Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has registered its Property Development Master Plan to achieve a Green Star - Communities PILOT rating: an independent sustainability certification of a community-level project. If it succeeds, the airport will be considered the most sustainable in Australia. [ + ]

Wave-energy technology company Ocean Power Technologies Australasia (OPTA) and its subsidiary, Victorian Wave Partners (VWP), have engaged Victorian company Professional Diving Services (PDS) to conduct a detailed seabed survey for the location of VWP’s proposed wave power station off the coast of Portland, Victoria. [ + ]

New research suggests that in some parts of Australia, koalas and other native animals may be best placed to adjudicate whether or not rehabilitation has been successful. [ + ]

Farming and the digital world may seem like strange bedfellows, but a new CSIRO report has shown that Australian farmers can increase their productivity by taking advantage of smart farming technologies enabled by next-generation broadband networks. [ + ]

The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities has released a white paper that details a sustainable and comprehensive approach to managing natural disasters. [ + ]

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is accepting nominations for the global Government Leadership Awards - a biennial event which was first held in 2011. [ + ]

The Australian Government’s Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO) program, which encourages large energy-using businesses to increase their efficiency, is being broadened to incorporate new developments and major expansions, saving business millions of dollars in energy costs across the lifetime of new projects. [ + ]

China launched its first carbon emissions trading scheme yesterday in Shenzhen. By 2015, the scheme aims to reduce the city’s carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 21% compared to 2010 levels. [ + ]

An ultra-modern bus service, featuring noiseless, emissions-free electric buses and indoor bus stops, will become a reality in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in 2015. [ + ]

The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities today released ‘A study into commercial and industrial (C&I) waste and recycling in Australia by industry division’. [ + ]

UNSW solar car racing team ‘Sunswift’ is working hard to build a solar car which is friendly not only to the environment but also to the driver. [ + ]

Unitywater and the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) today signed an agreement to work together to benefit USC’s students by supporting their tertiary education and providing local opportunities to kickstart their careers. [ + ]

Origin Energy has announced the release of the Origin Energy Monitor - a smartphone-sized device that sits magnetically on a person’s fridge and receives data wirelessly from their smart meter, displaying near real-time information about their energy use within seconds. [ + ]

Victoria’s Melton Library and Learning Hub - officially opened on 15 June - has been awarded a 5 Star Green Star - Public Building Design PILOT rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). This makes it Australia’s first completed Green Star library. [ + ]

Resources and Energy Minister Gary Gray recently unveiled the first ‘green crude’, sustainably produced by Muradel from marine microalgae at a pilot scale. [ + ]