Enough sewage to fill 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools is processed each day by Yarra Valley Water treatment plants dotted around Melbourne. And because reliability is everything when it comes to sewage, it seems strange at first that many of the 17 Hurll Nu-Way Aerzen blowers at the front line of treatment are at least 10 years old, with some nearing 30 years of service.

Maser Communications has finalised an agreement with one of NSW's largest power stations to supply Dialight Industrial LED fixtures for all future general area and task lighting applications.

Paronella Park, Queensland, will soon achieve energy sustainability thanks to a much-needed upgrade to its original hydro-electric system. The old system had worn out decades ago but the refurbishment of the disused unit had been a challenge that the owners, Mark and Judy Evans, could not overcome despite many attempts over many years.

Each time the residents of Brisbane and its surrounding suburbs put their bins out for collection they are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through Thiess Services’ Swanbank Waste Management Facility (SWMF) — turning everyday waste into usable green energy.

Ensuring that a cold storage or refrigerated production facility is operating at its optimum efficiency means not only will a company reduce its carbon footprint but it can also save money due to a reduction in energy usage.

ActionEco is a web forum established by Fluke Corporation which is designed to give managers a place to learn low-cost, energy-saving techniques and share their own ideas and experiences. Available on www.ActionEco.org, it is designed to help organisations find ways to reduce their carbon footprint while cutting energy costs and increasing operational efficiency.

Sydney construction and sustainability consultancy VIM Sustainability is the Australian distributor for the Road Energy System (RES), an innovative heating/cooling system using roads as a heat source.

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.

The challenge for business now is to transcend compliance obligations and move towards truly sustainable operations, taking a holistic approach to environmental, social and economic values. This has become a key competitive issue and is increasingly likely to become a differentiator between those who succeed and those who do not.

Fibre-optic technology is making it possible to monitor pipeline its entire length with thousands of monitoring points providing a near real-time picture of what’s actually happening.

As the remediation industry matures and becomes more conscious of the impact of remediation activities on the environment, the question now arises whether these technologies are sustainable remediation approaches to be considered in the future.

Australians have continued to make their mark on the international water scene as part of Singapore International Water Week, sharing local experience with nations struggling with extreme water challenges. And one message is that ‘big infrastructure’ is not always the solution.

Continued population growth, droughts and limited water storage capacity are placing ever increasing pressure on Australian water supplies. One of the responses to this pressure has been increased use of recycled water. However, increased use has to be balanced against protection of public health; the greatest risk is from enteric microorganisms.

A series of compromises by the federal government on its pre-election commitment to take strong action on climate change has led to national and peak state-based environment organisations today uniting in opposition to the proposed emissions trading legislation.

A French-developed security platform which turns email into the electronic equivalent of registered mail could help deal with the bureaucratic paper mountains throughout Europe.