The mining industry faces growing challenges globally on how to use water efficiently, how to recover and recirculate water and how to reduce the areas needed for tailings storage. Paste technology can be used to efficiently recover water from tailing, making it a sustainable solution for tailing treament, especially in dry regions. The technology can now also be used to make it much easier to restore the landscape in a safe way after a mine is closed. [ + ]

What is the largest source by far of affordable, low-carbon energy available for development? If people think the answer is wind or solar or even hydro, University of Canterbury mechanical engineering professor Susan Krumdieck in New Zealand says they might be surprised. [ + ]

Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, the office tower at 1 Bligh Street has set a new benchmark for sustainable office design. To integrate all the energy efficient systems, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure platform was used to achieve the convergence of the building’s energy-efficient technologies. [ + ]

A passion for the best climate risk management by the Australian beekeeping industry runs in the family, with two NSW beekeepers stepping up to the national Climate Champion program. [ + ]

UV-Guard Australia, a supplier of disinfection solutions which is part of the combined entity Nubian Water Systems, has refurbished Unitywater’s water treatment plant in Queensland to maximum design performance and will achieve the wastewater disinfection results required to meet licence consent. [ + ]

Australia’s recent drought led to unprecedented low water storage levels in many areas of the country, prompting measures such as wastewater recycling and desalination, which were widely covered in Australian newspapers. Researchers Professor Sara Dolnicar and Dr Anna Hurlimann believed it was important to look into how media reported on water-related topics. [ + ]

In October 2012, Hassell attracted international attention for its visionary sustainable design ideas at the World Architecture Festival (WAF). The company took away three awards and a commendation - the most of any participating design firm. [ + ]

Grundfos Pumps has recently installed a new state-of-the-art dosing system test rig, providing increased testing capabilities, in its facilities at Ormeau, Queensland. Since opening in October 2010, the Ormeau facilities have served as the hub for water treatment engineering and assembly activities throughout Australia. [ + ]

An off-grid, sustainable power supply developed by a Curtin University PhD student is being used to power one of the hottest and most remote locations in Australia. [ + ]

The Director of the University of Waikato Centre for Environmental, Resources and Energy Law (CEREL), Professor Barry Barton, is working with government and industry insiders to develop a legal and regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage (CCS). [ + ]

How do you feel about sustainability in your workplace? How do your co-workers feel? How does your boss feel? The Sustainability in the Workplace 2012 report, recently released by Sustainability at Work, reveals the attitudes of Australians workers towards sustainability, thus helping organisations understand what to consider when implementing their own sustainability strategies. [ + ]

To support its entry in to the Australian housing sector, Ichijo Technological Homes selected a Passivhaus-certified unit supplied by Stiebel Eltron Australia as the foundation for its heat recovery ventilation system, enabling it to build an energy-efficient house that achieved over 8 stars in NatHERS rating. [ + ]

Stanford researchers have developed a solar cell made entirely of carbon, an inexpensive substitute for the pricey materials used in conventional solar panels. [ + ]

The signposts are all pointing in one direction - and that direction is greater sustainability for both individuals and organisations. So, what lies ahead for Australia’s built environment?  Where do the opportunities and risks lie? [ + ]

Opinions are divided on whether or not Hurricane Sandy was fuelled by climate change, but the fact is this extreme storm in the US in October caused a massive amount of destruction and loss of life. According to scientists storms such as this will become more common and one factor that caused Sandy to swell was that ocean waters were about 1° warmer thanks to man-made climate change. Catastrophes such as this call for innovative solutions and technology from companies such as Xylem to help monitor the situation and control the clean-up in its aftermath. [ + ]