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April 2013

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Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions declined

15 April 2013

The National Greenhouse Accounts show Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 declined slightly by 0.2% to 551.9 million tonnes compared to 553.2 million tonnes the previous year. This reduction in Australia’s carbon pollution is mainly due to lower greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity generation sector.

Additionally, the quarterly emissions outlook report by energy and carbon research firm RepuTex has found that Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation has fallen to a 10 year low, as coal-fired power dropped to its lowest percentage in the National Electricity Market (NEM) in a decade. Simultaneously renewable energy soared above 12% of the NEM.

Click HERE to view the National Greenhouse Accounts.

Click HERE for more information from RepuTex.

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World Green Building Trends – Business Benefits Driving New and Retrofit Market Opportunities

11 April 2013

A new report by Mcgraw-Hill Construction provides new strategic knowledge about various aspects of the green building market in over 60 countries.  This study helps identify where those opportunities are and how different players can capitalise on those opportunities.

For Australia, the report finds that commercial construction will be the leading sector for green activity in the next three years.

Click HERE to access the report entitled World Green Building Trends – Business Benefits Driving New and Retrofit Market Opportunities in over 60 Countries.

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The Climate Institute: Infrastructure Interdependencies and Business-Level Impacts Report

8 April 2013

The Climate Institute, in partnership with Manidis Roberts and KPMG, have released a report examining some of the physical impacts of climate change on the infrastructure sector and the resulting cascade of consequences for the broader economy.

The report finds that Australian businesses face multi-million dollar exposure to the costs of climate impacts on interdependent infrastructure.

Click HERE for more information and to download the report.

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One Million Solar Households in Australia

5 April 2013

Data released this month by the Clean Energy Regulator shows more than one million households in Australia are now equipped with solar photovoltaic panels. Data also shows that nearly 800,000 solar hot water and air source heat pump systems have also been installed.

According to the Clean Energy Council, this means that approximately 2.5 million Australians now lived in a home with a set of solar panels on the roof (more than the entire population of Western Australia).

Click HERE to read the release from the Clean Energy Regulator.

Click HERE to read the media release from the Clean Energy Council.

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Protecting Value in Real Estate: Managing Investment Risks from Climate Change

3 April 2013

A research paper by the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change has found that the introduction of regulations on green building in the Eurozone has already had a major impact on the real estate market and investor behaviour.

The report, entitled Protecting Value in Real Estate: Managing Investment Risks from Climate Change, details examples of changes in market behaviour investors have recently seen that impact financial performance.

Click HERE to download the media release from the IIGCC

Click HERE to download Protecting Value in Real Estate: Managing Investment Risks from Climate Change.

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Climate Commission: The Critical Decade: Extreme Weather

3 April 2013

The Australian Government’s Climate Commission has just released a report entitled “The Critical Decade: Extreme Weather”.  Key facts include:

  1. Climate change is already increasing the intensity and frequency of many extreme weather events, adversely affecting Australians.
  2. Climate change is making many extreme events worse in terms of their impacts on people, property, communities and the environment.
  3. The climate system has shifted, and is continuing to shift, changing the conditions for all weather, including extreme weather events.
  4. There is a high risk that extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rainfall, bushfires and cyclones will become even more intense in Australia over the coming decades.
  5. Only strong preventive action now and in the coming years can stabilise the climate and halt the trend of increasing extreme weather for our children and grandchildren.

Click HERE for more information and to download the report.

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Owners of efficient homes less default-prone

2 April 2013

A study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for Community Capital and the Institute for Market Transformation shows the risk of mortgage default is one-third lower for energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR-rated homes – a factor lenders and Congress should consider when making mortgage loans and policy.

Home Energy Efficiency and Mortgage Risks, released in March, is the first academic study to assess the linkages between home energy efficiency and mortgage risks.  Controlling for other factors, the odds of a mortgage default on an ENERGY STAR residence are one-third lower than those of a home in the control group. A mortgage holder on an ENERGY STAR residence is also one-quarter less likely to prepay. Since lenders consider prepayment a risk, these loans are potentially more valuable to them.

Click HERE for more information.

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Green Deal transforms energy efficiency in the UK

28 March 2013

A rise in energy bills of 18% has been forecast for UK households by 2020.  In response to this, the British Government has revealed its policies promoting domestic energy efficiency including its Green Deal, which will help households in England and Wales pay for energy saving home improvements at little-to-no upfront cost.

Under the Green Deal scheme households are able to pay for energy efficient home improvements with the savings on their energy bills. This scheme is expected to reduce the predicted 2020 forecast by 11%.

