All BREAZE

Getting off Gas.

As something many of us are still struggling with at the domestic level, it was great to have this announcement from the Victorian government last month. 

Victoria becomes the first state and second jurisdiction in Australia to ban gas in new builds - as of 2024. The ACT made the acommitment a year earlier, ending gas in new builds from January 2023 and ending all gas by 2045. The Victorian government's decision comes as a new study of Australian Gas Plants reveals methane emissions greatly exceed those forecast in environmental impact statements. While methane doesn't last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it is estimated to be 80 times more potent and to account for 30 per cent of warming since the industrial revolution. Sector specific methane targets, plus tax incentives, are among approaches being taken across the world to get everyone on board. A good article on the Study in Renew Economy on 8 August.

'Infrared thermographer Théophile Humann-Guilleminot found 101 leaks and methane venting at 15 of 38 sites visited in New South Wales (NSW), and at 20 of 42 sites visited in Queensland. At some sites there were multiple emissions points from a single piece of equipment ...

Venting, where gas is deliberately released, was found at four of seven Santos coal seam gas wells surveyed in the Pilliga/Bibblewindi forest in NSW, and at the APA-operated compressor station at the Wallumbilla Gas Hub.

“I have personally undertaken methane fieldwork in eight countries and filmed at more than 250 fossil fuel sites. Doing this work in Australia was on another level,” he says.

“In times of heated debates on energy cost, seeing all this gas wasted and supercharging climate change is deeply worrying.”                                                                                                                     

Rachel Williamson in Renew Economy 8 August https://reneweconomy.com.au/methane-pollution-pouring-out-of-australian-gas-infrastructure-study-finds/

Implementing the Ballarat Zero Emissions Plan - a key BREAZE Inc. objective for 2023

BREAZE Inc. commissioned this guide, which is produced by Hepburn Energy, as part of its work for the Grampians Community Power Hub – to facilitate ongoing community energy projects across the central and western Victoria. The Grampians Community Power Hub Program, funded by the State Government. 

A great opportunity to learn all the ins and outs of growing your own seedlings with Ballarat's gardening expert, John "Ditchy" Ditchburn! Ditchy draws on years of local knowledge and gardening experience to bring you techniques and advice that are specific to Ballarat gardens.

Learn how to grow your own veggies from seed and how to grow seedlings that not only survive, but thrive! Now is the perfect time to get prepped for Spring!

Join in person at the Ballarat South Community Hub (behind Pheonix College) or join the session online here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85286948506

It will also be streamed live to the Smart Living Ballarat Facebook page. The recording will then be posted and available to watch, rewatch and share.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 4th Wednesday of every month to learn new skills for living smarter!

 Next up at Ballarat Green Drinks on 17 August at the Bunch of Grapes Hotel, 401 Pleasant St South - Stephanie Davison of Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat will be talking on Creating a Garden Haven for Little Birds

Birds add colour and movement to our gardens and their antics never fail to fascinate. When asked, people always say they would like to attract more birds - especially wrens, robins, spinebills, honeyeaters and thornbills. It’s simple to make spaces in your garden where the little birds can feel safe and thrive. In the process you’ll attract other wildlife to your patch and enjoy the many benefits of gardening for wildlife.

Stephanie is a long-term volunteer at the City of Ballarat Indigenous Plant Nursery, an active member of the Wattle Flat Pootilla Landcare Group and a founding member of Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat. Her talk is based on the practical experience of growing and observing indigenous plants and animals in gardens and natural landscapes around Ballarat. 

Come and join us for drinks/dinner. Great talks by local experts followed by Q&A. Green Dirinks is a great way to network, meet people and learn about what's happening in Ballarat. 6:30-8pm.

Freebook via https://www.trybooking.com/1000430

If you attended one of the Home Energy Efficiency Workshops at Ballarat Tool Library, Barkly Square please come along to the Review Session on 4 September 10-11:00 am - Training Room 101 at Barkly Square.

It's an opportunity to ask follow-up questions and share what you've have done - and to give us feedback on the workshops. Morning tea will be served. First timers also welcome. All FREE Trybooking.com/CJTRY

 These workshops are intended as a pilot with further funding to be sought later this year for a longer program for 2024

Ballarat Zero Emissions Alliance (BZEA) of which BREAZE Inc. is a member has organised the workshops, which are being funded  by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).