Marine heatwaves are getting hotter, lasting longer and doing more damage.

On land, heatwaves can be deadly for humans and wildlife and can devastate crops and forests. Unusually warm periods can also occur in the ocean. These can last for weeks or months, killing off kelp forests and corals, and producing other significant impacts on marine ecosystems, fishing and aquaculture industries. Yet until recently, the formation, distribution and frequency of marine heatwaves had received little research attention. Long-term change Climate change is warming ocean waters and causing shifts in the distribution and abundance of seaweeds, corals, fish and other marine species. For example, tropical fish species are now commonly found in Sydney Harbour. But these changes in ocean …

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Q&A With LUSH Cosmetics Australia and New Zealand

At the Association for Sustainability in Business, it’s our mission to connect and collaborate with businesses and individuals passionate about sustainable business practices. LUSH Cosmetics is one of the leaders in the health and beauty industry dedicated to minimising waste and focusing on the power of local buying. We spoke with Elisia Gray, Buyer at LUSH Cosmetics Australia and New Zealand about LUSH’s sustainable business practices, the sLush fund and what makes LUSH a little different. Q. What are some of LUSH’s green initiatives? A. Sustainability is at the core of what we do at LUSH. In 2007 we created Charity Pot Hand …

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How Do Food Scraps Turn Into Renewable Energy?

During a trip in India, Yair Teller, then a curious student and today the co-founder and CSO of Homebiogas, saw a family cooking on gas in a village of people who predominantly cooked over firewood. This was quite shocking. The family used the biogas their biodigester produced from food waste to cook their food, and the fertilizer it produced to nourish flowers, which they then sold  in the market to create extra source of revenue. They got all of those benefits simply from recycling their cow’s manure in a biodigester. Fast forward a few years and Yair was joined by …

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If We Can’t Recycle It, Why Not Turn Our Waste Plastic Into Fuel?

Australia’s recycling crisis needs us to look into waste management options beyond just recycling and landfilling. Some of our waste, like paper or organic matter, can be composted. Some, like glass, metal and rigid plastics, can be recycled. But we have no immediate solution for non-recyclable plastic waste except landfill. At a meeting last month, federal and state environment ministers endorsed an ambitious target to make all Australian packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. But the ministers also showed support for processes to turn our waste into energy, although they did not specifically discuss plastic waste as an energy source. The 100% goal …

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From drone swarms to tree batteries, new tech is revolutionising ecology and conservation.

Understanding Earth’s species and ecosystems is a monumentally challenging scientific pursuit. But with the planet in the grip of its sixth mass extinction event, it has never been a more pressing priority. To unlock nature’s secrets, ecologists turn to a variety of scientific instruments and tools. Sometimes we even repurpose household items, with eyebrow-raising results – whether it’s using a tea strainer to house ants, or tackling botfly larvae with a well-aimed dab of nail polish. But there are many more high-tech options becoming available for studying the natural world. In fact, ecology is on the cusp of a revolution, with new and emerging …

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The power of partnerships and wind

Major global events have increased the profile of environmental issues in business. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have been launched; boards are acknowledging their fiduciary duties to disclose climate-related risk; and the Paris Agreement has been ratified, to cite just three. The Paris Agreement has generated a ripple effect and now individual countries, sectors and organisations have announced their own aspirations to contribute to the global 2°C goal.    “The project will provide significant environmental benefits and substantial support to the local community and regional economy.” – Rebbeck Environmental markets are also impacting companies’ bottom line while barely a day goes by without Australian mainstream media …

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Organic agriculture is going mainstream, but not the way you think it is.

One of the biggest knocks against the organics movement is that it has begun to ape conventional agriculture, adopting the latter’s monocultures, reliance on purchased inputs and industrial processes. “Big Organics” is often derided by advocates of sustainable agriculture. The American food authors Michael Pollan and Julie Guthman, for example, argue that as organic agriculture has scaled up and gone mainstream it has lost its commitment to building an alternative system for providing food, instead “replicating what it set out to oppose.” New research, however, suggests that the relationship between organic and conventional farming is more complex. The flow of influence …

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Locals call for a ‘High Line’ on Sydney’s north shore

Residents of the Sydney suburb of Lavender Bay are pushing for a linear park to be developed along side a historic rail line that would provide a pedestrian link between Lavender Bay and Waverton Station. Established in 2016, the Sydney Harbour High Line Association describes itself as “a group of like-minded people that sees the importance of building on the amenities to support the huge growth in the number of people living in Sydney in general and the lower north shore in particular.” According to the Mosman Daily, earlier in April the association met with a State Government committee, where it presented its detailed plans …

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Q&A With Project Seabin Co-Founder Pete Ceglinski

After seeing one too many pieces of plastic in the ocean, two avid surfers decided to do something about it, creating a “Seabin” that would collect trash, oil, fuel and detergents from the water. We had the opportunity to chat with co founder and CEO Pete Ceglinski about the Seabin Project and the ultimate goal of pollution free oceans for future generations. Q: How did the idea for Seabin Project come about? A: It came about from being sick of seeing floating debris in the water of marinas around the world. We needed a practical solution that was based upstream so we could catch …

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How Sustainable Is IKEA, Really?

IKEA is a Swedish-founded, Dutch-based global retail behemoth. Offering low-cost, visually appealing furniture in well-designed highly-coordinated warehouse spaces, it’s little wonder IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer and has been for the last decade. In recent years, the company has put sustainability front and centre, releasing its ‘People & Planet Positive‘ roadmap, a document outlining its 2020 sustainability strategy. Some of the objectives outlined in the report include: sourcing 100% of its wood, paper and cardboard from more sustainable sources, defined as recycled or FSC® certified wood using cotton sourced from “more sustainable” sources, such as “Better Cotton“ that 90% of products …

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