Sunday February 26th at Buninyong.
BREAZE will be at the Expo in 2017, running our "Ask an Expert" sessions, and BREAZE Energy Solutions will be there to answer all your questions about solar power and energy efficiency.
The Expo is about sustainable Building, and sustainable Living, with a focus on Electric Vehicles (EV) - it is part of the Australia wide Sustainable Living Festival that runs in February each year.
BREAZE is looking for someone to fill the position of minutes secretary at our monthly board Meetings.
The tasks involved are
The meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of each month at the Ballarat Library from 5:30 - 7:30.
New BREAZE Volunteer Roles
As the Ballarat Farmers Market has now been operating for 2 years and BREAZE has secured the licence for its continuing operation until 30 June 2018, we need volunteers to assist in logistical support and administration.
BREAZE operates the Ballarat Farmers Market because the use and promotion of local food has a positive impact on Ballarat’s greenhouse gas emissions profile and builds resilience in our food supply chain, while enabling BREAZE to interface with a broad cross section of our community.
The market restricts stallholders to regional producers so that customers will be buying produce from the person who has grown, preserved or created the produce.
With around 70 stallholders currently registered with us, we need to ensure they all have current public/product liability insurance and where necessary have current food preparation registration with their local government authority. We need a volunteer to assist the BREAZE Market Committee following up stallholders each month as current records of insurance and food registration expire. The Market Records Volunteer Role Description is described below.
As the Market requires BREAZE to supply a tent, A frames, folding tables and benches and whiteboard and range of brochures, we have established a storage site not far from Lake Wendouree. A volunteer is needed to collect the equipment each market day (2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month) and deliver to the market site and assist in set up, then at the end of the market transport the equipment and place in storage. The Market Logistics Volunteer Role Description is described below.
If you would like to know more about these roles or are able to provide these volunteer services, please contact BREAZE Market Committee Convenor Ian Rossiter by phone 0467 220 442 or email .
Ballarat Farmers Market Records Volunteer
Role Description
Role Objective
The volunteer’s role objective is to contact Ballarat Farmers Market stallholders who do not have current documentation of public liability insurance, food preparation/ handling registrations with relevant local government authorities and registration with the Victorian Government’s “Streatrader” food vending website and request updated documentation and file the responses.
Role Hours and Frequency
The Ballarat Farmers Markets are conducted on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month and currently has a database of over 70 regular, seasonal and casual stallholders. The role requires a regular (preferably monthly) audit of all current stallholder’s records and contact made with any stallholders whose insurance and food registrations have lapsed. It is estimated that the role will require between 3 and 6 hours per month. Initially commitment may be 3 to 6 hours per week for the first month to bring the current data up to date.
Skills and Attributes Required
The role requires a volunteer with their own computer able to:
Supervision, Training and Support
The BREAZE Market Committee consists of a number of BREAZE Board Members and the Ballarat Farmers Market Manager (a paid contractor). The Committee meets on the Monday preceding each Ballarat Farmers Market and considers new stallholder applications, site layout, entertainment and promotional activities. The Market Committee will train the volunteer to identify:
Selection Criteria
Ballarat Farmers Market Logistics Volunteer
Role Description
Tasks
BREAZE co-ordinates the Ballarat Farmers Market and is looking for a volunteer to transport collect, set up, pack up and return equipment and materials required for the BREAZE market site. The storage facility is in Errard Street North (near the hospital) and the distance to transport is approximately four kilometres one way to the Lake Wendouree site near the Botanical Gardens.
The role will require a volunteer with their vehicle to:
Role Hours and Frequency
The Ballarat Farmers Markets are conducted on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from 9am till 1pm on the Lake Wendouree site opposite the Botanical Gardens. The event equipment is required to be delivered by 8.15am on market days and returned after conclusion of the markets at 1pm. The nominal hours would be 7.30am until 9.00am and 12.30pm until 2pm each market day, which allows for time to access the storage facility, transport, unload, pack up, transport and place in storage (3 hours per market).
Optional but not essential: the volunteer could stay at the Ballarat Farmers Market and assist the Market Manager by:
(This would increase the time commitment to 6.5 hours per fortnight.)
Supervision, Training and Support
The BREAZE Market Committee consists of a number of BREAZE Board Members and the Market Manager (a paid contractor). Presently, there is a BREAZE Board member rostered to attend each market to co-ordinate and promote BRREAZE activities. The Market Manager attends the site from 7am until 1.30pm on market days and ensures all stallholders and event management is compliant with the event’s Licence requirements, risk management plan and relevant statutory obligations.
The volunteer will be trained, supported and receive feedback from the Market Committee. The Ballarat Farmers Market Risk Management Plan identifies the safe working methods required to ensure the volunteer is not placed at risk of injury or illness associated with the duties described.
Requirements:
As we head towards the festive season and reflect on the year that has past there is much to take stock from to set BREAZE’s direction for the coming year.
While the ratifying by our Federal Cabinet of the commitments made at the United Nations Climate Talks in Paris and the adoption of The Victorian Government’s climate policy and renewable energy targets gave us confidence that we might see greater emphasis on addressing our transition to a zero net emissions future, subsequent decisions by our political leaders have revealed a lack of commitment. When BREAZE formed a decade ago, our aspiration was for Ballarat to achieve a zero carbon net emissions position by 2020.
The fact that despite significant energy and commitment from our successive, boards, members and partners we will not achieve this does not negate the great achievements BREAZE has made in helping individuals, families, businesses and institutions build resilience to address the challenges facing our region through climate change. BREAZE has fostered opportunities for people to grow, share, exchange and sell home produce. We have facilitated some of the largest bulk buy schemes for solar hot water and solar electrical systems in this state. We have provided practical advice and referrals at no cost to residents and businesses through our Smart Living Ballarat shopfront and library kiosk. We have established Ballarat’s largest fortnightly farmers market. We have recently delivered Victoria's second crowd funded community renewable energy project at Ballarat Regional Industries.
In one of my favourite films, The Life of Brian, there is a scene in which the Judeans are having a conversation about “What have the Romans done for us?”Upon reflection the group had to acknowledge the provision of roads, sanitation, water supplies and education were significant benefits. BREAZE is an organisation which is sometimes criticised both externally and by its own members for not doing enough or not making a difference.
The BREAZE board has met to discuss these challenges and our response for the coming year is that we will continue to develop and deliver programs and projects that build resilience for our region to address the challenges of climate change. Most members would be aware of the likely disruptions to utilities, services, and food supplies that significant weather events and bushfires will deliver. BREAZE will continue to build understanding and resilience to these outcomes through its involvement in monthly Smart Living Ballarat lunchtime presentations at the Library, our twice monthly Ballarat Farmers Markets, presence at the Sustainable Living Expo in February, delivery of Ballarat’s World Environment Day and Sustainable House Day events and supporting other local Sustainability group’s initiatives. Having committed to do this, the Board has identified a number of roles that volunteers can help us achieve this, which are identified within this newsletter. We hope that you can see benefit in what we are trying to achieve in the coming year and will participate by attending some of these events, telling your families and friends about our activities and assisting us through volunteering to help with at least one of these activities.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank our members, volunteers and partners for their considerable support and effort during 2016 and a safe and happy festive season.
Ian Rossiter
President
The following team was elected to the board at the AGM on Monday 1st November. We are keen to get more people involved . If you are interested please contact any of the board members, email or ring 0432 635 637.
| Role | Representative |
| President |
Ian Rossiter |
| Vice President |
Tarn Kruger |
| Treasurer | Peter Reid |
| Secretary | vacant |
| Ordinary member | Paul Duggan |
| Ordinary member | Simon Reid |
| Ordinary member | Rene De Gong |
| Ordinary member (returning) | Celeste Hevey |
At the AGM of 21st November, the Treasurer reported that BREAZE had made an effective operating profit of $12,512, as well as raising $23,613 for Social Solar by BREAZE project in the 2015/16 financial year. This left BREAZE in a very strong position for the 2016/17 year with cash in hand at 30th June of $55,072. For the current financial year, BREAZE has planned to make a modest profit of $3,082.
Since June, BREAZE has donated a 30 kW Solar PV system to Ballarat Regional Industries worth $55,395. The source of these funds was, $21,515 from the donations by members and supporters to the Social Solar by BREAZE project, $12,975 from the Federal Government and $20,905 from the sale of Environmental Certificates associated with the 30 kW Solar PV system.
BREAZE’s current position (21st November) is that the year-to-date operating profit is $4,440.64 with $33,000.05 in the bank.
If any member wish to receive a copy of Treasurer’s AGM report or suggest how BREAZE Board should use our strong financial position in 2017, please e-mail the Treasurer, Peter Reid, at .
Don't forget BREAZE 2016 AGM
7:00pm Monday 21st Novemeber
at the Ballarat Library
Its been an active year for BREAZE. Please read the President's report below for all the Summary of our major activities and achievements during 2016.
The BREAZE Board invites you to attend the 2016 AGM.
The Board is keen to get members of our community involved in our activities.
If you have any ideas you would like to implement, prepared to volunteer for one off or ongoing activities, be part of the board, involved in a related environmental group or just want to see what goes on we would be pleased to see you.
If you have any questions regarding the AGM, nomination or proxy forms please call 0432 635 637.
The official business of the AGM is to elect our board members and office bearers.
However, we would like to invite interested parties to join us for light refreshments after the AGM for a general informal discussion.
It’s been an action packed few months for BREAZE members with Sustainable House Day, the renewal of BREAZE’s permit to conduct the Ballarat Farmers Market for the next 2 years and the unveiling of BREAZE’s first community renewable energy project at BRI last Thursday.
While these events have consumed much time and effort by our Board and volunteers, we have also been busy in our advocacy roles making a submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Enquiry into Community Renewable Energy Projects and responses in the media to the recent criticism of the progressive state’s renewable energy targets.