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News From The Front

26 May 2011 – Households nation-wide will save on energy costs if the recommendations in a new national policy statement are adopted. The statement from the Australian Council of Social Services, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Clean Energy Council,... 
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By Tina Perinotto 26 May 2011 – GE one of the world’s largest multinational technology and finance companies has thrown its weight behind the call for a carbon price with a report launched on Thursday that says other countries have proved it is... 
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By Imogen Schoots 27 May 2011 –“Recharged” was how one attendee described the Australian Building Sustainability Association conference held on 18 and 19 May at Melbourne’s six star Green Star Convention and Exhibition Centre.  “Exceeded... 
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24 May 2011 –Sea level rises in Adelaide could be as high as one metre according to  coastal maps highlighting the potential impact of sea level rises on the Adelaide region from climate change released by the federal government last week. Read... 
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8 April 2011 – [Updated 25 May 2011] The Total Environment Centre  film Waste Not is to be screened at the Cannes and several other film festivals after an enthusiastic reception at its launch in April at the NSW Parliament House. The 25 minute film,... 
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21 June 2011 – Melbourne City councillor Peter Clarke has been appointed chair of the newly created Urban Renewal Authority board, which will replace VicUrban. Mr Clarke, a former executive director of the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian... 
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In search of the jumping joyous urban jumble 20 May 2011 –[Updated 21 May 2011] When Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese launched the official national urban policy – which was rather hard to separate from the “other”... 
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20 May 2011 – The federal government this week released three major urban policies and reports on planning. They are: The Productivity Commission’s Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Planning, Zoning and Development Assessments ... 
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By Lynne Blundell 19 May 2011 – Green leases, which include clauses and agreements designed to ensure energy efficiency and sustainable operation of buildings, were not so long ago hailed as progressive. These days it is an outdated concept, according... 
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19 May 2011 – Students can win a cash prize by suggesting the most creative solutions to water resource issues in a global competition run by professional technical services consultancy AECOM. The Urban SOS: Water competition seeks creative design,... 
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By Tina Perinotto 19 May 2011 – Former Opposition Leader John Hewson delivered a stinging rebuke to his former colleagues and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for stalling on climate change and blocking a carbon tax. He also called for steep emissions... 
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18 May 2011 – [Updated 19 May 2011] The UK yesterday announced that it would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2025 based on 1990 levels, with the news seized upon by Australian Climate Change Minister Greg Combet as evidence that the world... 
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By Tina Perinotto 16 May 2011 – Grocon and the GPT Group today  unveiled plans for the refurbished officer tower in heritage listed Legion House  in Sydney’s CBD to be powered by off-grid bio mass gas, with enough energy to supply the... 
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17 May 2011  – Creative maintenance of a 33 metre high green wall adorning a Sydney apartment building has won Phillip Johnson Landscapes the highest award for commercial landscaping. The Victorian based company collaborated with French botanist... 
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By Caroline Noller Caroline Noller has delved into the secrets of six of our world’s most important materials – those that contribute most of our carbon emissions. Here is part two of her investigations: See Part I here Aluminium 25 March... 
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By Lyn Drummond 17 May 2011 – Investa’s ARK development in North Sydney and GPT’s 530 Collins Street in Melbourne have won two new sustainability awards included in the Property Council of Australia’s annual Property Council of... 
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Could online shoppers pave the way for a greener world? And let’s open the drawbridge for developers to come back in 13 May 2011 – When one of the industry’s greener types wanted to buy a new set of tyres for his bicycle he did some research... 
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By Kirsty Máté, 11 May – In the US Walmart, not just the biggest retailer in the world but the biggest company, is going green. Or at least greener. In Canada a small van sells food with no prices attached. Customers pay using the honour system. And... 
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By Elena Bondareva 13 May 2011 – In the spirit of keeping a healthy debate alive, two KNOWCHANGE* events were run (Melbourne, 10 March and Sydney, 16 March) to facilitate reflection on what GreenCities 2011 tells us about the state of the property industry. Even... 
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12 May 2011 – Green office buildings with high NABERS energy ratings are starting to hit their straps in the tenancy stakes, with lower vacancies and higher average rental income than their non-rated peers, the IPD Green Property Index shows. The results,... 
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13 May 2011 – The NSW Government has canned the Solar Bonus Scheme and closed it to new applicants. NSW minister for resources and energy Chris Hartcher said the Government was closing the scheme to new applicants “effective midnight 28 April... 
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By Leon Gettler 12 May 2011 – Queensland, the state of floods and cyclones that devastated property, has become Australia’s laboratory for sustainable building, for creating resilient homes, offices and structures in the face of climatic volatility. In... 
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11 May 2011 – Executive director of CB Richard Ellis Pty Ltd, Kevin Stanley believes more could have been done in the budget to impact the property industry but in a cautious fiscal environment, laying the foundations of the future through infrastructure... 
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11 May 2011 –A world wide call has gone out for skilled tradespeople to help with rebuilding earthquake and tornedo hit New Zealand. The earthquake which devastated Christchurch in February and a tornado with swept through areas of Auckland on 4 May,... 
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12 May 2011 – From Climate Progress: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has dug itself into quite a  deep hole.  Costs remain very, very high (see Harvard study: “Realistic” first-generation CCS costs a whopping $150 per ton of CO2 — 20 cents... 
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By Tina Perinotto 11 May 2011 – Budget 2011, Comment and responses: Yes there were modest amounts allocated to urban and regional development, education and hospitals and even some money to map sustainability goals, but hidden within those measures... 
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11 May 2011 – As the federal government slashes solar schemes and renewable energy programs and NSW prepares to do the same, the Queensland government has found a more measured way to rein in costs stemming from the runaway popularity of its solar schemes. The... 
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6 May 2011 – Matthew Clark former manager of the NABERS building performance rating program for the NSW government is on the lookout for a new manager to replace him after his move to a more senior position. But be warned: the job will be demanding.... 
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11 May 2011 – Robert Gottliebsen, writing in Business Spectator, has warned Australia’s one million contractors their businesses are in severe jeopardy. He says the Federal Budget’s measures are only the first step in the government’s campaign... 
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By Lyn Drummond 11 May –The land sector can play a full part in the low carbon economy of the 21st century, if the right framework is created to encourage innovation and investment, the parliamentary secretary for climate change and energy efficiency,... 
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