November 30, 2020
Magnesium hydroxide is much better than caustic soda or lime for treating wastewater. Why aren’t its advantages better known? Treating wastewater from food manufacturing and processing industries is about to be turned on its head thanks to a benign but extremely effective ingredient. One of the primary reasons to treat wastewater is to reduce acidity and raise the pH level. Balancing the pH is
...November 29, 2020
This year’s Society for Plastic Engineers‘ Plastics and the Circular Economy virtual conference saw Cleanaway CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal outline his plan for creating the right environment to drive closed-loop plastic recycling in Australia. “Set against the backdrop of the recent National Waste Policy Action Plan, defined timings for the Waste Export Ban and Container
...November 25, 2020
This Thanksgiving, here's a recipe for change.
November 25, 2020
This year’s Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) Annual Awards celebrated sustainable packaging innovation, commitment and ingenuity in the packaging industry. More than 20 accolades were awarded during the virtual event, to organisations and individuals representing a broad range of industry sectors including retail, electronics, manufacturing, health care, logistics, and
...November 25, 2020
Upstart Hazel finds cachet for innovative sachets that extend produce shelf life Jesse Klein Wed, 11/25/2020 - 01:30 In 2017, Hazel Technologies was a plucky young startup with enough scientific success to raise $800,000 in seed funding and score a $600,000 development grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In late 2020, the company is finding early commercial success in its mission to
...November 24, 2020
A novel and efficient way to recycle lithium from rechargeable batteries has been developed and patented by Finnish energy company Fortum. Lithium is one of the most valuable components in lithium-ion batteries, but difficulties in the recovery and availability of the element have left an imbalance between supply and demand as the globe drives ahead with vehicle electrification. Fortum’s
...November 24, 2020
The Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI) — comprising 80 organisations across major banks, insurers, super funds, civil society and stakeholders — has released a roadmap that sets out a bold plan to align Australia’s financial system to support a thriving Australian society, a healthy environment, and a strong and prosperous economy. The roadmap calls for financial
...November 23, 2020
A biomethane-to-gas project will see thousands of Sydney homes and businesses using renewable green gas for cooking, heating and hot water. Commencement of the project follows an agreement between energy infrastructure company Jemena and Sydney Water that will generate biomethane at the Malabar Wastewater Treatment Plant in South Sydney. The zero carbon emission high-quality biomethane gas will be
...November 23, 2020
Unilever sets $1.2B sales target for meat and dairy alternatives Cecilia Keating Mon, 11/23/2020 - 00:30 Unilever has announced plans to dramatically increase sales of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives over the next seven years as part of a new sustainability program designed to shrink the environmental footprint of its food brands. The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant said last week that
...November 22, 2020
The $7 million Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC) has launched in Victoria to bring together businesses, industry groups, research institutions and not-for-profit organisations to create solutions to reduce waste, increase recycling and reuse, and generate new revenue for Victorian businesses. Launched by Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily
...November 22, 2020
Conflict forced scientists to abandon a gene bank, but not before duplicating their last remnants of essential crops in the Svalbard vault on a remote Arctic island.
November 20, 2020
Meena Sankaran, founder and CEO of California-based startup KETOS, dove into the competitive market of sensor tech to help solve the water crisis.
November 20, 2020
The chef who wants diners to fund regenerative ag Jim Giles Fri, 11/20/2020 - 01:30 "We have solutions that are bipartisan and cost the government $0." That was the opening line of a message I received from award-winning chef Anthony Myint, who replied to my request for elevator pitches for president-elect Joe Biden. Myint went on to describe a scalable mechanism for capturing large
...November 19, 2020
Could green hydrogen be key to a carbon-free economy? Jim Robbins Thu, 11/19/2020 - 01:30 This article originally was published on Yale Environment 360. Saudi Arabia is constructing a futuristic city in the desert on the Red Sea called Neom. The $500 billion city — complete with flying taxis and robotic domestic help — is being built from scratch and will be home to a million people. And
...November 19, 2020
There's not really a simple prescription to graze our way out of the climate crisis.
