Articles
Market failure in tyre recycling
Silvio de Denaro* explains why and how the tyre industry is working hard to turn around the current ‘market failure’ in the resource recovery of end-of-life tyres.
[ + ]Water for good
A huge new desalination plant in Lonsdale will provide South Australia with up to 100 billion litres of water each year for decades to come. Adelaide Aqua (a consortium of four Companies, United Utilities, Acciona, Abigroup and McConnell Dowell) has been contracted to design, build, operate and maintain the plant for the next 20 years.
[ + ]Latest trends in optimising desalination technology
Australia has invested $10 billion in six major seawater desalination plants around its coastline in as many years to waterproof its capital cities - at the same time providing a significant boost for renewable energy.
[ + ]Rebuilding a city with sustainable transport choices
Christchurch in New Zealand is planning to rebuild after the devastating earthquakes that hit the city earlier this year. The Christchurch City Council’s draft Central City Plan (dCCP), released in New Zealand in August, offers a timely case for discussion. This plan outlines a vision for rebuilding the city and while it covers a broad range of aspects for redevelopment, this article reflects on the future of transport in the city.
[ + ]How green building is changing the world
On the outskirts of Cape Town in South Africa, in a poverty-stricken township known as Cape Flats, sits an environmental centre that is a standard stop on tour itineraries for designers, architects and students of international culture.
[ + ]The perfect storm
Rising energy bills, carbon pricing, and increasing regulation and reporting requirements are challenging business leaders to be more sustainable and accountable at a time of stress and volatility on global markets.
[ + ]The cost of renewables modest, according to the Clean Energy Council
Even with significant over-estimation of the cost of renewable energy, a new report by the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA) still shows the cost has been modest, according to the Clean Energy Council.
[ + ]Improving the physics of grocery store display cases to save energy
Shoppers don’t usually give a second thought as they reach into a cooler to grab milk, cheese or prepackaged lunches. Open-front refrigerated display cases, which make up roughly 60% of the refrigerated cases in grocery stores and supermarkets, provide quick access to chilled products such as dairy, meat, fish and produce. While they are popular with shoppers and grocery stores, they’re less popular with electric utilities and others concerned with energy efficiency.
[ + ]Measuring the power of the sun
Rising out of the red earth, under the blazing sun of central Australia, a ‘forest’ of solar panels stands against the horizon.
[ + ]Government office achieves 6 star for design
The Hassell-designed Government Services Office development in Dandenong, Victoria, has achieved the highest sustainability rating available from the Green Building Council of Australia.
[ + ]Transforming a thirsty, power-hungry business
In an industry known for its voracious use of water and power, Edstein Creative Stone is showing how eco-friendly manufacturing practices respect our environment and save money.
[ + ]Grocery retailer monitors and manages energy
US-based grocery retail company Supervalu has installed energy monitoring hardware and has enrolled in a demand-response program with Net Peak Energy Group. The program organises payment to the retailer for effectively ‘selling’ their electricity back to their utilities when demand is high. Additionally, the program can call for the retailer’s distribution centres to shed up to 1.2 MW of power.
[ + ]Australian architects design high-rise factory in China
Melbourne architects CK Designworks have designed a cutting-edge, 24-storey industrial and commercial building in Nanjing, China. Robert Caulfield, partner in charge of the project, said that the building would set new levels of sustainability and environmental conservation for industrial buildings and could set the scene for similar buildings in other parts of the world, particularly where land is at a premium.
[ + ]Wastewater treatment plant improves pump performance
For over 14 years, the Moe Wastewater Treatment Plant has been effectively and successfully processing sewage. Located in Gippsland, Victoria, the medium-sized plant serves an equivalent persons population of 22,000. Its average daily flow is 5 ML per day.
[ + ]
