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As we rethink how to live in a warming world, building designers like Kirstie Wulf in Hazelbrook are exploring new fire-resistant building materials like hempcrete. In 2015 Kirstie received the National Building Designers Association Award for her first hempcrete home and she’s been designing them ever since.

Fighting bushfires in rugged, mountainous terrain inaccessible by fire tankers requires considerable skill and endurance. Winmalee’s Bruce Coomer has spent 20 years battling fires deep in the bush as a volunteer remote area firefighter. He shares his experiences with writer Julie Nance.

From cats to cars, barbed wire to fruit nets, native wildlife face daily dangers, many of them human-related. In a Wildlife Emergency Assistance Workshop presented by Tracy Burgess from the Blue Mountains Branch of WIRES participants learnt about measures we can take to prevent injuries to wildlife, and what to do if we encounter an injured or sick native animal.

Nesting hollows for native wildlife are in diminishing supply. Historical and ongoing loss of old trees due to clearing, arboriculture works and bushfires cause ongoing loss of habitat. Learn more & find out how you can help here.

Amidst the sound of sawing, carving and hammering, there’s laughter and chatter. Friendships are strengthened and skills are traded. Members of the Blue Mountains and Penrith Woodworking Club are supporting charities and each other.

Lithgow has changed dramatically since 1910 when the needs of a growing industrial City resulted in deforestation and pollution. We’ve taken drone footage to compare Lithgow in 1910 with Lithgow today and we discuss the encouraging progress we’ve made in regenerating our City.

The very popular Tarana Markets are on the fourth Sunday of every month and provide an opportunity to meet local farmers, artisans and creative practitioners. The markets have been raising funds for the local Rural Fire Service (RFS) and community since 2015.

Julie Paterson and Manda Kaye’s home in Blackheath was designed with bushfire in mind and they are now preparing for the bushfire season. They’ve also moved to renewables and Julie is working on collaborative community art projects that embody the philosophy of re-using and re-making.

The 2013 fires damaged much of Andy Stevenson's property on the Darling Causeway in Mount Victoria. Andy was determined to survive the next fire, while also creating a beautiful haven for family, guests and wildlife. Read his story here.

Katoomba artist, writer and scholar Teya Brooks Pribac has spent the last two decades learning about the rich, complex lives and contributions of the animals who are our allies in creating a habitable planet. As part of her animal advocacy she's written Enter the Animal and Not Just Another Vegan Cookbook. New work on animal cultures is on the horizon.