Could a fountain save a life? New research has found that installing more water features — including public fountains, ponds and mist — in Western Sydney could reduce the mortality rate during heatwaves by almost 50%. [ + ]

The winners of the NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards 2017 have been announced, after the judges had the difficult task of narrowing down the highest number of entries ever received in the competition's 15-year history. [ + ]

Palm oil producer Wilmar International has partnered with ING to convert a portion of its existing revolving credit facility of US$150 million with the bank into a sustainability performance-linked loan. [ + ]

Australian home owners are being given the chance to make a positive impact on their finances as well as the environment, thanks to a new solar initiative launched by NAB and Origin. [ + ]

The winners of WWF-New Zealand's 2017 Conservation Innovation Awards have been announced, with three innovative ideas eventually selected out of a record-breaking 47 entries and 35 finalists. [ + ]

Australian sustainability researchers are among the winners of the 2017 CSIRO Awards, presented at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. [ + ]

The Bioenergy 2017 conference saw the release of research indicating that the NSW North Coast has untapped biopower potential through forests and sawmills with enough residue that would power 200,000 homes a year. [ + ]

Waste management company SUEZ has been awarded the contract for the Northern Beaches Council recycling and resource recovery process, run by recycling centre Kimbriki. [ + ]

New Zealand's dairy sector has launched its 'Dairy Tomorrow' strategy, which is intended to lead to a longer term conversation about what New Zealand's future farm and food systems could look like. [ + ]

ARENA is providing $11.9 million in funding to assist Australian biofuel company Ethtec with the development and demonstration of its groundbreaking biofuel technology. [ + ]

The time has come for ISO 50001 to undergo periodic review to ensure that it continues to meet the rapidly changing needs of the energy sector. [ + ]

Solar energy equipment supplier SMA Australia will be finishing up 2017 on a high, having signed contracts to supply more than 1.2 GW of inverter power to more than 20 local utility-scale PV projects over the past 11 months. [ + ]

Australia's agriculture sector is soon set to benefit from the arrival of a mobile biomass-to-bioenergy plant down under. [ + ]

Urban SOS 2017: hOUR City is a global student ideas competition that challenged multidisciplinary teams to connect more people in regions around the world to the opportunities found in contemporary cities. [ + ]

Nexif Energy has reached financial close for the first stage of the Lincoln Gap Wind Farm — one of Australia's largest private sector-initiated and -owned grid battery systems not underwritten by a government contract or funded by government grants. [ + ]