Rapid urban development in our cities is creating new demands on transport infrastructure. Across Australia, our transport systems are under increasing pressure. Existing assets are ageing, costs to maintain and upgrade them have increased and there is a greater demand on infrastructure, in terms of both passenger and freight use. Essentially, increasing urbanisation is leading to constrained capacity and overuse of our transport networks. [ + ]

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has plans to accelerate finance opportunities to help Australia's built environment reach the stars this year. [ + ]

It may sound like something out of a science fiction film - innovative artificial intelligence that interprets data and takes action - but through an industry-led project, Australia has opened the floodgates to intelligent rainwater tank systems. [ + ]

A state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system, planned for Antarctica's Davis station, will convert effluent into some of the cleanest water in the world. This effluent will have minimal impact on the marine environment when it's discharged to the ocean. [ + ]

Researchers at RMIT University have developed a concept battery based on storing protons produced by splitting water, thus advancing the potential for hydrogen to replace lithium as an energy source in battery-powered devices. [ + ]

Edstein Creative Stone is one of the largest manufacturers of stone products in NSW, providing stonework for a wide range of uses. The company joined the NSW Government's Sustainability Advantage Program in 2009 and helped set up a Manning Valley cluster of businesses in the program. [ + ]

Green Cities 2014, from 18-19 March in Melbourne, will explore why business leaders are beginning to think about sustainability not as a technical challenge, but a strategic approach that can improve productivity, health and wellbeing. [ + ]

Central Park Sydney is a $2 billion mixed-use urban village that is designed to maximise self-sufficiency through renewable energy sources and sustainable water supplies. Located on Broadway in the suburb of Chippendale, the village sits across a 5.8-hectare site with one-third dedicated to open space and the rest includes commercial, residential and retail developments. [ + ]

The federal government last week launched a product stewardship scheme to tackle the environmental challenges arising from used tyres which have not been disposed of correctly. This follows the formation of a separate campaign, The Skids, by the Boomerang Alliance and Australian Tyre Recycling Association (ATRA) in September 2013. [ + ]

An innovative technology developed by South East Water and adapted for the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) is being used in research to save the lives of children in developing countries. [ + ]

The City of Las Vegas, already one of the most water-smart cities in the nation, was also searching for ways to become one of the most energy efficient. Advanced building intelligence software offered new and exciting potential to reduce energy costs, meet sustainability objectives and ensure continued high reliability of the power grid. [ + ]

UK waste management company FCC Environment is using the latest energy-efficient compressor and filtration solutions from Atlas Copco to help turn waste into energy at its Nottingham waste processing site. [ + ]

Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) have found that certain types and locations of biofuel crops have various benefits, and that it is unwise to focus solely on biomass yield. [ + ]

Energy consumption and energy efficiency are of primary concern to many compressor users. There are many well-known methods for keeping on top of energy consumption; however, there are some less famous yet clever ways to cut your bills down further. [ + ]

Hurll Nu-Way is a supplier of continuous anaerobic digester gas mixing systems, manufactured in the UK by Utile Engineering, utilising sliding vane gas compressor technology. The company says the technology is the most efficient and cost-effective method for mixing, absorbing approximately one-third of the power required for 'pump' mixing. [ + ]