Water utility solutions provider United Utilities Australia Pty Ltd has unveiled its new name, Trility Pty Ltd, and new brand identity.

The NSW Office of Water has entered into a collaborative project with a Canadian scientist to develop a method for rapid testing of blue-green algae toxicity.

BOC has announced that it has secured a long-term industrial gas supply contract to the value of an estimated one billion Australian dollars with Perdaman Chemicals & Fertilisers, which is planning to use clean energy technology to enrich the world’s crops with urea.

The EcoForum Conference & Exhibition in Sydney on 9-11 March will have some excellent keynote speakers. Here is a snapshot of some interesting talks.

The Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), Romilly Madew, has been appointed chair of a new committee tasked with overseeing consistent standards for global green building rating.

Hach Company has announced the acquisition of Accurate Detection and Accurate Measurement (Accurate), distributor of analytical and detection instrumentation including Hach water quality analytics in Australia and New Zealand.

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Australia’s clean energy industry has welcomed the news of a price on greenhouse emissions from 2012, but warned that renewable energy programs will still be needed to deliver the cheapest transition to a de-carbonised economy.

Consult Australia has launched its new report, Seizing the Sustainability Advantage, that provides a blueprint for ambitious governance reform, including the integration of existing sustainability policies and programs currently fragmented across different areas of government, portfolios and agencies.

The Keneally government’s new Water Recycling Education Centre has been officially opened by Minister for Water Phillip Costa this week in St Marys, building on the existing community education resources of Sydney Water.

The Gillard government has proposed that a carbon price mechanism will commence on 1 July 2012, subject to the ability to negotiate agreement with a majority in both houses of parliament and pass legislation this year.

Four green building fellowships have been awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to recognise and reward the significant contributions of four industry leaders to Australia’s sustainable property and construction industry.

Sanyo has announced its sponsorship of Clean Up Australia’s 2011 Green Teacher Award - an award which recognises teachers who have positively influenced students by carrying out environmental projects within their school community.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, has announced the establishment of an independent Climate Commission, appointing the leading science communicator - Professor Tim Flannery - as Chief Commissioner.

For the first time in five years, environmental salaries have overtaken that of safety professionals, survey results have revealed. The survey includes data from over 60 Australian companies, primarily from the ASX 200, and covers a diverse range of industries including energy, resources, construction, manufacturing, industrial and retail.