During the 12 month contract that BREAZE Inc had with Sustainability Victoria (FY 2021-2022) – to set up the Grampians Community Power Hub (G-CPH) and identify renewable energy projects in the communities across the 11 local government areas (LGAs) of the region – BREAZE volunteers and our Hepburn branch partner, Hepburn Energy (formerly Hepburn Wind), identified over 40 potential projects . The G-CPH Project Manager, Sowmya Nagaraj, along with the other members of the Project Control Group worked hard to put communities in touch with the expertise they needed to ascertain the scale and scope of the projects identified and to advance them. One of the takeaways from the G-CPH is that community energy projects take a lot of time and require a lot of commitment, from those community members who drive them. Nevertheless we were most impressed with the number of local community energy champions who took on this challenge to drive their community towards greener, cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy. The overall goal of the G-CPH was to identify projects and help with feasibility studies in order to advance these communities' prospects of securing implementation funding. The G-CPH Communications/Administrative Officer, Sam Rodgers put together this beautiful highlights package of a number of the projects we identified. G-CPH Project Highlights.pdf

Climate change news this past month has been dominated by extreme weather across Europe, the US and beyond. In Pakistan more than a third of the country is under water, with the flash flooding – described by UN Chief Guterres, as 'the monsoon on steroids' – drowning two provinces with more than four times the average rainfall of the last three decades. With 33 million people affected, over 1300 deaths and damage estimated at $10 billion, in a country responsible for less than 1% of global emissions, these floods are emblematic of the global injustice of climate change – as well as evidence of its catastrophic impact. Both reasons we need immediate and radical climate action across all jurisdictions.

'Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s climate change minister, said towns had become “oceans and rivers” but, due to climate heating, she expected the country to go straight into a drought in upcoming weeks. “We are on the front of unfolding climate catastrophe.” The Guardian, 31 August 2022  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/30/pakistan-monsoon-on-steroids-flooding-warning-antonio-guterres

On the local level, public consultation on the Draft Zero Emissions Ballarat (ZEB) 2030 Plan closed on 28 August. A member of the Steering Group consulted on the Plan during 2021-2022 BREAZE understands that submissions made via the recent MySay Ballarat process will be summarised in the Sustainability Officer's response, when the final Plan is reported to Council for adoption in October 2022. Of course a Plan is only as good as its implementation and we hope members will engage in that process, to demonstrate to Council that the community supports the 2030 Net Zero target. BREAZE hopes to see Council initiatives including solar and heat pump bulk buys, energy audits, and assistance to low income households with energy efficient retro-fits, along with substantial ongoing promotion of the Plan across all sectors of the community. We will publish a link to the Final Plan once it becomes available.

Ditchy is back for the September Smart Living Ballarat!

GROWING VEGETABLES SUCCESSFULLY: Hints on planting and protecting vegetables. Come along and get set up to plant your Spring and Summer veggies right!

This talk by John Ditchburn (Ditchy) draws on over thirty years' experience of growing vegetables in Ballarat. Areas the talk will cover include:

Green Drinks on 18 August at Lake View Hotel - Ian Rossiter, former BREAZE President, gave a very informative account of what householders can expect when they decide it's time to get off gas.

Ian's talk drew lots of questions for the audience - about the various possibilities re appliances such as space heaters,  induction cooktops, and heat-pumps, along with system size,  the controversial gas-disconnection fee and other cost-related matters.

Clearly this is a shift many of us are wanting want to make – being another win win that not only cuts GHG emissions but also reduces energy bills.

It's a challenge Ian and Chrissie recently embraced at their Buninyong home. You can download Ian's very detailed slides as a pdf here.

The issues Ian covered included

1.What does it cost to disconnect gas supply / remove meter?