Click HERE to view the introductory guide to the Green Deal.

Click HERE for more information.

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Merger of Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency with Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education

25 March 2013

Following a Cabinet reshuffle, the Australian Government has merged the majority of functions of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) with the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) and shifted energy efficiency to the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.

Click HERE to read the media release from the Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation.

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The Impact of Public Transportation on Real Estate Values

21 March 2013

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) held a briefing on the resiliency of residential real estate values located in areas well-connected by public transportation.

Although the recent economic crisis had a negative effect on housing prices around the USA, property values with good access to public transit remained much closer to their pre-recession levels than properties without access, even within the same city.

A new report commissioned by APTA and NAR investigates the relationship between residential real estate and public transportation in five U.S. metropolitan regions.

Click HERE to download the report.

 

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Swiss Re: Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2012 in the USA

20 March 2013

Swiss Re has found that in the USA in 2012, large-scale weather events led to the third highest insured losses since 1970.

Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters claimed approximately 14000 lives and resulted in economic losses of about USD 186 billion. The cost to insurers was over USD 77 billion, making 2012 the third-highest year since 1970.

Click HERE to view Swiss Re’s Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2012.

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GBCA releases Evolution 2013

20 March 2013

The GBCA’s annual publication, Evolution 2013 is now available online.

The edition features green building case studies from across the country, profiles and insights from some of our Australia’s most successful ESD consultants, the latest global statistics, and more.

Click HERE to download a copy.

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AGIC renamed to Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia

20 March 2013

The Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) launched the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating scheme in Canberra last year. In addition to launching the scheme, delivering two rounds of IS Foundation

Training and commencing infrastructure project ratings last year, the organisation also committed to a rebrand.

Click HERE to go to the new ISCA website and for more information on the rebranded organisation.

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R20: Building Efficiency Guide for Governments

20 March 2013

The Regions of Climate Action (R20) has developed a guide to inform government officials about the significant economic, environmental and social benefits associated with resource-efficient buildings.

The Guide is designed to serve as a roadmap for government action, highlighting the range of important actions that governments can take to create greater building efficiency within their jurisdictions.

Click HERE to download the Building Efficiency Guide for Governments.

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2013 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark Survey now open

20 March 2013

The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), which measures the sustainability performance of the global real estate investment industry, today announced that its 2013 Survey is open for responses.

In 2012 the data gathered by GRESB covered more than 450 companies and funds. This information is used by some of the industry’s largest institutional investors, investment managers and property companies to analyse their sustainability practices.

The Survey remains open from 1 April until 1 July 2013. The 2013 Survey results will be published in the first week of September. In addition to the publicly available annual GRESB Report, GRESB Members and Survey participants receive individual results that detail their respective funds’ and firms’ performance.

Click HERE to register via GRESB’s online portal.

Click HERE to view the Survey.

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Jakarta mandates high-rise ‘green’ buildings

20 March 2013

The head of Jakarta’s Building Supervision and Regulation Agency has advised that an environmentally-friendly building code would be incorporated in the building permit application process.

This “green” building code would be mandatory for office buildings, shopping malls and apartments with more than 50,000 square meters in total area; hotels and health facilities that are bigger than 20,000 square meters; and educational facilities that are bigger than 10,000 square meters.

Click HERE to view the article in the Jakarta Post.

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UN Report: Sustainable urban infrastructure can foster economic growth

20 March 2013

A United Nations report, released this month, has found that developing sustainable urban infrastructure benefits not just the environment, but can also boost economic growth and social stability.

The report, City-Level Decoupling: Urban Resource Flows and the Governance of Infrastructure Transitions, argues that sustainable city infrastructures can sustain economic growth while using fewer resources.

Click HERE to read the UN media release.

Click HERE to download the report.

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City of Melbourne goes Carbon Neutral

19 March 2013

In March, The City of Melbourne was certified carbon neutral by Low Carbon Australia as part of its undertaking to become one of the world’s most sustainable cities.

By reducing electricity demand, avoiding the need for energy and fuel use, improving energy efficiency and switching to less carbon intensive fuel sources the City plans to save emissions and reduce financial cost.

Click HERE to read the media release from the City of Melbourne

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Moving Australia 2030, A Transport Plan For A Productive and Active Australia

19 March 2013

In 2012, the Infrastructure and Transport Minister set up a Moving Australia 2030 Taskforce, with an aim to create the best possible transport system to carry both people and freight around Australia and a system that builds a more productive, sustainable, liveable and active Australia.

