There is a subtle but pervasive challenge in working as a climate change practitioner, namely, dealing with sceptics. When one works day to day in helping to mobilise the immense global effort which is required to claw back human-induced climate change, it is easy to forget not everybody’s ‘on board’.

Melbourne-based company Tyre Crumb is recycling every component of tyres - the rubber, the steel and even the polyester fibre. All of these tyre elements are then crushed and used in everything from playground and sporting surfaces to carpet underlay and even shoe soles.

Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL), and the truck industry in general, is working hard to overcome the perceived dirty image of trucks belching black smoke. Paul Evans, IAL’s Business Planning Manager and Company Secretary said, “Trucks have made considerable gains over the last decade, due to a range of new technologies, making trucks greener and more economical than ever before. In fact, 60 of today’s new trucks produce less carbon emissions than just one truck in 1995!”

The NSW Minerals Council recognised that climate change was a major issue more than a decade ago and the mining industry is now positioning itself to be part of the solution - it is currently developing sophisticated technology to reduce emissions and to capture and store carbon.

Werribee City Council recently completed the upgrading of the lighting in the car parks and roadways of the Wyndham Civic Centre in Victoria. After careful consideration of the available energy-efficient lighting options, including T5 and CFL options, the council chose a Pecan Lighting Grid Tied Solar Public Lighting (GTSPL) system using Beta-LED LEDway luminaires. The supplier, Lateral Technology, worked with the council’s engineering consultants to provide technical and historical information on the system.

Holroyd High School is forty-one years old this year. The school buildings have the usual plumbing ‘issues’ you would expect in a school of this age, including pipes that may be in less than pristine condition.

Electricity smart meters promise many benefits, including improved user service (through faster supply restoration and supply problem resolution), better network utilisation, as well as creating opportunities for new user products and services.

DEXUS and co-owners DWPF and Cbus Property announced that NSW Water Minister Phil Costa has awarded the first combined private network and retailer’s water recycling licence to the 1 Bligh Street development, making it Sydney CBD’s first high-rise commercial office tower to incorporate blackwater recycling technology.

Gerard van Rijswijk presents his opinions on how the planned Australian Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) may impact the recycling industry. It is a summary of one of his presentations from the recent EcoForum conference in Sydney.

The biggest dilemma we face when setting climate policy is how we successfully tackle climate change while still maintaining the competitiveness of our national industries and without stifling the opportunities for economic growth within both developed and developing countries.

A combined effort from a number of suppliers has resulted in the successful operation of a water reclamation scheme at Echuca, on the Murray River, north of Bendigo.

In a panel discussion at the Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Building Services exhibition (ARBS 2010) chaired by Steve Hennessy Director at Steensen Varming (Aust) Pty Ltd, panellists Chris Derksema of City of Sydney, Blair Healy - founder and Manager of Cogent Energy, and Bruce Precious - Sustainability Manager at The GPT Group will discuss the opportunities and barriers to cogeneration as a practical and viable tool for reducing a building’s carbon footprint.

Significant infrastructure projects in Australia are being developed with a focus on short-term goals. I believe we need to develop a culture of sustainability within the industry to ensure projects are designed and built with long-term operation in mind.

Rotorua District Council (RDC) and Crown Research Institute Scion are joining forces to demonstrate a new approach to the management of organic wastes.

The federal government announced last week that it will be dividing its Renewable Energy Target scheme into two parts: the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET).