What’s the British music scene got to do with selecting the right environmental software?

I’ve just finished watching another brilliant episode of the series “Legendary Music Cities of the World” – this time spotlighting the extraordinary music successes of London. Beatles, Stones, The Who, the rock of Led Zeppelin evolving into the Punk phenomenon, Glamrock of Bowie & Queen, the Brit Pop gems of Blue, Happy Mondays and Oasis sandwiched between the Hit Factories of Stock, Aitken & Waterman and the Spice Girls, which in turn inspired the blossoming of modern feminine songstresses of Adele, Lily Allen and Florence & the Machine. The truly exceptional artists were able to evolve their music as the …

Read the full article

Spreadsheets don’t cut it for tracking and reporting environmental data

What is it telling us when Microsoft, creator of the Excel spreadsheet, invests in a software solution to manage its environmental reporting requirements? According to Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Strategist, the solution “will enable us to efficiently collect, analyse and share environmental data, delivering new levels of understanding about the resources we use”. This is not a vote of no-confidence in the spreadsheet, but rather a good business decision to invest in fit for purpose solutions. Environmental management has, for most businesses, been a sideline issue that has attracted only passing interest from management. As a consequence, investment in tools to …

Read the full article

$11.5 million boost for Victoria’s recycling and resource recovery infrastructure

The Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith is continuing to drive improvement in Victoria’s recycling efforts announcing an $11.5 million funding package to improve recycling infrastructure across the state. It follows $13.8 million of infrastructure funding already announced this year as part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s Conserve Invest and Save strategy. This latest funding package includes: • $5 million for Round 2 of the Driving Investment in New Recycling (DINR) fund through grants and; • $6.5 million for Resource Recovery Infrastructure (RRI) at landfills, which will target large scale projects. “We are continuing our reinvestment of the …

Read the full article

Australian Road Authority Tenders: constructing sustainability comparison tools

By Prof Russell Kenley, Professor of Mangement, Swinburne University of Technology, Dr Toby Harfield, Research Fellow – Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Dr Palaneeswaran Ekambaram, Senior Lecturer – Faculty of Engineering & Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology Australian state road authorities plan, manage and oversee the delivery of safe, efficient and integrated transport systems for sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes in Australia. However, each state has unique administrative structures, guidelines and requirements for implementing the principles of environmental and ecological sustainability. This diversity means that standard methodologies to enable comparison of construction tenders in relation to …

Read the full article

Sustainability that Pays

The social and environmental benefits of sustainable procurement are clear, but it should not be assumed this always comes at a higher price – indeed the opposite can be true, finds Adam Leach When Prince Charles launched his Accounting For Sustainability project, he highlighted the need for “better accounting” in the pursuit of increasing sustainability in the business world. The International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC), which is part of HRH’s project, last month called for sustainability and financial reporting from companies to be more closely linked. It argued “globalisation and resulting interdependencies in economies and supply chains” has left reporting …

Read the full article

Turning waste into a resource :: SustainabilityMatters

With landfill sites under strain, can Australia’s capital cities benefit from waste to energy processing? Pablo Perez-Reigosa* from Coffey Environments explains how the technology works and its successful implementation in Europe… Turning waste into a resource :: SustainabilityMatters.

Expansion of re-use water at WWTP :: SustainabilityMatters

Victor Harbor is a popular and rapidly expanding coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula, some ninety kilometres south of Adelaide. The Victor Harbor Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Project (VHWTRP) was first commissioned in December 2005. Now with a greater demand for sustainable re-use water in the region, SA Water engaged United Utilities to upgrade the plant and network… more Expansion of re-use water at WWTP :: SustainabilityMatters.

The Benefits of Green Credentials.

As sustainability and environmental policy continue to evolve, forming the biggest business opportunity of the 21st century, it is now a business imperative for companies to have credible green credentials. The GreenBizCheck presentation aims to educate attendees on the importance for all companies, from micro businesses through to large multinationals, of achieving certifiable green credentials. The GreenBizCheck workshop will examine, how government, corporate and consumer pressure are influencing the criteria for procurement decisions, what credible green certification options are available and the differences between them, how to protect your rating and engage staff, how to communicate your green credentials with …

Read the full article

Corporate understanding of ecosystem services

The reliance organizations have on ecosystem services such as clean water, air, climate, timber, fibres, food and genetic resources is fundamentally an element of corporate risk and strategy that is often overlooked. Where traditional environmental management examines the impact the organization has on the environment, the idea of ecosystem services is novel in the sense that it is also concerned with the impact the environment has on the organization. We surveyed corporate managers in the Australian resources and infrastructure sectors and found that most are ill-equipped to address ecosystem services as a strategic aspect of long-term organizational sustainability. A high …

Read the full article