The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, announced on Friday 11 March 2011 another step in implementing the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), a carbon offsets scheme which is designed to provide new economic opportunities for farmers, forest growers and landholders, and help the environment by reducing carbon pollution.

Environmental certifications can be a good way for organisations to understand, monitor and select suppliers and manufacturers who are committed to reducing their impact on the natural environment. For many people, however, environmental certification proves to be a confusing non-core area of business. There seems to be a continual stream of new terminology, new labels or certifications that need to be understood and either adopted or ignored.

ISO has announced a third quarter 2011 target for publication of its ISO 50001 International Standard for energy management. ISO 50001 will help organisations to improve their energy performance, increase energy efficiency and reduce climate change impacts.

Five local companies have joined forces to build prototypes of Australia’s first modern large electric car. Supported by the Australian Government, the consortium hopes to produce a family car which could revolutionise the Australian car industry.

The tooth enamel of lungfish and garfish could provide the basis for new material to make lighter, more efficient aircraft or vehicles, says a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) physics researcher.

A team of Australian and Chinese scientists has pioneered a new way to make clean energy from land contaminated with toxic waste.

Australia is experiencing an evolution in water infrastructure. Desalination plants and water-recycling facilities are just some of the major water infrastructure projects being built across the country. For government and designers, the challenge is how to create water infrastructure that improves access to water while minimising environmental footprint.

Since late 2007, URS Australia (URS), on behalf of a major oil company, has managed the continuing investigation and remediation of a petroleum fuels pipeline release site in Victoria. Sustainability principles and measures have been a major feature of the remediation. The release was initially believed to be short term and consisted of primarily unleaded petrol, jet fuel, and diesel fuel from a multi-product pipeline. The pipeline was promptly repaired and contaminated fill soil from the immediate vicinity of the release was removed and disposed of off site. One of the most significant challenges at this site is determining the extent and techniques for removal of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) within regulatory mandates and time lines.

As water becomes less accessible, Australians will need to look at more efficient ways to irrigate. The current worldwide trend towards the use of recycled water in major urban applications shows great promise and is increasing as the cost of potable water climbs and treated water becomes more accessible. Large open spaces, like sports fields and ovals, lend themselves to using recycled water.

Total Environment Centre has called on government to embrace energy efficiency along with a carbon price, in response to an analysis of federal government climate change programs, which was published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 16 February.

CSIRO has developed new tools to help government and industry water management agencies better estimate how forest plantations affect stream flows in local catchments.

Erina Fair shopping centre is set to recycle 250 tonnes every year with waste management technology.

Australia is now sending more than 1 million tonnes of plastic waste to landfill each year. This figure will continue to rise, reaching at least 1.5 million tonnes by 2030, due to increasing plastics consumption and an increasing proportion of durable plastic goods entering the waste stream.

Construction continues on the recycled water plant at Fairfield that will provide recycled water to some of Sydney’s largest industrial water users as part of the of the NSW Government’s Sydney Metropolitan Water Plan. The plan has set targets to provide up to 12% of Sydney’s water needs through recycled water projects.

Power usage is a major cost to business and lighting can be a surprisingly high contributor, especially for commercial or industrial sectors. However, new lighting technology innovation is bringing to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges and increase energy efficiency.