Home Posts tagged "Sustainability" (Page 18)

Tag Archives: Sustainability

Are sustainable houses worth more?

AFR, 11 September 2015. Jeremy Spencer built a house for his family and parents to move into last year. The three-bedroom, two-storey house in Seaholme, in Melbourne’s west, meets several needs – it’s accessible in its design, with wide passageways, ramps and counter-hung benches that permit his wheelchair-bound father to fully participate in the family life. It’s also sustainable. The house is built with materials such as a recycled concrete-and-glass slab and recycled bricks on the inside to create a thermal mass that absorbs northern sun in winter and diffuses it at night. It also has a solar panel system on the roof. “Our …

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Save $10,000 by downloading a sustainable home plan

Domain, 11 September 2015. Sustainable home designs are now available for free online as the government encourages prospective home builders to go green. The initiative, Design for Place, offers three individual floor plans for a single-storey home, which vary according to the site size and target a seven-star energy rating. Parliamentary secretary for industry and science Karen Andrews said the material was a great resource for anyone planning a new home. Architect-designed home plans are available to the public at no cost. “The plans use sustainable design principles that will help people save energy and money, no matter where they live in Australia,” she said. A Department of Industry and …

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2015 Sustainable House Day opens homes to the public this weekend

The Advertiser, 11 September 2015. For people with sustainability on their minds who are looking to build a home, put 2015 Sustainable House Day this weekend on your to-do list. Sustainable House Day on Sunday will see homeowners around Australia swing open their doors and welcome the public into their sustainability-focused properties. Sustainable House Day provides a unique opportunity to look around these houses, meet and talk to the owners and designers and get some insight into the principles of sustainable design and solar architecture. Each of the houses was designed around sustainable design principles using passive solar design, solar …

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Naomi Klein says building new nuclear power plants ‘doesn’t make sense’

News.com.au, 1 September 2015. BUILDING new nuclear power plants to create a carbon-free world “doesn’t make sense” and just serves as a distraction from the risks, Canadian author Naomi Klein says. The activist and author of This Changes Everything, was asked what she thought about the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in South Australia, which a Royal Commission in the state is currently considering. Backers of nuclear power often spruik it as an alternative to renewables because it does not produce greenhouse gases, unlike coal-fired power stations. But Klein said building new nuclear plants did not make any …

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The ‘green-tech’ future is a flawed vision of sustainability

Original article by The Conversation August 28, 2015. What does your vision of a sustainable future look like? Some people imagine a scenario whereby technology solves the world’s most pressing environmental problems. In this world we all drive electric cars and have solar panels on our roofs that power our air conditioners and flat-screen televisions. We purchase “eco” products that provide all the convenience and comfort but without degrading the planet. We continue consuming and growing our economies, yet Mother Nature wins too. But I and my colleague Josh (who co-wrote this article) would argue that this vision of sustainability …

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Australian Regional Development Conference

The Australian Regional Development Conference will be held in Albury NSW on the 15 – 16 October 2014. There is also the addition of 6 optional workshops being held on Friday 17th October 2014. – See more at: http://regionaldevelopment.org.au/#sthash.qEZuQYbd.dpuf Over 60 speakers will discuss the broad issues of economic, planning, environment and community development in regional Australia. The aim of the conference is to advance economic and social outcomes for regional Australia. The conference provides the opportunity to discuss the challenges, opportunities and future of regional Australia. The Australian Regional Development Conference will be held in Albury NSW on the …

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GBCA calls on WA to strengthen sustainability commitment

20 February 2013 — In the face of Western Australia’s 9 March state election, the Green Building Council of Australia has outlined a three-point green plan for the state’s buildings and communities to create “a clear long-term pathway to resilience and sustainability”. The Council has called on the political leaders of Western Australia to strengthen their commitment to more efficient, productive, resource-friendly and sustainable buildings and communities. Executive director Robin Mellon said “despite a slow start” the number of Green Star rated buildings in WA continued to grow, government and industry were working collaboratively, the GBCA’s state industry group was …

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The Sustainability Conference – join us in Melbourne in 2013

The national Sustainability Conference “Sustainable Transformation 2 ” will be held in conjunction with the 6th Making Cities Liveable Conference, in a new era of collaboration, information sharing and professional networking. The conference is being held from the 17th – 19th June 2013 at Novotel Melbourne St Kilda. The joint meeting brings together National, State and Regional delegates to exchange ideas, discuss Business, Government  and Community initiatives and examine opportunities in the sector, we hope you will join us. Delegates will have access to an extensive range of topics with over 90 presentations across three days including Keynotes, Concurrent Sessions, Case …

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Integrated reporting “the next step”

FSinsight editor Jeroen Derwall, Assistant Professor at the Tilburg Center for Sustainability and at Maastricht University, talks about the upward trend that more companies are reporting on their sustainability practices. However, the quality of the reporting differs. He calls integrated reporting “the next step.”

GlobalData Forecasts Increasingly Volatile Carbon Market

The price of carbon credits traded in regional and national emissions markets worldwide will become increasingly volatile and difficult to accurately forecast through 2015, according to a report by GlobalData. GlobalData said the prolonged European sovereign debt crisis, a glut of carbon credits and uncertainties under the Kyoto Protocol are expected to keep prices low through 2012. The recession in the European Union, which operates the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, will cause emissions to grow less than expected through this year. Economic conditions in the eurozone and outcomes of the Kyoto Protocol will determine the global carbon prices between 2013 …

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