China launched its first carbon emissions trading scheme yesterday in Shenzhen. By 2015, the scheme aims to reduce the city’s carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 21% compared to 2010 levels. [ + ]

The Australian Government’s Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO) program, which encourages large energy-using businesses to increase their efficiency, is being broadened to incorporate new developments and major expansions, saving business millions of dollars in energy costs across the lifetime of new projects. [ + ]

The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities today released ‘A study into commercial and industrial (C&I) waste and recycling in Australia by industry division’. [ + ]

An ultra-modern bus service, featuring noiseless, emissions-free electric buses and indoor bus stops, will become a reality in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in 2015. [ + ]

UNSW solar car racing team ‘Sunswift’ is working hard to build a solar car which is friendly not only to the environment but also to the driver. [ + ]

Victoria’s Melton Library and Learning Hub - officially opened on 15 June - has been awarded a 5 Star Green Star - Public Building Design PILOT rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). This makes it Australia’s first completed Green Star library. [ + ]

Origin Energy has announced the release of the Origin Energy Monitor - a smartphone-sized device that sits magnetically on a person’s fridge and receives data wirelessly from their smart meter, displaying near real-time information about their energy use within seconds. [ + ]

Unitywater and the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) today signed an agreement to work together to benefit USC’s students by supporting their tertiary education and providing local opportunities to kickstart their careers. [ + ]

Resources and Energy Minister Gary Gray recently unveiled the first ‘green crude’, sustainably produced by Muradel from marine microalgae at a pilot scale. [ + ]

A number of Victorian organisations were today recognised for their participation in the fluoro-light recycling program FluoroCycle, which ensures harmful mercury is kept out of the environment. [ + ]

Environmental trader Greenbank Environmental has announced the first successful trade of Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) created by a piggery under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). [ + ]

The organising committee for the Bioenergy Australia 2013 Conference invites interested parties to submit abstracts for presentation at this year’s conference. [ + ]

The winners of the 2013 World Environment Awards were announced at the awards presentation dinner held last week in Melbourne. [ + ]

Community recycling enterprises have the potential to create thousands of new jobs while at the same time reducing waste to landfill. A documentary titled ‘Waste to Wages’ demonstrates how these enterprises are dealing with local waste problems in a sustainable way. [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Sydney’s Soil Security Laboratory have developed the soil carbon bench (SCB) - an instrument which is claimed to determine carbon levels from much larger samples, with greater accuracy and lower cost, than any existing technology. [ + ]