Industry News
NZ suppliers to help commercial sector cut lighting costs
Eight companies have been appointed to help businesses in New Zealand cut their lighting bills. The suppliers have been chosen by the Energy Efficiency and Conversation Authority (EECA) to install subsidised lighting controls for businesses looking to save electricity. [ + ]
Robot to monitor Brisbane’s drinking water
A high-tech autonomous robot is to be sent into the depths of Brisbane’s reservoirs to monitor the health of our drinking water. [ + ]
Geothermal pilot heats up
Geothermal experts from the University of Melbourne are working with Department of Primary Industries to demonstrate the efficiency of a form of renewable energy that will play an important role in the energy mix of Victoria’s Future. [ + ]
Exposure draft of Product Stewardship (Televisions and Computers) Amendment Regulation 2012 released
An exposure draft of the Product Stewardship (Televisions and Computers) Amendment Regulation 2012 and associated commentary is now available for public comment. [ + ]
ENVIRO Innovation in Sustainability Award 2012 submissions now open
Entries are now being accepted for the ENVIRO Innovation in Sustainability Award. [ + ]
Entries open for 2012 savewater! awards and Prime Minister’s Water Wise Award
The 2012 savewater! awards are calling to action all exceptional water savers from Australia and around the world to be recognised on efficient water use in the face of changing climate patterns and population growth. [ + ]
Australia’s clean energy future discussed in European talks
Australia’s move to a clean energy economy was discussed at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) in Rome on 18 April, by federal Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Mark Dreyfus. [ + ]
Practical guide to help businesses prepare for carbon pricing
The Carbon Market Institute will be launching its guide for business, ‘Reporting and Accounting Requirements for the Australian Carbon Market’, at events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on 1, 3 and 15 May respectively. [ + ]
Qantas receives grant to help biofuels take off
At the recent departure of Qantas’s first flight powered using a 50/50 blend of biofuel and regular jet fuel, the federal government announced it will help fund a study into the sustainable production and commercialisation of aviation biofuels in Australia. [ + ]
National Greenhouse Accounts released
The latest National Greenhouse Accounts have been released by the Federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, revealing that Australia’s national inventory total emissions of greenhouse gases increased by 0.6% to 546 million tonnes over the year to December 2011. [ + ]
Landfills a chance for local governments to make money under a carbon price
The Australian Government has used a national forum in Canberra to explain how local governments can use landfill to reduce pollution and earn carbon credits. [ + ]
Global green energy awards announce international finalists for 2012
Green energy charity Ashden has announced the selection of seven sustainable energy pioneers working across Africa, India, Cambodia, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Peru as finalists for the Ashden Awards 2012. [ + ]
Direct drinking water recycling could prevent floods
The use of a more streamlined process to recycle wastewater could have saved Brisbane from severe flooding in 2011 and mitigated recent flood risks in NSW, a leading water expert says. [ + ]
Local government vital for climate change reduction, says energy expert
A Massey University energy expert says proposed local government reforms would be a step backwards for sustainability. [ + ]
Alternative water source for Melbourne comes out on top
Engineering, architecture and environmental consulting company GHD has received a Service Provider Innovation Award at the Smart Water Fund’s Innovation and Excellence Awards for its alternative water atlas for Melbourne. [ + ]