The Taskforce comprised of eight national organisations, including the Planning Institute of Australia, Australian Local Government Association, Tourism and Transport Forum and the Bus Industry Confederation.

In March 2013, the Taskforce launched a comprehensive report to Federal, State and Territorial Governments on how a prosperous, sustainable, liveable and healthy Australia can be delivered by 2030.

Moving Australia 2030 – A Transport Plan for a Productive and Active Australia sets out pathways for the establishment of a transport, land use management, planning and funding framework, including how we move people, today and in the future, to maintain the living standards we currently enjoy in Australia.

Click HERE for more information and to read the report.

 

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Productivity Commission “Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation” Report released

14 March 2013

The Productivity Commission report on “Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaption” has been released.

The Report states that Governments at all levels should embed consideration of climate change in their risk management practices and ensure there is sufficient flexibility in regulatory and policy settings to allow households, businesses and communities to manage the risks of climate change.

Recommended reforms and actions include: the reduction of perverse tax incentives; availability of hazard mapping; clarification of roles and responsibilities of local governments; addressing distortions in insurance markets; designing more flexible land use planning regulation; aligning land use planning with building regulation; and conducting a COAG-led public review to develop appropriate adaptive responses for existing settlements that face significant climate change risks.

The Report specifically recommended against household insurance subsidies, a systematic review of all regulation to identify impediments to adaptation and mandatory reporting of adaptation actions.

Click HERE for further information and to read the full report.

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GBCA: First Queensland project signs up for Green Star – Communities

13 March 2013

A new development in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions is set to achieve a Green Star – Communities rating.  Ecco Ripley, located just five kilometres from the centre of Ipswich, is the first in Queensland to be accepted as a project for the newly-released Green Star – Communities PILOT rating tool.

Click HERE to read the GBCA media release.

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Property Council IPD: Australian Green Property Index

11 March 2013

Green Star and NABERS rated assets have delivered higher total annual returns for 2012 than the total office property sector, according to the latest Property Council/ IPD Australian Green Property Index.

Click HERE to view the article from the Property Council of Australia.

Click HERE to read the reporting in the Fifth Estate.

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Sustainability Victoria: Guide to Connecting a Distributed Generator

8 March 2013

Sustainability Victoria has released a guide to connecting a distributed generator in Victoria.

This guide presents a five step process for connecting a small to medium-scale generator to the electricity distribution grid (‘poles and wires’). It outlines how to follow relevant rules and regulations and explains how to negotiate a connection or a network access arrangement with a distribution network service provider (DNSP). The guide also clarifies the roles of generators and DNSPs, and highlights issues and problems that may arise.

Click HERE to download the guide.

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DCCEE: Green Lease publications

7 March 2013

As part of the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency, the Australian, State and Territory Governments have jointly developed two publications to promote the use of Green Leases in the private sector:

  • Tenant’s Guide to Green Leases: The key objective of the Tenant’s Guide to Green Leases is to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of using Green Leases from a tenant perspective.
  • Green Lease Handbook: The Green Lease Handbook is a practice guide for leasing advisors engaged by landlords or tenants seeking to incorporate green provisions in commercial leases.

Click HERE to download these publications.

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World Green Building Council releases “The Business Case for Green Building”

6 March 2013

The World Green Building Council has “The Business Case for Green Building – A Review of the Costs and Benefits for Developers, Investors and Occupants”.
The report examines the financial value to the cost and benefits of green buildings.

Key findings include:

  • Design and Construction Costs: An overall trend towards the reduction in design and construction costs associated with green building;
  • Asset Value: Buildings with better sustainability credentials will have increased marketability, and, in some markets, there is a demonstrated link between the green characteristics of buildings and the ability to attract tenants and command higher rents and sale prices;
  • Operating Costs: Green buildings have been shown to save money through reduced energy and water consumption and lower long-term operations and maintenance costs.
  • Workplace Productivity and Health: An emerging body of evidence suggesting that the physical characteristics of buildings and indoor environments can influence worker productivity and occupant health and well-being, resulting in bottom line benefits for businesses;
  • Risk Mitigation: Sustainability risk factors can significantly affect the rental income and the future value of real estate assets, in turn affecting their return on investment.

Click HERE for more information and to view the report.

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University of Melbourne finds urban design plays key role in creating healthy cities

6 March 2013

Residents of new housing developments increased their exercise and their wellbeing when they had more access to shops and parks, a new University of Melbourne study reveals.

