The University of Wollongong's (UOW) Sustainable Buildings Research Centre has been recognised in Master Builders Australia's national awards program. [ + ]

The Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA) is holding two events next week. [ + ]

National Manufacturing Week (NMW) returns to the Sydney Showground from 13-16 May next year with a revamped look. [ + ]

As part of its efforts to reduce energy and water savings across its buildings, the City of Sydney has installed a real-time environmental tracking system. Operating 24 hours a day, the system monitors 95% of water and electricity use across the City’s childcare centres, libraries, community centres, pools and facilities. [ + ]

Kiwibank and Nga Tangata Microfinance Trust have been named the overall winner of the 2013 NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards for addressing the critical issue of breaking the poverty cycle. [ + ]

The inaugural Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy, presented by the University of Louisville (UofL), Kentucky, has been awarded to Swiss chemist Michael Grätzel. The $50,000 prize exists to acknowledge outstanding ideas and achievements in research related to the science, engineering, technology and commercialisation of renewable energy. [ + ]

The Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence (AWRCE) has produced a comprehensive framework to assess the economic viability of recycled water schemes. [ + ]

Academics at Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) in Belfast, UK, in partnership with Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas, have used the super-solvent properties of ionic liquids to develop technology which removes mercury from natural gas. [ + ]

The South Australian City of Marion has won the Keep Australia Beautiful, Australian Sustainable City 2013 award. The City's Deputy Mayor, David Speirs, yesterday accepted the award at an event in the City of Cockburn, WA. [ + ]

The Wyndham Civic Centre in outer Melbourne has become the first building in Australia to be registered for a Green Star - Performance rating. The three-storey building is a conference and expo space used by a variety of community groups. [ + ]

Schneider Electric's Energy University - an online resource where anyone with an interest in the energy industry can undertake free training courses - has been endorsed by the Institute of Hospital Engineering Australia (IHEA) as a recognised source of educational and developmental material. [ + ]

The Australian Government yesterday introduced a package of Bills into parliament to repeal the carbon tax. [ + ]

The Australian Soil Consortium (ASC) is calling for Australia to take a leading role in overcoming the increasing threat of land degradation. [ + ]

MWH Global has been awarded two substantial contracts to help ensure water infrastructure for Victoria meets the needs of the state's predicted population growth. [ + ]

Chill a drink in 45 seconds, that is the promise of a new gadget technology that also claims to be 80% more energy efficient than existing coolers. [ + ]