Australia’s recent drought led to unprecedented low water storage levels in many areas of the country, prompting measures such as wastewater recycling and desalination, which were widely covered in Australian newspapers. Researchers Professor Sara Dolnicar and Dr Anna Hurlimann believed it was important to look into how media reported on water-related topics. [ + ]

Grundfos Pumps has recently installed a new state-of-the-art dosing system test rig, providing increased testing capabilities, in its facilities at Ormeau, Queensland. Since opening in October 2010, the Ormeau facilities have served as the hub for water treatment engineering and assembly activities throughout Australia. [ + ]

An off-grid, sustainable power supply developed by a Curtin University PhD student is being used to power one of the hottest and most remote locations in Australia. [ + ]

The Director of the University of Waikato Centre for Environmental, Resources and Energy Law (CEREL), Professor Barry Barton, is working with government and industry insiders to develop a legal and regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage (CCS). [ + ]

How do you feel about sustainability in your workplace? How do your co-workers feel? How does your boss feel? The Sustainability in the Workplace 2012 report, recently released by Sustainability at Work, reveals the attitudes of Australians workers towards sustainability, thus helping organisations understand what to consider when implementing their own sustainability strategies. [ + ]

To support its entry in to the Australian housing sector, Ichijo Technological Homes selected a Passivhaus-certified unit supplied by Stiebel Eltron Australia as the foundation for its heat recovery ventilation system, enabling it to build an energy-efficient house that achieved over 8 stars in NatHERS rating. [ + ]

Opinions are divided on whether or not Hurricane Sandy was fuelled by climate change, but the fact is this extreme storm in the US in October caused a massive amount of destruction and loss of life. According to scientists storms such as this will become more common and one factor that caused Sandy to swell was that ocean waters were about 1° warmer thanks to man-made climate change. Catastrophes such as this call for innovative solutions and technology from companies such as Xylem to help monitor the situation and control the clean-up in its aftermath. [ + ]

Last week at the 2012 Australasian Carbon Expo in Melbourne, the government confirmed that Australia is ready to sign the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol, joining countries around the world that are taking action to combat climate change. The first commitment period ends on 31 December this year; a second commitment period to restrain greenhouse gas emissions will begin on 1 January 2013. [ + ]

Stanford researchers have developed a solar cell made entirely of carbon, an inexpensive substitute for the pricey materials used in conventional solar panels. [ + ]

The signposts are all pointing in one direction - and that direction is greater sustainability for both individuals and organisations. So, what lies ahead for Australia’s built environment?  Where do the opportunities and risks lie? [ + ]

Global ICT services and solutions provider Dimension Data has announced the availability of an e-waste removal service as part of its newly expanded Technology Lifecycle Management Assessment that helps organisations better manage their inventory. [ + ]

Anglican Retirement Villages (ARV) has signed a letter of intent with recycling company Relivit. This measure will help bring Relivit’s recycling process to Australia. ARV will then be able to tackle its largest and most expensive waste stream - continence pads - helping ARV reach its target of recycling 80% of its waste by 2014. [ + ]

The installed price of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). [ + ]

The Perth Research Hub for an innovative new research centre has been officially launched at The University of Western Australia (UWA) by the state Minister for Water, Bill Marmion. [ + ]

Dig underneath the Snowy Region Visitor Centre and you will find the secret to its energy efficiency: a geothermal heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) unit. The unit was installed in the late 1990s by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) when the Jindabyne regional headquarters and Snowy Region Visitor Centre was built. Although the geothermal unit is very energy efficient even by today’s standards, the results of an Energy Saver audit are helping NPWS to run the system and the buildings even more efficiently. [ + ]