The ten year study found that the overall health of residents of new housing developments in Western Australia, improved when their daily walking increased as a result of more access to parks, public transport, shops and services.

Click HERE for more information.

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Sustainable Home Registry Launched

28 February 2013

Australian Living has launched a Sustainable Home Registry, to track the number of sustainable homes that are designed and built across Australia.

The Registry will track, list and report the number of new homes being designed and built in Australia that are:

  • rated 7+ stars (thermal efficiency)
  • constructed with sustainable building materials
  • utilising energy and water savings

Click HERE to find out more about the Sustainable Home Registry.

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ABCB: WaterMark Certification Scheme

25 February 2013

WaterMark is a mandatory certification scheme called up by the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) which necessitates plumbing and drainage materials and products to be certified and authorised for use.

In February, administration of WaterMark, was transferred from Standards Australia Limited (SA) to the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). ABCB is now responsible for policy oversight of the PCA and WaterMark.

Click HERE for more information.

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UK Federation of Master Builders (FMB) calls for prioritisation of energy efficient homes

19 February 2013

The chief executive officer of Britain’s Federation of Master Builders (FMB) asked for the upcoming Budget to include measures to make Britain’s homes more energy efficient, boosting the construction industry and reducing household bills.

In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, FMB CEO Brian Berry has suggested that the funds obtained through the European Emissions Trading Scheme and the Carbon Floor Price should be redirected to fund a mass public sector upgrade of homes in the UK.

According to the FMB, this would help to alleviate impending fuel poverty, improve energy efficiency, create jobs and cut carbon emissions.

Click HERE to read more of the FMB’s recommendations to the British Government.

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President Obama calls on Congress to introduce a price on carbon

12 February 2013

In his State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama called on US Congress to pass a bill which would introduce a market-based solution to climate change and place a price on carbon.

  • On climate change President Obama said “…if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will.  I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”
  • On clean energy: “Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it.  And we’ve begun to change that.  Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America.  So let’s generate even more.  Solar energy gets cheaper by the year – let’s drive down costs even further. As long as countries like China keep going all in on clean energy, so must we.”
  • On energy efficiency: “I’m also issuing a new goal for America:  Let’s cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years.  We’ll work with the states to do it.  Those states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make that happen.”

Click HERE for a full transcript of the State of the Union Address.

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Australian Institute of Architects’ 41 Exemplar

8 February 2013

Having outgrown its old Melbourne headquarters, the Australian Institute of Architects decided to rebuild on its blue-chip piece of Melbourne CBD real estate, with a vision of creating an exemplar case study in sustainable design and a new direction in Australian building design.

Named 41 Exemplar, the 21 storey strata-title commercial office building is due for completion in late 2013.

The Environment Design Guide has released a case study report 41 Exemplar case study, which discusses the notion of the Total Carbon Metric, a quantitative tool used for the building’s design that measures carbon emissions brought about by embodied energy (materials), operational energy, transport and waste over a 30-year total lifecycle.

Click HERE to download the ‘41 Exemplar case study’.

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Consult Australia calls for critical investment in cities infrastructure in 2013-14 Federal Budget

1 February 2013

Consult Australia, on behalf of Australia’s engineering and architectural industries, has urged government to consider critical investment in cities infrastructure, increased workforce productivity, and more efficient procurement as key priorities for the 2013-14 Federal Budget.

The result will be improved governance, boosted productivity and better value for money for Australian taxpayers.

Consult Australia Chief Executive Officer, Megan Motto said the Association is specifically lobbying for greater investment in the Major Cities Unit and Infrastructure Australia.

Click HERE to read the full media release from Consult Australia.

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AGIC announces new projects

30 January 2013

AGIC is pleased to announce the following four projects that have registered to pursue an IS rating:

  • Whitsunday STP Upgrades
  • Rous Head Extension
  • Enlarged Cotter Dam
  • Great Eastern Highway Upgrade

These projects represent different sectors, are of various sizes and are located in four different states and territories.

Click HERE for more information.

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Barangaroo South signs up for Green Star – Communities

24 January 2013

Lend Lease’s Barangaroo South project, part of the $6 billion Barangaroo urban regeneration development on Sydney Harbour, has been accepted as a pilot project for the newly-released Green Star – Communities PILOT rating tool.

Green Star – Communities is an independent, national rating tool developed by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to support the design and delivery of more sustainable, productive and liveable communities.

The GBCA will now work with Lend Lease to benchmark Barangaroo South against 38 credits in the Green Star – Communities categories of Liveability, Economic Prosperity, Environment, Design, Governance and Innovation.

