A mission from the UK arrives in Australia this month to study water re-use and recycling in the wake of increasing concern in the UK about the twin challenges of climate change and urban development.

Ecotech has won the Small to Medium Manufacturers award in the Governor of Victoria Export Awards. The award was presented by the Minister for Manufacturing & Export, André Haermeyer, and the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser AC.

Too much of our drinking water is still being used to water Perth gardens, according to CSIRO’s Dr Tony Smith.

The Australian Coal Association has welcomed an announcement by the federal government of $125 million funding for two important clean coal and solar energy demonstration projects under the government’s Low Emissions Technology Development Fund.

About 230 companies will be exhibiting at the second ProSweets Cologne from 29 January to 1 February 2007.

Companies from Hong Kong and all over the world exhibited at Eco Expo Asia, an environmental protection trade fair organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) and Messe Frankfurt. The expo was held in October at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.

Australian Ethanol has announced a $75 million capital to fund the construction of a 100 million litre per year fuel ethanol plant in Swan Hill, Victoria.

A living, growing experiment has been built on top of the Engineering Building at the University of Auckland to test the city’s suitability for ‘green roofs’.

Randwick residents will be able to convert their home electricity supply, at no extra cost, to ‘green power’ accredited electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind turbines and low-impact hydro.

The Sustainable Packaging Alliance has received two significant Commonwealth government grants to support the development of its prototype rapid packaging environmental impact assessment tool, PIQET.

ABB, power and automation group, has signed a Strategy Alliance agreement with the WA Water Corporation valued at approximately $15 million over four years to provide ongoing design and supply of SCADA, RTU and communication systems support and maintenance for the Western Australian water utilities network.

Minister for the Environment and heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, said a new deal worth more than $10 million dollars agreed in August under the US-Australia Climate Action Partnership (CAP) would improve the economic viability of solar power throughout the world.

The CH2 office building has opened in Melbourne, setting the benchmark for all future high rise buildings.

Should Australia have a nuclear industry? According to the Prime Minister, John Howard, this is a debate we have to have. Cabinet has now signed off on his proposal for a panel of experts to investigate the economic, environmental and health and safety aspects of an expanded nuclear industry. It is due to report back to the Prime Minister by the end of the year.

Thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste are being harnessed to manufacture Australian cement in an initiative to clean up the image of one of the world’s biggest polluting industries.