By Tina Perinotto 16 March 2010 - Six key sectors of the Australian economy have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 levels for the cost to householders of a cup of coffee, according to a new report released today. The Low Carbon Growth Plan ...Read More > >

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Landcom's Precinx tool is a winner By Tina Perinotto In the sustainability revolution, things are getting serious. You can tell by  the  number of  ratings tools that are under way. It’s as if the time for talk and promises and green bling are over and the industry wants “real measures” for “real ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell After weeks of controversy over its green schemes, The Federal Government recently announced changes to the Renewable Energy Target, the most positive sign yet that it might be serious about promoting investment in the renewable energy sector. But then last week the NSW government announced expansion of two coal-fired ...Read More > >

Pixel on Grocon's Melbourne Carlton brewery site, designed by Studio 505: a laboratory for new green architecture ... “Nobody can tell you accurately what the financial impost will be of the cost of a carbon constrained economy,” says David Waldren by Tina Perinotto FAVOURITES - 6 May ...Read More > >

by Damien Leclercq and Shannon Mason FAOURITES 2009 - Small scale wind energy has recently gained a lot of interest, particularly in the urban context, due to the general drive for sustainability and the appeal of the technology. But there are limits to what it can do. Wind energy is one way ...Read More > >

- 4 February 2010 - It’s hard to go past Matthew Wright’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald this week for a definitive look at the world’s solar race. And guess where Australia is coming, Mr Rudd? Following is an introduction and link: Renewable energy is the fastest growing power ...Read More > >

BRIEF - 2 February 2010 - The Melbourne suburb of Frankston is hoping it can soon offer 10,000 of its citizens power points at the local supermarket to re-charge electric cars,  solar-powered neighbourhoods and home appliances controlled via mobile phone could soon be a reality in Frankston - if it ...Read More > >

27 January 2010 - Vanuatu is one of many Pacific island-nations that are extremely vulnerable to predicted sea-level rises due to climate change. It is a very poor nation, by international standards, and one of its biggest challenges is to raise living standards through sustainable economic and social ...Read More > >

1 January 2010 - The Australian Greens have proposed a compromise deal to break the impasse on the carbon pollution reduction scheme. On the table is the proposal originally made by Ross Garnaut, author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review for a two year carbon price fixed at $20 a tonne ...Read More > >

By Jeff Angel Price rises for electricity are attracting headlines at the moment for all the wrong reasons. Erroneous reports of hugely inflated power bills as a result of the Emission Trading Scheme overlook one important point: the energy industry wants to boost its infrastructure so ...Read More > >

COP 15 - 15 December 2009 - Giles Parkinson, writing in Business Spectator today said Climate Change Minister Penny Wong “pretty much told the audience what they wanted to hear, saying that the switch to clean energy might not have been as fast as people wanted, but it would be ...Read More > >

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25 November 2009 - As the Opposition rips itself to shreds over the emissions trading scheme the good news, according to the Australian Greens, is that The Australian Conservation Foundation has come back to the fold of the “mainstream environmental movement”. ACF executive director Don Henry today scotched any residual support ...Read More > >

FAVOURITES - 25 November 2009 - Can you sense there is an end to burning coal? Even six months ago this idea might have seemed crazy, but in the past few weeks there is a sense that the world could change -fundamentally. Take Los Angeles, the capital city that has exported ...Read More > >

Brief - 23 November 2009 - Minerals Corporation has received its first commercial sales order for its low carbon cement that the company claims reduces carbon emissions by 80 per cent from international building materials company CRH plc. Minerals Corporation claims its technology is “revolutionary” given that cement production is the ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell 19 November 2009 - So you own a building. What if you could get investment returns of 23 per cent on retrofitting it without having to invest any of your own money? And get an energy star rating at the same time. Sound too good to be true? Well ...Read More > >

13 October 2009 - Environment Minister, Peter Garrett yesterday outlined the shape of the mandatory disclosure rules for commercial buildings. From July next year, building owners will be required to provide up-to-date energy efficiency information when they sell or lease office space covering more than 2000 square metres. Speaking at the inaugural ...Read More > >

by Tina Perinotto Comment (and fact sheet)- 12 November 2009 - NSW may yet become a leader again, with the Premier, Nathan Rees on Tuesday announcing a gross feed in tariff for solar energy installations that could pay householders up to $10,000 over a seven year period. The scheme would place the ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 5 November 2009 - Don’t ask Clive Hamilton about Plan B. Burning coal is the single biggest threat to the planet, and as far as he is concerned there is no point even discussing a second biggest threat or a third. If you persist with the question Hamilton, ...Read More > >

BRIEF - 26 October 2009 - One in every two Australians want to switch to solar hot water in the next two years, according to a survey by Newspoll commissioned by solar hot water supplier Solarhart. Newspoll surveyed  1062 home owners aged 18 to 64 to find that 55 per cent ...Read More > >

BRIEF - 16 October 2009 - Energy and water rating tool, NABERS, is on a growth path. Not only is it hunting for two new senior project officers ahead of the mandatory disclosure requirements coming next year but it is also expanding its suite of tools to shopping centres and ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto If you put your prize building up for regular public monitoring, you have to be prepared for results to sometimes let you down. At first glance that seems to be the case, according to Peter Szental, owner and developer of one of Australia’s most closely monitored buildings, the Szencorp ...Read More > >

By Lester R Brown From Earth Policy Institute - 10 October 2009 - For years now, many members of Congress have insisted that cutting carbon emissions was difficult, if not impossible. It is not. During the two years since 2007, carbon emissions have dropped 9 percent. While part of this drop ...Read More > >

BRIEF - 16 October 2009 - The Economist’s latest edition makes a clear case for not relying completely on the market to solve our energy and emissions problem. On 12  October the UK’s Committee on Climate Change, chaired by Lord Turner (who is also a financial regulator), published its first report ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto FAVOURITES - 14 October 2009 - A company that has pioneered low cost solar desalination systems for industry and the home is about to start production of the units by November and already has around 5000 units on order. Peter Johnstone, the inventor of the Carosell desalination system and ...Read More > >

by Tina Perinotto UPDATED 19 October 2009 - Green group GetUp has raised $162,000 since last Monday (12 October 2009) to fund a television advertisement to counter the huge public relations campaign by the coal industry in federal marginal electorates. The GetUp ad, featured here, will be used to parody claims by ...Read More > >

FAVOURITES- From The Atlantic magazine, some excerpts from the article, The Elusive Green Economy, by Joshua Green: “The best way to get an idea of what a green future might look like is to visit Silicon Valley. It’s impossible to convey how otherworldly the place felt this spring. While the rest ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell While politicians continue to huff and puff about whether or not we need a carbon emissions trading scheme businesses are not waiting around to see what happens. Many are busily taking steps to more effectively manage both their energy use and their carbon footprint in anticipation of new ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell FAVOURITES - 2 October 2010 - The federal government this week announced the next step in its plan to overhaul Australia’s energy grid, which it says will reduce home energy bills, reduce carbon pollution and help tackle climate change. But, while green groups have welcomed the government's national ...Read More > >