Entries opened yesterday for The Philmac Project - a funding initiative which provides cash grants to local organisations wanting to carry out water-related projects that benefit rural and regional communities. Grants of up to $5000 are available for each project - $25,000 in total. [ + ]

Retirement community developer Halcyon has achieved EnviroDevelopment certification from the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) for its Halcyon Landing community at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast. This makes it the first over 50s developer in Australia to do so. [ + ]

Environmental scientist Professor Ming Hung Wong has called for a global effort to save the coming generation of children from being poisoned by toxic residues from the world's ever-growing garbage pile of old mobile phones, computers and electronic devices. [ + ]

National product stewardship program drumMUSTER, which collects empty and clean agvet chemical containers from farmers, this month reached a total of 22 million drums collected. [ + ]

The fourth annual World Green Building Week is being held this week from 16-20 September. Green building councils (GBCs) in 98 countries representing more than 25,000 organisations will host events, run campaigns and emphasise the theme ‘Greener Buildings, Better Places, Healthier People’. [ + ]

As part of the City of Sydney's annual Art & About Sydney festival, a special video installation will represent the energy usage of local offices through a race with virtual athletes. [ + ]

Research and consulting firm GlobalData has released a report forecasting a global renewable capacity of 2055 GW in 2030 - one fifth of the global installed capacity - growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% from 2013 to 2030. [ + ]

The Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Ryan Smith, has announced the 20 finalists for this year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards. [ + ]

From 9-10 October, Waste Expo will be held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, featuring hundreds of products, live demonstrations, equipment showcases and new technology displays across all areas of waste management, recycling and sustainability. [ + ]

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has published The Business Case for Green Building - a comprehensive report into the economic worth of sustainable building. [ + ]

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has been named as a finalist in the carbon reduction category for the Green Gown Awards Australasia - a prestigious sustainability awards program for tertiary education providers. AUT is the only university in New Zealand to be recognised in the carbon reduction category. [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Canberra are investigating if sustainable suburbs that care for the environment are making people healthier and happier as well. Using the suburb of Crace as a case study, they will assess whether the design of suburbs can have long-term benefits for the health and wellbeing of their residents. [ + ]

SunWater's Chinchilla Beneficial Use Scheme took out the top regional award in the 2013 Queensland Project Management Achievement Awards, hosted by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) in Brisbane last week. [ + ]

National Recycling Week will be held from 11-17 November and Planet Ark is encouraging all Australians to join the recycling revolution at their home, school or workplace. [ + ]

The Meridian Building on Wellington's waterfront - one of New Zealand's most iconic sustainable buildings - has achieved a 5.5 star base building rating. This is a market-leading NABERSNZ rating for energy performance - the highest to be awarded under the 6 star scheme. [ + ]