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Expo focuses on sustainability ‘think local buy local’ movement

Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than nationally-owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms – continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community. Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centres as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution. The Wisconsin Center was a hub of activity Monday as thousands of foodservice professionals …

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Carbon neutral bricks shaping a sustainable future for Australia’s building industry

Climate change is threatening our world, and our way of life. The building industry is one of the biggest offenders in Australia, accounting for 23 per cent of all carbon emissions in the country. Though sustainable building practices and green building products are finding increasing acceptance, a lot more remains to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming on the environment. Architects, building designers and specifiers have an important role to play in addressing these issues through sustainable solutions. Reducing carbon emissions is a convincing first step in the journey to long-term sustainability. For the …

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CWP Renewables the latest winner of the ACT government’s wind energy auction

The Australian company CWP Renewables has become the latest winner of the ACT government’s wind energy auction, securing a 20 year contract for 100MW of capacity that will allow it to go ahead and build the biggest wind farm in NSW. CWP Renewables hopes to complete the 260MW Sapphire wind project near Glen Innes in northern NSW in 2018, and it is also looking to add a solar farm to the facility, starting with an initial 20MW. It bid a price of $89.10 per MWh for the output of its proposed wind farm. Unlike most power purchase agreements, this price …

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A cleaner era in energy appears to be digging in

Environmental impacts are business as usual in mining and other extractives. Yet amid an uptick in the demand for metals, minerals, fuels and rare earths that feed everything from cars to construction to clean energy technologies, the mining industry — squeezed by ever greater forces — is slowly shifting, and even cleaning up its act. There’s no question that the mining industry finds itself in a hole, reputationally speaking. Activists long have targeted mining titans over working conditions, most recently in electronics and jewelry supply chains. Then there’s outrage over ecological degradation. Yet more potent than lawsuits or sanctions is …

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10 leading sustainability innovations

A study released profiles 100 leading sustainability innovations. We showcase the top 10, featuring carbon-neutral plastic, e-waste recycling kiosks and an ethical smartphone. Innovations from Newlight Technologies, PowWow Energy, Retroficiency, BioTrans and Fairphone all make the top 10 list of sustainability innovations. AirCarbon by American company Newlight is a carbon-neutral plastic material made from methane and other greenhouse gases captured from the air. Used in the furniture and packaging industry, AirCarbon plastic matches oil-based plastic in price and performance. Also on the top 10 list are intelligent window glass by View which automatically regulates the temperature and light in the …

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The WTO ruling against India’s booming solar program

On the heels of the recent global summit in Paris to tackle climate disruption, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled against an important piece of the climate solution puzzle: India’s ambitious program to create homegrown solar energy. The ruling shows that decades-old, over-reaching trade rules are out of sync with the global challenge to transition to 100 percent clean energy as extracted by a Huffington Post news report. In just five years, thanks to India’s National Solar Mission, India has gone from having virtually no solar capacity to boasting one of the world’s fastest-growing solar industries. In just the …

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Energy markets: the planet’s unlikely new ally in the emissions effort

In the aftermath of Paris climate talks, analysts lined up to point out why the celebrated agreement was simply not good enough as outlined by the Conversation. Certainly, the scale of the climate crisis requires urgent emissions reductions, which Paris did not secure at anything like the necessary scale. Questions also remain over the agreement’s legal status, how future commitments will be made, and what enforcement mechanisms (if any) will be in place. In Australia, fears that the post-Paris situation would simply return to business as usual seemed borne out by a RepuTex analysis that predicted Australia’s emissions would rise …

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Australian foresters look to future demand for biomass renewable energy

The Australian forestry industry will promote the use of biomass for energy production, with the aim to diversify the sector to increase profitability. Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Anne Ruston chaired the sixth annual Forest Industry Advisory Council meeting last week. She said the industry recognised a need to take a “less traditional approach” to forestry into the future. Ms Ruston said foresters would seek to develop markets for timber and biomass products to be used as renewable energy resources. “The industry is very keen to pursue a bio-based economy for forestry to make sure that we are …

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Carbon trading: the opportunities and pitfalls in Australia

It might be early days for carbon trading in Australia but many farmers and graziers are already trading or exploring how they can trade carbon. In April 2015, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) conducted the first “reverse” auction to buy carbon credits with the second auction being conducted in November 2015. In a recent article by Thynne & Macartney it states while there are benefits, participating in the ERF and entering into a contract with the CER are not without risk. There are a number of methods landholders and producers can implement to earn tradeable Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) …

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National Sustainability in Business Conference 2016

Renewables – Markets – Innovation – Opportunities – Capital Following feedback from Association members and partners the “National Sustainability in Business Conference” will be re-convened on the Gold Coast in October 2016. The Conference will have the following focus; Renewable Energy Systems and Sources such as Biofuel, Biomass, Hydrogen & Fuel Cells, Hydropower, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Wave Energy, Tidal energy,  Energy Storage and Wind Power. Think Local Firstl – development of the local economy and community, urban agriculture, Buy Local. Innovative business opportunities, Incubators, Start Ups, Venture Capital / Entrepreneurs. The Energy Markets – Regulators, Wholesale and Supply Chain, …

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