BREAZE

With a fluctuating membership of about 700 people and a newsletter subscription list of just under 2000, BREAZE has been building a good base from which to advocate and educate, to achieve the things on the plan. To increase environmental sustainability in the region.

The success over the last three years in gathering the troops, has come from a well organised, skilled and knowledgeable bunch of people. The BREAZE board and staff have the wonderful ability to encourage and cajole the masses to help them join the cause.

The time has come to take the next leap and engage the audience beyond those that 'get the message' and encourage them to jump aboard the BREAZE train.

The BREAZE strategic plan is ambitious, we will need many more folk (members and subscribers) to jump aboard the BREAZE train if we are to acheive the goals outlined in the plan.

How do we reach out to the masses?

If one was to ask around the BREAZE membership, the reasons for being a part of the BREAZE community, the responses would vary enormously. Everyone is here for their own unique reasons. Mostly, however, I suspect overall that the reasons could be grouped together to fit under a strong belief in caring for our environment.

Others in our wider community do not necessarily share the same passion. They may still be interested in our end goals, even if the journey there is different to our own.

If you take some of the BREAZE '2020 Community Targets' in the strategic plan as an example:

• All buildings are energy efficient
• Total energy consumption has halved since 2010
• 80% of all trips are made with sustainable transport, cycling and walking

Some people subscribe to the examples above for environmental reasons, others for economics and others for improved health.

The message is the key.

To achieve the hopes and dreams of the current membership, we need to get the broader community to join us for the ride. To reach out to the broader Ballarat community and encourage them to help us achieve our goals, we must find a common language and help them achieve the same goals, even if the motivation is different.

How do you connect with the wider community?