November 19, 2020
In her new book "Waste," Catherine Coleman Flowers reveals how class, racial, and geographic prejudices foster unhealthy, even deadly, conditions by denying the poor an affordable means of disposing of their sewage.
November 19, 2020
In her new book "Waste," Catherine Coleman Flowers reveals how class, racial, and geographic prejudices foster unhealthy, even deadly, conditions by denying the poor an affordable means of disposing of their sewage.
November 18, 2020
Old, unwanted and potentially unsafe child car safety seats will be given a new lease of life under a government-funded program that will recover and recycle the seats. Via the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF), and in accordance with the National Waste Policy Action Plan, SeatCare aims to help the public safely dispose of used child car safety seats for recycling. It is estimated that
...November 17, 2020
With Plant Your Change, planting a tree is as easy as swiping your card.
November 16, 2020
A Dutch sustainability innovation company has developed a waste-monitoring technology that will allow restaurants, caterers and other companies to drastically decrease food waste. Resulting from a collaboration between zero food waste company Orbisk and Studio Mango industrial design, the Automatic Waste Monitor aims to tackle the 1.3 billion tonnes of food that are wasted globally each year. The food
...November 16, 2020
How effective stakeholder engagement shaped Samsonite’s ESG strategy Christine Rile… Mon, 11/16/2020 - 01:00 In March, Samsonite announced "Our Responsible Journey," a new global sustainability strategy that outlines its commitments across four priority areas: Product Innovation; Carbon Action; Thriving Supply Chain; and Our People, including engagement,
...November 16, 2020
5 ways businesses can take action to reduce environmental racism Samantha Harris Mon, 11/16/2020 - 00:20 For decades, Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in the United States have sought environmental justice as a civil right, but now, the grave disparities in environmental harms are coming into national prominence. This year’s COVID-19 crisis and racial justice movement have
...November 15, 2020
Sydney Water is continually exploring and implementing innovative technologies to improve water services for its five million customers. In collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the water utility is improving strategies to reduce leaks and breaks across its network using acoustic sensors — selecting four leak-detections systems and deploying 229 acoustic sensors
...November 12, 2020
How the digital wave is contributing to the rise of sustainable fisheries Myisha Majumder Thu, 11/12/2020 - 02:03 World fish consumption has almost doubled between the 1960s and now, and some estimates suggest fish contributes to at least 50 percent of total animal protein intake in developing nations. Despite higher demand for seafood and fish, world reserves have not kept up, and aquaculture is
...November 12, 2020
Whether Luis Arce can succeed in developing Bolivia’s lithium riches — and do so in a way that benefits Bolivian workers and frontline communities — remains uncertain.
November 12, 2020
The 'order of planning' determines transit priorities. What if we inverted it to prioritize people? Alan Hoffman Thu, 11/12/2020 - 00:01 Are your transportation plans letting you down? Regions everywhere have adopted ambitious goals for their long-range plans, from climate change to land use to reductions in automotive dependency. Yet even with decades of spending on creating new transit
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November 11, 2020
With everything that our world is facing in 2020, the last thing on the minds of leadership is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). That is unless YOU are a leader that sees economic recovery as an opportunity to get lean and design efficiencies.
November 11, 2020
These two companies have big plans for hyper-local hydropower that would put renewable energy into the hands of communities — literally and figuratively.
November 11, 2020
A discovery by the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre could start a ‘green aluminium’ manufacturing revolution and bolster efforts to advance Australia’s manufacturing industry. Backed by industry partner Nespresso, researchers at the SMaRT Centre have found a way to recover aluminium from complex, multilayered packaging. The new technique is
...November 11, 2020
Leveraging the ocean's carbon removal potential Katie Lebling Wed, 11/11/2020 - 00:30 To meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius 2.7 degrees F), greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero by mid-century. Achieving this not only will require reducing existing emissions, but also removing carbon dioxide already in the air. How much carbon
...November 10, 2020
Oliver Zahn once pondered the nature of the cosmos. Now he’s using machine learning to build plant-based proteins that taste just like meat — and cheese.
