The BREAZE Board has decided to take a conservative approach to the Coronavirus pandemic, in line with advice regarding social gatherings and maintaining social distancing. Our monthly talks programs—Smart Living Ballarat and Green Drinks—will not be going ahead in their usual physical locations. However, whenever possible, BREAZE Talks Coordinator, Paul Duggan will be live-streaming the Smart Living Ballarat talks advertised in our 2020 program, via the SLB Facebook page. Audience members will be able to post questions for these talks online as they happen. In the spirit of the BREAZE mission of sustainable living and a zero emissions target we urge you to continue to participate in these shared experiences albeit as a virtual audience. Green Drinks has been cancelled for the duration of the pandemic.
Recent commentary has understandably, drawn comparisons between the official response to the coronavirus pandemic and the disengaged response to the climate crisis. While the immediate risk to human life posed by COVID 19 is obviously perceived very differently to the slower moving, changing climate, nevertheless, with the devastation of this seasons's bushfires and glaciers now collapsing it is clear that calamitous and sudden changes to the environment also pose immediate and sudden risk to life. We mustn't let the current health crisis distract governments from the climate emergency and the need for action. They need to multitask. It has been heartening to see medical scientists treated and respected as experts in this health emergency. It would certainly be good if this current respect for science translated to an equivalent respect for climate scientists and our environmental emergency once the pandemic is past. At present media and public focus on COVID 19 makes it too hard for climate action to cut through. This was something Zali Steggall acknowledged today when she announced that she was delaying tabling her bill for a National Climate Act in federal parliament. If you haven't yet signed the petition to support the Act please consider doing so today. There is a link on the BREAZE website. We can only hope the current public health emergency will establish useful precedents for making the case for a climate emergency in due course.
Summary of event status
In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, Ballarat Health, who were giving the next talk, have been advised to assess any work commitments that involve a gathering of a large number of people. 
Climate Change: Threat or Emergency? - with Liz Boulton
Here is our list of talks for Green Drinks and Smart Living for 2020
To find out what we acheived in 2019 please download the report.
Over 2000 people came through the expo, caring enough and daring to make changes to their lives to help the environment. 
The BREAZE volunteers that came to help, either for set up, for running the event, and for packing up, were very much appreciated and were a huge help to us.