The Product Stewardship Foundation in New Zealand has been awarded funds to develop an industry-led, end-of-life tyres (ELT) program called Tyrewise. The program will allow for a consistent nationwide approach to the responsible disposal of tyres, removing hidden costs for consumers and ratepayers as well as providing a better outcome for New Zealand’s environment. [ + ]

European member states have recently agreed to adopt the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO’s) Standard for energy management, ISO 50001:2011, as the European Standard for energy management systems. The publication of EN ISO 50001 will replace the existing European Standard, EN 16001:2009, to be withdrawn at the end of April 2012. [ + ]

Imagine a world where the windows of high-rise office buildings are powerful energy producers. It might sound strange, but for the past four years, a team of researchers from Flinders University has been working to make the idea of solar-powered windows a reality - and they may have succeeded. [ + ]

Even if we manage to limit global warming to 2°C, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations could face sea levels 12 to 22 m higher than present, according to new research. [ + ]

Photon Laboratory, which conducts the most recognised field performance test in the world, has announced that REC solar modules ranked first in the module field performance test during 2011. [ + ]

Chair of the National Water Commission Chloe Munro has welcomed the decision by the Australian Government that the Commission will continue to operate as an independent and expert national agency to oversee the Council of Australian Governments’ national water-reform agenda. [ + ]

In 2010 the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) awarded a contract to the Australian company Geospatial Intelligence to supply high-resolution satellite image products for public use to support the first methodology approved under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). The product selected by DCCEE was the Australia-wide coverage of SPOTMaps tiles - a seamless image mosaic generated from imagery collected by the SPOT 5 satellite at a resolution of 2.5 m. [ + ]

Representatives from Airbus, GE Australia and Virgin Australia have been shown firsthand the progress being made to develop a viable biomass industry in regional Australia. [ + ]

Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) and Korea have combined their expertise in polymer patterning and materials science in a bid to develop new-generation solar cells. [ + ]

A recent spike in worldwide carbon emissions growth was caused by the rebound from the global financial crisis (GFC) and is likely to be a one-off, according to a study from the Australian National University (ANU). [ + ]

There has been a significant development in the odour control industry with the forging of an alliance between three major players - Odour Control Systems Australia, Bioaction and BL Camtek. [ + ]

Nuclear energy is the only viable non-carbon-based energy source for the future, despite the recent nuclear accident in Japan, according to a James Cook University (JCU) professor. [ + ]

The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has released the ‘National Waste Report 2010 Evaluation Workshops’ study. The ‘National Waste Report 2010’ was launched on 7 May 2010 and is intended to assist government, businesses and the community to make sound policies and decisions, and help individuals to contribute to waste minimisation in meaningful and achievable ways. [ + ]

New Zealand’s leading rural recycling program is running a rewards initiative this autumn to encourage more farmers to recycle. The Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme is offering 10 rural retailer vouchers to the value of $500 as an incentive to ensure famers and growers protect the environment. [ + ]

There has been some confusion in the media recently regarding the role of the Climate Commission. The following statement is intended to clarify its role. [ + ]