Lend Lease aims for Barangaroo South to be Australia’s first large-scale carbon neutral community, with ultra energy efficient buildings, efficient precinct infrastructure, on and offsite low carbon and renewable energy, zero carbon waste treatment and commuter carbon emission offsets.

Click HERE to read the full media release from the Green Building Council of Australia.

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Launch of NABERS data centre rating system

23 January 2013

NABERS has released the world’s first energy efficiency rating system for data centres. The rating system assists businesses to measure energy consumption.

With data centres responsible for around 1.5 per cent of Australia’s total annual energy consumption, this new system provides managers with a benchmark of energy efficiency and enables informed decisions on upgrading facilities and equipment.

Click HERE for more information.

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Using non-renewable energy costs more than $3 trillion per year

15 January 2013

In a new study by the World Future Council – ‘The Monetary Cost of the Non-Use of Renewable Energies’ – the financial loss resulting from oil, gas and coal consumption is conservatively estimated at more than US$3 trillion per year.

For many years opponents of renewable energy have claimed that traditional non-renewable energy sources are cheaper, but this latest study has quashed those claims. The costs from burning fossil fuels are incurred not only through damages from climate change but also through the lack of future availability of raw fossil materials consumed to meet our current energy demands.

Click HERE to read the study.

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ACF says climate Change is “juicing the odds” towards extreme heat in Australia

10 January 2013

This week, Australia officially averaged above 39°C for seven straight days, beating the previous run of four days set in 1973. Prior to that, a four day sequence had only ever occurred once. Since the beginning of the year, twenty local maximum temperature records have been set around the country, including in Hobart, which shattered its previous maximum by one degree on 4 January.

As climate change continues to affect global weather patterns more hot days, hotter hot days, more bushfires and more severe bushfires are imminent.

According to the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), “climate change may not create any individual fire, but it creates conditions that are more likely to lead to fires – climate change is, in effect, doping the weather. Similarly, it cannot be suggested that each and every one of Lance Armstrong’s stage wins in the Tour de France was due to doping, but we know that doping made him more likely to win seven straight events. Likewise, we know that climate change is juicing the odds that any day will be hotter, and that those hot days will be hotter, and more likely to feature bushfires.”

Click HERE to download the full media brief from ACF on “Extreme Heat in Australia”

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Google gives $3 Million for toxicity research and development

9 January 2013

Google.org has provided a $3 million grant to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for researching building material hazards and identifying healthier alternatives. The grant will build on a growing trend toward publishing product ingredients and hazard information through programs like the Health Product Declaration.

Click HERE to read the article in GreenSource.

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Top Ten Green Building MegaTrends for 2013

8 January 2013

Leading green building and sustainability consultant and trend analyst Jerry Yudelson has released his annual list of “Top 10 Megatrends” for the green building industry, predicting a good year ahead for the green building industry.

According to Yudelson, “it seems clear that green building will continue its rapid expansion globally in 2013 in spite of the ongoing economic slowdown in most countries of Europe and North America.

More people are building green each year, with 50,000 LEED projects underway by the latest counts; there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this Mega-trend or its constituent elements.”

Yudelson’s predicts the following “Top Ten Green Building MegaTrends” for 2013:

  1. A strong rebound in green building in North America
  2. A continuation of refocussing from new building design and construction to greening existing buildings
  3. An increase in Green Building management in the “Cloud”
  4. An increase in awareness of the coming crisis in fresh water supply, both globally and in the U.S., leading to further steps to reduce water consumption in buildings.
  5. Continued acceleration in the global green building movement
  6. Increasing uptake of zero-net-energy buildings in both residential and commercial sectors.
  7. Green Building Performance Disclosure will be the fastest emerging trend
  8. Transparency and “Red List” chemicals will become increasingly a subject of contention
  9. Local and state governments will step up their mandates for green buildings for both themselves and the private sector
  10. Solar power use in buildings will continue to grow

Click HERE to read the full media release and details of the Top Ten Green Building MegaTrends.

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Queensland to scrap compulsory sustainability measures for new homes

7 January 2013

The Government plans to scrap laws that make it compulsory to install rainwater tanks and gas, solar or heat pump hot water systems in all new homes.

Queensland Minister for Housing and Public Works Tim Mander stated that the current requirements “add an unnecessary cost to homeowners and place an unwanted drag on the construction industry”.

Legislative amendments are required to implement both decisions and the changes are proposed to take effect early this year.

Click HERE to read the media release from the Queensland Government.

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