2. Is the current mains supply to house sufficient for extra load?

3. What modifications are required to house switchboard?

4. What will happen to redundant appliances and PV system?

5. What physical alterations are required and who can do the work?

6. What subsidies are available?

Ballarat Green Drinks 2022 Schedule

Climate developments globally over the last month have seen 'the biggest climate package in US history' passed by US Congress have narrowly been passed 51:50 by the Senate.

The legislation includes $369bn in funds aimed at expanding renewable energy sources and lowering planet-heating emissions. Experts have estimated the bill could reduce America’s emissions by about 40% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. Joan E Greve, The Guardian

While across Europe temperatures have soared over 40C awhich along with prolonged drought in some parts such as SW France have driven wild fires of an intensity never before experienced.

On the domestic front we are beginning to see long awaited progress on climate action at the federal level, with the increased 43% emissions reductions target for 2030 passed by the lower house.

It's much lower than the 75% by 2030 recommended by the Climate Council, and of course many issues remain – not least being on-going resistance to saying no to new fossil fuel projects, and to locking in a use-by date for coal and gas plants. 

The long-awaited release of the State of the Environment Report by new Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek in late July brought a lot of bad news, particularly regarding the number of endangered species, but as detailed in this article in The Conversation  follow up announcements of marine sanctuaries and other proposals such as investment in blue carbon projects indicate a new proactive approach. 

Energy Minister, Chris Bowen's recent announcement that emissions reductions are to be included in the National Energy Objective – which instructs the National Energy Market – is another welcome development, directing market operators at taking climate action as this article in The Guardian outlines. This should help Australia to meet its new 43% emissions reductions target, which as Giles Parkinson and Sophie Vorrath, writing in Renew Economy, point out, our current trajectory will not. The proposal is likely to be controversial. AEMO is to be given increased powers to manage the shift.

MEMBER ACTIVITIES

Smart Living Ballarat

Hosted by Ellen Burns on Wednesday 17 August from 12:30-1:30,  this month's online talk will be a discussion of the ambitious plan to make Ballarat a net zero city by 2030.

Hear from Fiona Stevenson (City of Ballarat Coordinator Sustainable Environment), Mary Debrett (BREAZE President) and Belinda Coates (CoB councillor) about how the plan was formed and how we can all work together as a community to see this ambitious target become a reality. Join live via Zoom to contribute and take part in live discussion, Q+A and polls. Your opinion is important!  Register here via SLB Facebook  If you miss it, you can still catch it on the Smart Living Ballarat Facebook page. Please also note public feedback is currently invited on the Draft Zero Emissions Ballarat 2030 Plan via the MySay Ballarat website - invitation ends 28 August.

Ballarat Green Drinks

Our August 18 speaker for Green Drinks is former BREAZE president, Ian Rossiter whose talk is titled 'Getting off Gas'. Ian recently managed an energy efficiency retro-fit on his own home, so has up to date info to share on the important issue of costs. And he is also of course very well informed about the climate action we all need to be taking and the energy market – and why we should all be doing this.

Ian's talk will begin at 7:00pm  but we suggest you arrive at 6:30pm to grab a drink and bite to eat and join us for dinner. Ian will talk for about 30 minutes leaving another 30 minutes for Q&A, finishing at 8pm.

The Ballarat Green Drinks 
alks schedule for the rest of 2023 will be up on the Facebook site shortly. 

BOARD ACTIVITIES

G-CPH Wrap-Up

The BREAZE-led Grampians Community Power Hub (G-CPH) held a Wrap-Up event on 21 July in Daylesford with Board members from BREAZE and Hepburn Wind , members of the Hub's Roundtable Advisory Committee, members of the Project Control Group and the former and current Regional Grampians Leads with Sustainability Victoria. Hepburn Wind Manager – and Hepburn branch partner in the G-CPH – Taryn Lane gave everyone a guided tour of Hepburn Wind Farm, on what was fortunately an ideal day weather-wise. This was followed by short presentations and refreshments at the Daylesford hotel.

Despite the disappointment of the State Government's decision not to extend the Community Power Hub program we are very proud of the achievements of the G-CPH.