November 9, 2020
How alt-protein companies Impossible Foods, Memphis Meats hope to reshape diets Holly Secon Mon, 11/09/2020 - 01:00 By 2050, nearly 10 billion people will be on the planet. That’s about 2 billion more hungry mouths to feed. Figuring out the best way to feed everyone so they receive enough nutritious food, while using the planet’s finite resources sustainably, is a growing challenge.
...November 8, 2020
“Water, water, everywhere nor any drop to drink,” vividly sums up the sorry situation of a ship’s crew becalmed near the Equator. That often-quoted line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem about an ancient mariner who disregards nature could well stand for our predicament today. Image: Channels: Natural CapitalTags: Actiam biodiversity
...November 8, 2020
Australian business Planet Protector Packaging has won the inaugural 2020 Ocean Impact Pitchfest for its sustainable thermal packaging solution that plans to eliminate polystyrene from supply chains. After being contracted to set up operations for an Australian meal-kit company, Joanne Howarth, the CEO and founder of Planet Protector Packaging, said she was horrified by the huge volume of wasteful,
...November 6, 2020
From design to recycling, opportunities abound to make solar more circular Myisha Majumder Fri, 11/06/2020 - 02:00 Solar has become a staple of the U.S. power generation mix in the last decade. Now that the industry is maturing, it’s time to have a tough conversation: The solar industry needs to improve its circular practices. Like any industry, the solar industry has unique
...November 6, 2020
4 ways businesses can connect with their communities to create a clean economy Marian Jones Fri, 11/06/2020 Companies often struggle with building community trust as they navigate between profit-making and authentically engaging on climate change and environmental justice matters. Last week at GreenBiz Group’s virtual conference and expo on stimulating the clean economy, VERGE
...November 6, 2020
A new study offers a diet for a cooler planet.
November 5, 2020
New for 2021, the ECO Community Impact Award was created to recognize positive contributions to the environment around the country. The award will recognize individuals or groups who have displayed a dedication to environmental advocacy, sustainable initiatives, and environmental skill and knowledge development.
...November 5, 2020
Whilst consumer goods companies have come under increasing pressure to address deforestation in their supply chains, the same cannot be said for commodity producers operating on the ground.Image: Channels: Natural CapitalTags: CDPforest risk commoditiesFRCFMCGsupply chainsPalm OiltimberSoycattleAmazonFSC
November 4, 2020
6 differences between forestry and soil carbon offsets Jesse Klein Wed, 11/04/2020 - 01:00 Carbon offsets are a big, confusing topic. Three breakout sessions at VERGE 20 covered this topic, with over 100 participants at each. Still, each one went over the allotted time with many questions left unanswered. While understanding the basics is important, many nuances and small details warrant their own
...November 3, 2020
How to value solar plus storage Adam Aston Tue, 11/03/2020 - 01:00 In the wake of California’s summer of wildfires, blackouts and planned outages, many consumers and businesses are clamoring for more resilient options. The crisis has turbocharged interest in systems that deliver power even when the grid is down. Solar plus storage is fast emerging as a top choice, both at scale on the grid and also
...November 3, 2020
Why IKEA is investing in sustainable mobility Holly Secon Tue, 11/03/2020 - 00:30 Swedish home furnishing company IKEA isn’t just focusing on what’s happening inside your home anymore. The company is also thinking about what's happening in the streets outside. That is, the company is pumping cash into a new sustainable mobility program. For the company known for its delicious
...November 2, 2020
America is hungrier than ever for sustainable food systems. Can we build them? Carol J. Clouse Mon, 11/02/2020 - 01:30 In the spring of 2020, many small farms across the U.S. found themselves in a bittersweet predicament. Restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus were forcing restaurants — major buyers for the local farms that serve urban areas — to shut down. The loss
...November 1, 2020
Researchers at the University of South Australia have found that water quality and deficit irrigation schemes each have significant effects on crop development, yield and water productivity — with recycled wastewater achieving the best overall results. Publishing their results in the journal Agriculture, the team tested different water sources on greenhouse-grown tomatoes, finding that
...November 1, 2020
ABB is a global leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering the environmental impact. Synchronous condensers from ABB ensure efficient and reliable operation of power grids through reactive power compensation and additional short circuit power capacity. Operating principles A synchronous condenser is a
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