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News From The Front

By Tina Perinotto 14 September 2011 ­– If there were any green building deniers still out there in property world, Monday’s release of the latest research by the Australian Property Institute and the Property Funds Association of Australia... 
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13 September 2011 – Coles, McDonald’s, Stockland and Rock Development Group have collaborated with the Green Building Council of Australia to develop custom-built Green Star rating tools outside the scope of the current Green Star system. GBCA’s... 
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13 September 2011 – On the day the carbon tax bill came before Parliament the federal government launched an attack on a 34 page “cheat sheet” on the proposal released by the Coalition, claiming it contains “misleading information.” Federal... 
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By Tina Perinotto 23 August 2011 – There are plenty of people keen for the environmental upgrade agreement models to be finalised, but perhaps none more so than property and development consultants, Napier & Blakeley. The company recently launched... 
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By Lyn Drummond 14 September 2011 – Australian banks have rated highly in the latest Carbon Disclosure Global 500 Report with Westpac Banking Corporation ranked one of the top 10 companies in both the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index and the Carbon... 
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12 September 2011 – Stockland has been named the world’s most sustainable property company in the highly regarded Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2011-2012. The index evaluates the corporate governance, risk management, climate change mitigation... 
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9 September 2011 – MIT researchers have used social networking data to create a new spatial mapping toolbox for cities available free to urban designers and planners. “Network centrality measures are useful predictors for a number of interesting... 
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India, the Turnbulls, jobs and economy, mandatory lighting assessment and something on the carbon price 8 September 2011 – There are two fantastic stories on India in this issue  from Amanda McCluskey and David Gait of Colonial First State. They show... 
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By Tina Perinotto 8 September 2011 – In the “power couple” session with Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull at the Property Council lunch last Friday (2 September) it was Lucy Turnbull who outshone her husband on serious policy issues, delivering... 
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7 September 2011 – Cate Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton were the star attractions on Friday last week when arts groups resident at Sydney’s The Wharf launched a new rainwater harvesting and reticulation system that will provide 100 per cent... 
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By James E. Hansen 7 September 2011 – From Cimate Story Tellers: Tar Sands Action organised a civil disobedience sit-in at The White House to oppose construction of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline that began on August 20, culminating in a big... 
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6 September 2011 – Five temporary installations that transform under – used public spaces into vibrant places will be showcased in Sydney in late October during the Sydney Architecture Festival. The five have been chosen in a competition by STREET... 
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6 September 2011 – The national energy saving program CitySwitch which helps local businesses cut their energy bills has another NSW member, the City of Ryde. CitySwitch, run by the City of Sydney, now covers 322 tenancies around the country, and more... 
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6 September 2011 – The 10 American cities in the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group – the C40 –  have switched to hybrid or electric taxis and buses, are encouraging cycling and retrofitting home and offices, according to The Economist.... 
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6 September 2011 – The Sydney Morning Herald recently published a story on energy-hungry, high-rise apartments and the challenges they face. (It just happens to mention The Fifth Estate) High-rise apartments typically use more energy than a detached... 
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6 September 2011 – From Treehugger : Two weeks of sustained protest concluded outside the White House yesterday. Over that time, over 1,250 people were arrested in order to send a single, simple message to the Obama administration Read More > >  
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5 September 2011 – The Green Building Council of Australia and the Australian Institute of Architects have agreed to cross-accredit courses in the sustainability field. The organisations today announced they had signed a memorandum of understanding... 
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1 September 2011 – The final round of Green Building Fund grants, Round 7, was announced today (Wednesday) and all the big property names were there. They included ISPT, DEXUS, GE Real Estate Investments, Westfield, Abacus Funds Management, Stockland,... 
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Truth, lies and power struggles 2  September 2011 – We had an interesting conversation with engineering consultant Steve Hennessy this week about his role as facilitator of a recent Property Council of Australia forum in Sydney on the tricks and traps... 
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By Leon Gettler 1 September 2011 – When it comes to creating a sustainable building or refurbishing an old one so that it picks up NABERS stars, there is no one size fits all solution. Read More > >  
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By Tina Perinotto 1 September 2011 – It has taken 12 years from go to whoa, 3000 workers at various stages of construction, a meshing of ambitious design and new technology, a potentially lethal confrontation with an advancing global financial crisis,... 
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31 August 2011 – Lord Mayor Clover Moore on Wednesday delivered a progress report on Sustainable Sydney 2030 at the Sydney Town Hall. Following is the text of that speech. Today, I want to tell you about our progress implementing Sustainable Sydney... 
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31 August 2011 – Residential communities developer Stockland  is designing an index which will measure the  “liveability” of the places it creates. This index will revolve around six key themes, Stockland Managing Director Matthew Quinn told... 
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31 August 2011 –  From ABC online: People have two sets of needs – sociability and sustenance, says Carolyn Steel, author of Hungry City and lecturer at Cambridge University. “They are in conflict, because the more we cluster together in villages,... 
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31 August 2011 – One of the world’s most prominent climate scientists, NASA’s James Hansen was arrested yesterday outside the White House in the US, along with 140 other protesters against the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline... 
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30 August 2011 – Successful women in construction and property have been rewarded for their achievements at the National Association of Women in Construction (NSW) awards. Managing director of CB Richard Ellis Projects, Jo-Anne Harrison Read More... 
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30 August 2011 – The Victorian Coalition Government has bowed to pressure groups and announced it would scale back wind farms in a move that the clean energy industry said could cost the state $3 billion in lost investment. Planning minister Matthew... 
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30 August 2011 – Dexus chief executive officer Victor Hoog Antink donned harness and a liberal dose of courage to abseil down the 28 floor atrium of 1 Bligh Street in Sydney on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s official opening... 
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By Tina Perinotto 29 August 2011 – Severe weather events as a result of climate change are already taking a huge toll on communities, including extreme stress, emotional injury and despair, leading to self harm and suicide at rates higher... 
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27 August 2011 – A new green rebuild assessment tool for Christchurch is being developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council and industry specialists as part of the rebuilding program after the massive earthquake February. The tool is being... 
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