Using biomass for energy is an important part of the renewable energy mix. However, bioenergy production should follow EU resource efficiency principles, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). This means extracting more energy from the same material input, and avoiding negative environmental effects potentially caused by bioenergy production. [ + ]

Bentley Systems, a provider of software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, has announced standardisation on the company’s ProjectWise to provide collaboration, work sharing and engineering content management for Thames Water’s Thames Tideway Tunnel project. The project is addressing the issue of combined sewage discharges from London’s Victorian-era sewer system that enter the River Thames. [ + ]

A new material that can store large amounts of energy with very little energy loss has been developed by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU). The material could be particularly transformative for wind and solar power, which can cause problems when fed into the power grid at low demand times. [ + ]

University of Adelaide researchers are developing a new type of laser system that will monitor methane, the main component of natural gas, levels across large areas. This will provide a useful tool for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. [ + ]

Mantaray Island Resort opened its doors to travellers as an eco-resort in 2004. Now, with Australian-invented BioGill technology, the island is effectively treating wastewater on-site, recycling the water for garden re-use and protecting the local reefs and waterways. [ + ]

Australian research that shows packaging has a vital role to play within the supply chain in minimising food waste has been released. [ + ]

US President Barack Obama today announced a Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon pollution. According to Obama, the plan intends to give the United States - the world’s largest economy and second largest emitter - a leadership role “in a coordinated assault on a changing climate”. [ + ]

Sustainability in the food sector is often considered at factory level, including energy saving in processes, change in sourcing habits and reduction of waste in the supply chain. Recent developments in life-cycle assessment studies and nutritional analysis have opened new paths for mapping product sustainability. [ + ]

A research team at Swinburne University of Technology has overcome a fundamental law of optical science that could lead to faster and more energy-efficient optical computing. [ + ]

Fluke Australia has provided a list of the top six places to look for energy losses in commercial buildings together with details on how to detect these leaks using a thermal imaging scanner. [ + ]

For around every 4 L of olive oil that’s pressed from the ripe fruit, about 17 kg of olive skins, pulp and pits are left behind. Known as pomace, these leftovers typically have low-value uses. But US Department of Agriculture (USDA) agricultural engineer Rebecca R Milczarek and her colleagues are working with olive growers and olive-oil processors in California - where most of the US’s commercial olives are grown - to find new, environmentally friendly and profitable uses for pomace. [ + ]

Researchers in Germany have come up with an intelligent door seal system that calculates the best compromise between good indoor air quality and energy efficiency. [ + ]

Europeans live longer and healthier lives than in the past, partly due to successful environmental policies that have reduced the exposure to harmful environmental contaminants in air, water and food, according to a new report. However, these contaminants are still a problem, and several new health risks are emerging, for example, from new chemicals, new products and changing lifestyle patterns. [ + ]

The City of Vincent in Western Australia has signed a five-year contract to be part of the EnerNOC’s DemandSMART energy-saving program that is designed to reduce energy costs and provide visibility of energy consumption. [ + ]

Pasteurisation - a process used worldwide to disinfect and treat milk - will soon be used to treat recycled water in a project initiated by the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence (AWRCE). [ + ]