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. [ + ]

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. [ + ]

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. [ + ]

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. [ + ]

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. [ + ]

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. [ + ]

A world-first research program, led by CSIRO, is monitoring honeybee populations by tracking the insects with tiny sensors - a technique known as 'swarm sensing'. With 5000 bees taking part in the program, this is the first time such large numbers of insects have been used for environmental monitoring. [ + ]

For more than a century, the quantity of electricity consumed in Australia was more than the year before. That all changed in 2010, as explained by Hugh Saddler, Principal Consultant, Energy Strategies, pitt&sherry, in The Australia Institute report 'Power down: Why is electricity consumption decreasing?' [ + ]

Totally Environmental (Australia) has recently launched a food and green waste composting technology that could stop the millions of tonnes of food waste ending up in Australian landfill sites every year. [ + ]

Although biofuels can clearly contribute to energy security and resource efficiency, they can also be sometimes considered controversial. This is primarily because the raw materials used in their production are grown using land that could have been used for food crops. Another issue revolves around the environmental impact caused by certain by-products. Weber Ultrasonics in Germany has developed a process that could provide a solution to these problems. [ + ]