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Almost 30 years ago, the Blue Mountains Wildplant Rescue Service began salvaging local plant species from building sites. Its Katoomba Native Plant Nursery continues to preserve and propagate the plants of our World Heritage area while helping locals recreate a piece of the bush at home.

Sitting in half shade, half sun on the veranda of his Lawson home, Phil Somerville tells me that juxtaposition is an effective tool for cartoonists: “Putting two unlikely things together can spawn an almost original idea”.

Hamish Dunlop visits Sonters Fern Nursery in Winmalee. David Sonter tells him how the 2013 Winmalee fire destroyed the nursery and spore bank, and of its recovery with a lot of community help.

A deep passion for turtles can take you to some interesting places – waist deep in mud one day and onto a movie set the next. Shane Davies leads Turtle Rescues NSW, saving thousands of Australian native freshwater turtles from certain death each year.

Sara Reilly rehabilitated her rundown garden in the heart of Katoomba into an enticing environment for the local wildlife, including dancing satin bowerbirds. She reveals the slow but richly rewarding process.

Agroforestry around the world is demonstrating a promising solution for reducing the climate crisis. In a recent hands-on workshop in Hazelbrook, participants created a food forest and learnt how they could ‘bend time’ by accelerating its growth to help create a fertile earth for all organisms to survive.

The Australian Repair Shop sits at the side of the busy Great Western Highway in Faulconbridge. It is run by Mark Phelan, his wife Rebecca and a team of dedicated 'repairers'.

Leura’s Harvest Festival made a joyful return this year after three years of reluctant hibernation. Volunteer Adele Cannella tells us how the event brings the community together and showcases the Blue Mountains.

Belle Butler visited Lawson Public School during Nude Food Week - an annual event that encourages families to pack school lunches without single-use packaging. The event promotes minimising plastic waste and opting for healthy food choices.

Shane Grundy at Bush Doctor HQ explains how soft engineering techniques are helping rejuvenate swamps and improve water quality in the Blue Mountains.