Two student accommodation facilities at the Victoria University of Wellington have been pitted against each other in a competition to see which can save the most power compared to the previous year's usage. [ + ]

CEOs and executive directors from the Victorian Government's environmental departments will lead discussions at the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo 2015 about the state's environmental agenda, including existing and future programs that impact on the waste and recycling industry. [ + ]

Jim Athanas has been named the managing director for water technology provider Xylem Oceania. To be based in Sydney, he will be responsible for driving revenue and market share expansion. [ + ]

Audi Australia Pty Ltd and Origin Energy Limited (Origin) now have a partnership that is designed to help owners of the new Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) further lower their impact on the environment. [ + ]

Victorian smartphone users will soon have access to reliable information on how to recycle locally, with the Sustain Me mobile application set to launch on 29 July. [ + ]

South Australia will become the first Australian state to legislate to allow driverless vehicles on the roads. [ + ]

New Zealand's Packaging Forum has announced an initiative that will enable shoppers to dispose of their used soft plastic bags in special recycling bins located at supermarkets and retail premises. [ + ]

The Property Council of Australia, the Total Environment Centre and the City of Sydney are asking the Australian Energy Market Commission to change the rules that govern the electricity market. [ + ]

The Tata-UNSW Water Initiative aims to provide clean drinking water to regional India through low-cost water purification solutions. [ + ]

HydroRevolution has announced plans to build a commercial solar desalination plant in the Panoche Water and Drainage District in California's Central Valley — said to be the first of its kind in the region.

Atlas Copco, a provider of sustainable productivity solutions, has been listed by the Newsweek 2015 Green Rankings as the greenest industrial company in the world. [ + ]

The Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CCRSPI) will be holding its flagship conference from 18–19 November at Doltone House, Darling Island Wharf, Sydney. [ + ]

Since Australia Day, citizen scientists in Sydney's Sutherland Shire have been collecting plastic from the local beaches and waterways — and contributing to important research in the process. [ + ]

GO Resources has licensed CSIRO to commercialise its technology for the production of super-high oleic safflower oil (SHOSO) — a plant-sourced alternative to petroleum-based raw materials and traditional sources of oleic acid (an industrially significant fatty acid). [ + ]

The Australian Battery Recycling Initiative has called on Environment Minister Greg Hunt and all state and territory ministers to make a strong commitment to battery stewardship when they meet in Melbourne on 15 July. [ + ]