The G-CPH has engaged extensively across the 11 LGAs of the Grampians region in seeking to identify community energy projects in order to advance the clean energy transition and drive the Victorian State Government's emissions reductions target. The subsequent pipeline of fully implemented and shovel-ready projects has greatly exceeded our expectations. This is largely due to: the hard work of our staff, the experience and knowledge of our Hepburn Branch partner, the efficiency of the Project Control Group (PCG), dedication of our BREAZE volunteers who committed a $242,200 in-kind contribution, the enthusiasm and dedication of our community partners, and the contributions of those who participated in the Roundtable Advisory Group.

While the task of engaging with the 11 shires of the Grampians - Moorabool, Golden Plains, Ballarat, Hepburn, Pyrenees, Ararat, Northern Grampians, Horsham, Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh and West Wimmera – was initially a daunting one, we did largely achieve this, thanks to the commitment of our staff and volunteers and to our systematic Community Engagement Plan. We know anecdotally that there are many other communities in the region, particularly across the Wimmera, who have pressing ene
gy needs and would greatly benefit from being able access renewable energy expertise. We hope a future extension of the CPH program might enable us to engage with and offer help to these communities.

BREAZE Inc volunteers will continue to work with the Grampians Community Power Hub Project  Manager, Sowmya Nagaraj on final reporting for Sustainability Victoria and finalising feasibility studies on projects across the Grampians Region. Please consider signing our petition seeking an extension of the CPH program funding -  if you have not already done so.

Environmentally Sustainable Design Forum

Board members Sally Missing, Pat Hockey and Sue Broadway are continuing with planning for a forum on Environmentally Sustainable Design to be held in October. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for updates.

From Garden to Kitchen

BREAZE will also be participating in 'From Garden to Kitchen', at  Ballarat Central Library, presenting a 'lightening talk' at 12.30pm with a stall throughout the event. Please come and chat with us about what we do and upcoming activities if you are in the vicinity

This is a one-off event intended to showcase local organisations and businesses, and provide information to the community about sustainable practices in the garden and the kitchen.

Guest speaker, Jaclyn Crupi, the author of Garden like a Nonno, and will be speaking about all things gardening- including saving seeds, worm farms, fertilizers and soil health. For further information contact: Eleanor Wight, Community Programming Librarian, Ballarat Central Library.

Board Meetings

If you like what we do and think you might like to join in some of our projects, whether for advocacy or practical action or have perhaps have ideas about how you can help BREAZE achieve its mission, please note BREAZE members are welcome to attend monthly Board meetings. Any member interested in attending should email me – 

All the best

Mary

This month there have been some interesting developments in climate policy and the clean energy transition with the Environment Council of Central Queensland taking the government to court over the climate impact of 19 planned big coal and gas projects. In the words of one expert the court case could be ground-breaking, 'forcing the consideration of climate change in assessments of fossil fuel projects under Australia's federal environment laws for the first time. It will be a test for the new Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek to whom the ECCQ have also written, in an appeal for a review of these projects in the light of the evidence of climate change and its environmental impacts. Read more about it here and  here   

 Perhaps the worst news of the month has been the US Supreme Court's recent ruling, reducing the efficacy of the Environmental Protection Authority as a means of containing greenhouse gas emissions. Read more here and here.

 On the bright side Australia's new Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, recently announced a review of the national carbon offsets scheme in response to questions around the scheme's integrity. The review is to be headed by former Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb. Read more about it here

MEMBER ACTIVITIES

Smart Living Ballarat

Hosted by Ellen Burns on Wednesday 20 July from 12:30-1:30,  this month's online talk will be "Smarter Ways to Stay Warm This Winter!" - discussing ways to stay warm while lowering your power bill. There will be tips for new builds, renters and renovators! Log on to the Zoom link via Smart Living Ballarat Facebook. Register here via SLB Facebook  If you miss it, you can still catch it on the Smart Living Ballarat Facebook page. 

