In April 2011, two major players in Australia’s corporate landscape switched on a system to generate lower-emissions electricity at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney and share its benefits with Deutsche Bank Place across the harbour. The NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, Hon Chris Hartcher, MP, officially launched the trigeneration precinct for these two commercial buildings.

Salacia Waters, one of the largest urban developments on the Gold Coast, Queensland, is setting regional benchmarks in both community planning and environmental responsibility.

Why is it that in the world’s driest continent we continue to throw away one of our most abundant water sources that goes right past our doors? Stormwater, we tend to ignore it until it runs through our houses or overflows our streets and then we only see it as a nuisance, but, for a more sustainable future, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the forgotten cousin of the water cycle.

Organisations must embed environmental sustainability as a core strategy to remain competitive and survive the next 20 years, according to global accounting body ACCA.

A new and positive era of environmental policy has arrived with the passing of the Product Stewardship Bill by both Houses of Parliament in Canberra on 22 June. The Product Stewardship Bill 2011 will provide powers to ensure that waste minimisation and recycling are mandated on a national basis. This includes using materials more sustainably across priority product categories, industry sectors and waste streams.

The federal government will provide more than three quarters of a billion dollars to help build two of the largest solar power stations in the world.

Last week, the Senate unanimously passed the Product Stewardship Bill, a major milestone in the delivery of Australia’s long-term National Waste Policy. With over 90% of a mobile phone and its accessories recyclable, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association is committed to the development of a long-term, integrated, e-waste collection service that is funded by industry, accepts all types of electronic waste and is free to all Australians. The efforts of over 300 local councils across Australia in tackling mobile phone e-waste were recognised at the MobileMuster Local Government Awards during the National General Assembly for Local Government in Canberra, on 21 June 2011.

Australia currently has no organised, long-term way of monitoring levels of commercial fungicides in soil and waterways, leading environmental scientists have cautioned.

Emissions from electricity production are one of the major contributors for global warming, being responsible for up to 40% of the carbon footprint in some developed countries. The demand for electrical energy will continue to grow and the question really becomes, what do we need to do to meet this demand without increasing the carbon footprint?

With energy one of the most critical challenges facing the international community, the publication on 15 June of the ISO International Standard ISO 50001 on energy management systems is an eagerly awaited event because it is estimated the standard could have a positive impact on some 60% of the world’s energy use.

The $82 million Bootawa Water Treatment Plant in New South Wales treats all water distributed in the mainly residential region from Coopernook in the north to Tarbuck Bay (south of Forster). MidCoast Water built and opened the plant in 2010 to provide for the future sustainable water supply of the area.

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Macquarie Group’s iconic headquarters in Sydney’s Darling Harbour has set high standards in environmental sustainability and workplace functionality, achieving a coveted 6 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. Owned and managed by Brookfield Multiplex, the $316 million complex incorporates a range of technologies such as harbour water cooling, passive chilled beam air conditioning and an innovative lighting control system.

Fiber Fresh Feeds has taken a further step towards becoming 100% clean and green by becoming the first stock feed company able to recycle its bags using the Agrecovery Wrap recycling program.

Two Watson-Marlow SPX50 hose pumps have been installed at Dwr Cymru - Welsh Water’s Lavister Waste Water Treatment Works in North Wales in the UK, significantly improving system performance at the site. The pumps were installed during October 2006 and have delivered trouble-free operation since installation.