Solar PV module manufacturer Yingli Green Energy, known as Yingli Solar, has appointed Daman Cole to the role of managing director of its Australian, New Zealand and Pacific operations after a year at the company as commercial director. [ + ]

Auckland's NZI Centre has been awarded a 5-star base building Certified Rating for energy use under NABERSNZ, the office building energy rating scheme. The scheme provides ratings between one and six stars, with the NZI Centre's rating putting it in the 'market-leading' category. [ + ]

CFSGAM Property, the Packaging Stewardship Forum of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC), together with Minister for the Environment Greg Hunt, this week launched a comprehensive recycling program to boost away-from-home recycling. [ + ]

Inter-Water Australia is a new national water exhibition and conference aimed at water users in industry, commerce and the urban environment, as well as the water-supply industry. [ + ]

The University of Wollongong's (UOW) Sustainable Buildings Research Centre has been recognised in Master Builders Australia's national awards program. [ + ]

The Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA) is holding two events next week. [ + ]

National Manufacturing Week (NMW) returns to the Sydney Showground from 13-16 May next year with a revamped look. [ + ]

As part of its efforts to reduce energy and water savings across its buildings, the City of Sydney has installed a real-time environmental tracking system. Operating 24 hours a day, the system monitors 95% of water and electricity use across the City’s childcare centres, libraries, community centres, pools and facilities. [ + ]

Kiwibank and Nga Tangata Microfinance Trust have been named the overall winner of the 2013 NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards for addressing the critical issue of breaking the poverty cycle. [ + ]

The inaugural Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy, presented by the University of Louisville (UofL), Kentucky, has been awarded to Swiss chemist Michael Grätzel. The $50,000 prize exists to acknowledge outstanding ideas and achievements in research related to the science, engineering, technology and commercialisation of renewable energy. [ + ]

The Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence (AWRCE) has produced a comprehensive framework to assess the economic viability of recycled water schemes. [ + ]

Academics at Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) in Belfast, UK, in partnership with Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas, have used the super-solvent properties of ionic liquids to develop technology which removes mercury from natural gas. [ + ]

The South Australian City of Marion has won the Keep Australia Beautiful, Australian Sustainable City 2013 award. The City's Deputy Mayor, David Speirs, yesterday accepted the award at an event in the City of Cockburn, WA. [ + ]

The Wyndham Civic Centre in outer Melbourne has become the first building in Australia to be registered for a Green Star - Performance rating. The three-storey building is a conference and expo space used by a variety of community groups. [ + ]

Schneider Electric's Energy University - an online resource where anyone with an interest in the energy industry can undertake free training courses - has been endorsed by the Institute of Hospital Engineering Australia (IHEA) as a recognised source of educational and developmental material. [ + ]