts People First on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts.
19. Easy Wins for a More Energy Efficient Older Home
My guest is ReNewy Living community member Gayle from Valentine NSW. Gayle’s an active member of her local Sustainable Neighbourhoods Group and has a wealth of hands-on experience retrofitting her homes. She’s here to share real, practical advice from her own retrofitting journey.
Listen to 19. Easy Wins for a More Energy Efficient Older Home on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts.
18. The Community Garden where Veggies meet Biodiversity
Joining me is Katie Ryan from The Groundswell Collective. Katie’s role at The Shelley Street Community Garden is helping guide the garden from purely food production to something more suited to the area. The garden is moving towards building an ecosystem that supports native species, the permaculture principles and the whole community.
Listen to 18. The Community Garden where Veggies meet Biodiversity on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts.
17. From Waste to Wake-Up Call: Art that Hits Home
I’m speaking with Marina DeBris, a Lake Macquarie artist who creates visual story installations to highlight the rubbish problems on our beaches. Over the last decade or so, her solo rubbish-collecting efforts have become a valuable, small-scale commentary about our society and culture.
Listen to 17. From Waste to Wake-Up Call: Art that Hits Home on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts.
Stories, News & Voices
Stories that strengthen commitment to caring for people & planet, reducing our consumption & connecting with community.
Upcoming Workshops, Events & Education
The events & workshops for sustainable living where you’ll find ReNewy Living
Social Enterprise Festival
Saturday 16th August 2025, 10am – 3pm; UTS Business School (Sydney)
A FREE, family-friendly event where you can learn more about social enterprises, and get hands-on with a range of market stalls and workshops. Experience the largest market for social enterprise products and services in NSW and ACT.
FREE however bookings essential here…
Pop Up Op Shop Markets
Saturday 20th September 2025, 9am – 3pm; Speers Point Park NSW
You can find The Pop Up Op Shop Markets in the red Heritage Shed (next to the main stage) at Lake Macquarie City Councils’ annual Living Smart Festival. Up to 8 op shops from the local area are in the one space so you can support preloved to your hearts content!! Payments are with cash or card.
Online Eco Store
Your go-to online eco shop for preloved items & creative reuse to help reduce your environmental footprint.
Clothes & Accessories
$20.00
Books & Stationery
$6.00
Sale!
Toys & Play
Original price was: $10.00.$8.00Current price is: $8.00.
Board & Card Games
$1.50 – $10.00
Sew On Patches
$6.00
Sale!
Books & Stationery
Original price was: $18.00.$15.00Current price is: $15.00.
Books & Stationery
$12.00
Sale!
Linen & Manchester
Original price was: $25.00.$15.00Current price is: $15.00.
Cards & Paper
$15.00
Books & Stationery
$10.00
Toys & Play
$5.00
Christmas
$8.00 – $15.00
Sale!
Bundle Savings!
Gardening & Outdoors
$16.00 – $54.00
Clothes & Accessories
$30.00
Sale!
Cleaning & Laundry
Original price was: $25.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00.
Books & Stationery
$10.00
Play & Fun
$5.00
Clothes & Accessories
$8.00
Tableware & Servingware
$10.00
Books & Stationery
$12.00
Looking for ideas or solutions? Search here…
As Featured In…
ABC Radio Newcastle
Tips for shopping for preloved gifts from the op shops…
11th December 2024
(ABC Radio Newcastle Breakfast)
Practical Permaculture
Episode 70 Values Aligned Sustainability | Mindful Consumption
Sharing my journey into sustainability, exploring the importance of community empowerment, creative workshops and the principles of permaculture in daily life.
Available on Apple Podcasts, and Spotify podcasts
November 2024
Pod like a Pro
New to podcasting, I talk about how I learned to find my voice and style in podcasting…
Listen on Spotify podcasts here…
Listen on Apple podcasts here…
11th September 2024
ABC Radio Newcastle
How a chocolate wrapper from 1998 points to a bigger plastic problem. Mardi shares what she thinks this vintage wrapper reveals about our modern waste problem.
21st August 2023
(ABC Newcastle Breakfast)
Creativity: Uncovered
Mardi chats about the link between creativity & sustainability, including op shopping, resourcefulness, mindset and how important it is for all of us to embed creativity into our everyday.
June 2023
(Apple Podcasts and Spotify podcasts)
ABC Radio Newcastle
Mardi shares her personal stories and insights into gifting more mindfully to help us simplify Christmas with family and friends.
13th December 2022
(ABC Newcastle Breakfast)
The Newcastle Herald
Mardi shares how her eco-friendly bon bons evolved to support other small businesses and make our Christmas table feel and sound like Christmas!
Saturday 3rd December 2022
ABC Newcastle
In recognition of Buy Nothing New Month, Mardi shares two reasons why she’s passionate about buying nothing and how being a part of the Buy Nothing Project facebook group supports buying nothing every day.
October 2022
(ABC Newcastle Breakfast)
Living Smart Podcast (Lake Macquarie City Council)
Listen in to Mardi’s stories about “Getting Creative with Rubbish” and how resourceful we can be with waste and marine debris.
Search ‘Living Smart Lake Macquarie’ wherever you get your podcasts, or listen on apple podcasts here…
September 2021
The Newcastle Herald
Highlighting the benefits of more eco-friendly, low tox, green cleaning for A Spick and Span House and Planet.
March 2020
Proud Member of the Social Enterprise Council of NSW