Ballarat Green Drinks

We are currently planning the Ballarat Green Drinks schedule for the rest of 2022 - for the third Thursday of the month  – and will keep you posted. 

BOARD ACTIVITIES

While the CPH program is now officially ended, BREAZE Inc volunteers will continue to work with the Grampians Community Power Hub Project  Manager, Sowmya Nagaraj on final reporting for Sustainability Victoria and finalising feasibility studies on projects across the Grampians Region. Please consider signing our petition seeking an extension of the CPH program funding -  if you have not already done so. 

Board members Sally Missing and Pat Hockey are continuing with planning for a forum on Environmentally Sustainable Design to be held later this year. 

This year the BREAZE Public Fund has funded the installation of 6kW rooftop solar on a new Ballarat accommodation unit built by McCallum, which provides Disability Services and Coordination in Ballarat and St Arnaud. The Public Fund has committed to fund-raising for the installation of similar capacity on McCallum's other two new accommodation units. Many thanks to all those members who have made donations to BREAZE. You are helping to make a difference. 

This year the BREAZE Inc. Public Fund is also planning to establish a revolving fund, which will make no-interest loans to not-for-profits to install/access renewable energy and energy efficient appliances with re-payment set in terms of anticipated cost savings - as part of the Social Solar program.

Board Meetings

If you have a passion for climate action and ideas about how you can help BREAZE achieve its mission, please note BREAZE members are welcome to attend monthly Board meetings. Any member interested in attending should email me – 

All the best

Mary

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How to make kombucha and pickles!  

 

The November SLB was  held at the commercial kitchen in Barkly Square, across from A Pot of Courage. 

 

We were be joined by Jenny Tait Murnane, who will be taking us through a kombucha making demonstration.

 

In the second half, Ellen will demonstrate a quick pickling method that can be used for all kinds of vegetables to help make the most of seasonal produce and lower food waste. There are a limited number of spots to attend in person so please reserve a free ticket!

 

All those who miss out on a ticket will still be able to watch the session, as it was streamed live to the Smart Living Ballarat Facebook page.

 

 

Smart Living Ballarat is a series of free monthly workshops, put on in collaboration between BREAZE and the City of Ballarat.
Join host Ellen Burns on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to learn new skills for living smarter.  Ellen Burns

 

Ditchy is back for the September Smart Living Ballarat!

GROWING VEGETABLES SUCCESSFULLY: Hints on planting and protecting vegetables. Come along and get set up to plant your Spring and Summer veggies right!

This talk by John Ditchburn (Ditchy) draws on over thirty years' experience of growing vegetables in Ballarat. Areas the talk will cover include:

•  How soil temperature affects seed germination,

•  What vegetables are best planted as seeds and what as seedlings,

•  Soil preparation for different types of veggies,

•  The importance of soil PH,

•  Protecting your vegetables using The Three D’s staged approach to pest control.

 

Recording available on Facebook page instantly after the event.

 

Join host Ellen Burns on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to learn new skills for living smarter!

 

Past Events Search

It's official, the 2022 Federal election results show public endorsement of national climate action is widespread. We now have a commitment to accelerate the development of infrastructure required for the clean energy transition, to fast-track the integration of renewables into the national grid. 

 Although we finally have a national plan to green the grid, however, actions to date stop short of what is needed to meet our commitments under the Paris COP. Recent approval of WA's Scarborough gas field makes clear we must push harder for the much-needed ban on new fossil fuel investments – and for shut-down dates for coal-fired power stations

The WA gas field will blow out our emissions reductions targets, as Rhiannon Shine writes in her ABC online article, 'Scientists warn backing fossil fuel projects like Woodside's Scarborough will make meeting climate targets more difficult'

Climate scientist Bill Hare, the founder and CEO of the global research group Climate Analytics, said the development of any new fossil fuel projects including Scarborough was inconsistent with the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"What I'm seeing now is the gas industry is basically using the Russian-induced energy crisis as a justification for essentially busting the Paris Agreement," he said. 

