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A Climate of Change Project was launched on 4th September 2009! View photos of the launch here
What is A Climate of Change?
The 12 month project started in August 2008 and is supported by the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, managed by Sustainability Victoria. We are also working with the University of Ballarat, City of Ballarat, BRACE Education, Training and Employment, and Environment Victoria.
The project picks up on recent growth of community climate change (CCC) groups, as individuals and communities look to better understand what is happening in the world and how they can respond and contribute to a solution.
CCC groups are different from traditional environmental groups, because their focus and projects are much broader, and they want to educate and mobilise large numbers of individuals to make changes in their lives (and at work) that are practical, affordable and can be shown to have had an impact.
A Climate of Change is looking to make that task easier by understanding what information and support CCC groups and their members want and developing a toolkit of resources to share with other CCC groups.
Market research is helping us find out what is happening and how we can better service our members. To view a PDF summary of the results of an online survey of members and a telephone survey of the wider community looking into energy conservation and environmental behaviour in and around Ballarat, click here.
Benefits of the project
- A more effective BREAZE better supporting its members with relevant and meaningful BREAZE activities
- A better understanding of what makes the group effective so that future activities are well targeted and successful in progressing towards zero emissions
- Ensuring project partners understand the issues and priorities for action, that have been determined by the community, so their services can be tailored to match these needs
- Establishment of an emissions profile for Ballarat as a basis for monitoring and comparing progress towards zero emissions
- Readily available (web-based) information for members of the community, with links to key relevant resources.
- An opportunity to reflect on our successes and share them with other communities aspiring to develop similar community driven emissions reduction activities.
- A toolkit providing resources and information to other CCC groups, to ensure that groups can learn from each other, maximise their effectiveness and make the most of their volunteer contributions.
Our partners
- CRIC, the Centre for Regional Innovation and Competitiveness is a research centre based within the School of Business at the University of Ballarat and is BREAZE’s major research partner in the project.
- CRIC will conduct surveys of BREAZE members and Ballarat households to better understand the community’s current energy use behaviour, appliances and systems used in the house, environmental attitudes and household demographics. The research will also look at perceptions in regard to expectations, performance and change in sustainable behaviour
- The NCS provides educational leadership and works in partnership with industry, government and community. It undertakes program delivery, resource development, project work and applied research to support the development of sustainable practices.
- NCS will help to facilitate University of Ballarat capabilities and expertise applicable to the project and provide support through its educational expertise, key networks and sustainability knowledge.
BRACE is a not-for-profit community based organisation providing employment, education and training services throughout Victoria. Brace's contribution to the project is the delivery of community based forums and workshops on sustainability and climate change, and the integration of sustainability and climate change into its existing training units.
The City of Ballarat is one of Australia’s largest and fastest growing inland cities. Through its City Sustainability Division, the City of Ballarat Council is contributing advice and support to present project findings at a regional workshop in 2009. The City is also assisting with promotion of the project through its publications and website.
Environment Victoria is the peak non-government, not-for-profit environment organisation in Victoria. The organisation works with groups, governments, businesses and communities to meet the urgent environmental challenges facing society today.
Environment Victoria will support the project with assistance in contacting and surveying other CCC groups to establish their needs. The information we collect will help in the development of a new Community Climate Change Group Toolkit of information and resources. The toolkit will be available online.
Summary of Project Findings
The data we have collected clearly shows that climate change is and will continue to impact Ballarat. Practical action addressing the causes and impacts of climate change across our community must occur now to enable environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically feasible outcomes by 2020.
Ballarat faces an urgent challenge. How quickly can it move to being a zero emission city with a vibrant and healthy community?
The data shows that our community is ready and keen to do something about climate change and can make a measurable impact on emissions.
There are opportunities for BREAZE, its partners in A Climate of Change, and the wider Ballarat community, including investment in renewable energy bulk buy schemes for solar hot water systems and solar PV, support for local food producers and processors, progressive and sustainable building design and retrofitting. These all represent growth opportunities for the city.
Innovative industries developing carbon fixing practices such as bio-sequestration (e.g. biochar) could be supported and developed further. In addition, partnerships with industry to draw on best practice examples such as the Maines power project in Castlemaine could seed similar initiatives in Ballarat.
Local government and local utilities are in a position to contribute by incorporating best sustainability practice into their service provision, making it even easier for households to minimise their carbon footprint.
Finally, energy efficiency measures must be implemented across government, business, residences and industries – this perhaps represents the greatest opportunity for cost and energy saving across all sectors of the community.
For a copy of the Final Evaluation Report see A Climate of Change Final Report.
Contact us
For more information on the project:
T: (03) 5329 1731
E:
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