In Australia, the current rise in energy prices, partially attributed to old coal fired-power stations going intermittently offline and partially to the war in Ukraine – which has pushed gas prices up as the world cancels Russian gas contracts in retaliation and desperately looks for alternative energy suppliers – has fostered conspiracy theories about renewables being more expensive because the sun isn't always shining and the wind ...  yada yada ... as if storage wasn't an option.

And rising energy prices have driven misinformation about the benefits of getting solar panels. Nothing new there of course! Last week, putting the myths to bed,  BREAZE's Peter Reid spoke to Steve Martin on ABC Ballarat about why getting solar panels is still a good investment, even in winter. If you missed it, you can catch it here. 

MEMBER ACTIVITIES

Smart Living Ballarat

This month on 15 June from 12:30-1:30 Smart Living Ballarat Coordinator, Ellen Burns, will be talking with Colleen Filippa of 15 Trees – who has pledged to plant one tree for everyone that tunes in to the next Smart Living Ballarat session online! Register here via SLB Facebook

They'll be discussing carbon offsetting, biodiversity, and all things trees. Come along and invite your friends to the event page. If you miss it, you can still catch it on the Smart Living Ballarat Facebook page. 

Ballarat Green Drinks

Ballarat Green Drinks, now hosted by BREAZE Secretary, Pat Hockey, will return on 16 June at 7pm at Lake View Hotel, with 'Destination Safe Earth' Plan E: A climate-centred security strategy, a presentation by Dr Liz Boulton, an ex-Army Officer, who has re-imagined military theory for the Anthropocene. Liz will introduce the concept, which involves a civilian led, civil mobilization against the hyper-threat of climate and environmental change, to rescue our number 1 ally – nature. Don't miss this opportunity to join the discussion on climate security, with Pat, Liz and other BREAZE members and friends.

BOARD ACTIVITIES

At the City of Ballarat Council meeting on May 25th BREAZE made two submissions.

Draft Budget Submission

You can download our submission to the Draft Budget for 2022-23

Noting Council's 2018 endorsement of the Climate Emergency and the worsening of climate impacts and extreme weather events since then, BREAZE has asked for 5% of overall Budget expenditure to be allocated to fast-tracking climate actions already outlined in the Council's Carbon Neutrality Plan Progress Update (Presented at Council on 23/2/22).

Environmentally Sustainable Design

 BREAZE board member, Sally Missing also made a submission in support of  Council Strategic Planner, Ed Riley's recommendation for funding the second stage of the  Elevating Environmentally Sustainable Design Project. You can read Sally's submission here.

World Environment Day 2022 Children's Writing Competition - encouraging our future environmentalists

This year the Children's writing competition attracted 121 entries from across four schools. The overall Competition winner was Otway Kelsall of Dana Street Primary School. The other school winners were Hollie Macdonald of Newington Primary, and Ayden Webb of Phoenix P-12 Primary School. There is also a video on the BREAZE Facebook site featuring samples of the children's writing. 

The judges also awarded Special Mention certificates and book vouchers to Niamh Rough, Harry Fellows, Astrid Buchanan, Mae Reid, Claire Gillett, Pippa Martin of Dana Street Primary; Hugo Rawlins, Esther Cutts, Jayden Troy and Eloise Lockwood of Newington Primary; Aleena Rehman, Thomas O'Connor, Ally Baker, Olivia Papageorgiou of Phoenix p-12 Primary; and Leni Romein of St Alipius Primary School. Click to read more about the awards ceremony, which was held at Ballarat Central Library on Monday 6 June, with the Mayor of Ballarat, Cr Daniel Moloney kindly officiating. 

Board Meetings

If you have a passion for climate action and ideas about how you can help BREAZE achieve its mission, please note BREAZE members are welcome to attend monthly Board meetings. Any member interested in attending should email me – 

All the best

Mary