Sustainability and Infrastructure

February 2012

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Thinking beyond buildings

Green Cities, the largest ‘green’ building Conference and Expo in the Asia-Pacific region, is returning to Sydney in March 2012 to bring together green building professionals, industry experts, suppliers and manufacturers for three days of conversation, innovation and collaboration.

Unifying environmental leaders

The EcoForum 2012 Conference and Exhibition will bring together industry practitioners and their clients to solve environmental problems, act on potential business opportunities and influence relevant policy and regulatory settings.

Change starts at home

Houses built on foundations of environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality are serving as examples of how companies could begin to construct a new urban landscape for Australia.

Can coal transport be made sustainable?

Researchers from the University of Queensland have completed a project with the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation to investigate Australia’s first clean technology-powered coal terminals, at Dudgeon Point on the central Queensland coast.

Land restoration breakthrough on show to industry

by Dr Paul Gibson-Roy, Head of Grassy Groundcover Research Project, Greening Australia

Examples of Greening Australia’s work in restoring native grasslands to offset the effects of construction and infrastructure development have been showcased to engineers and project managers in Victoria.

Rooftop opportunities

by John Rayner, Senior Lecturer in Urban Horticulture, and Claire Farrell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

‘Green roofs’ are landscapes constructed on a building, composed of a series of layers – from waterproofing on the roof surface through to a planted or vegetation layer on top.

International conference an SSEE milestone

by Gloria Vega, Business Consultant, GHD Economics & Policy and Chair, SSEE 2011 International Conference

The SSEE 2011 International Conference, Escaping Silos, was a landmark event for members of the SSEE, providing a unique networking opportunity for established and emerging sustainability leaders.

Sustainability magazine officially launched

Sustainability and Infrastructure – the official magazine and online information hub for the SSEE – was officially launched at the SSEE 2011 International Conference, Escaping Silos.

Engineers issue ‘code red’ warning on climate

by Steve Posselt, Kayak4Earth and SSEE Board Member

At the SSEE 2011 International Conference, Escaping Silos, held in Brisbane in October 2011, the engineering profession sent out a warning that urgent action is needed to combat human-induced climate change, and its negative impacts on the globe.

Perspective on educating engineers

Dr Carol Boyle, Director of the University of Auckland’s International Centre for Sustainability Engineering and Research, spoke with Sustainability and Infrastructure’s Melanie Ryan at the SSEE 2011 International Conference about the need for greater emphasis on sustainability in Australasian engineering education.

New Engineers Australia President sees big challenges ahead

Professor David Hood, Immediate Past Chair of the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) and a previous Chair of the Australian College of Environmental Engineers, commenced as the National President of Engineers Australia (EA) on 1 January 2012.

AGIC Board movements

David Singleton has been appointed as Chair of the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) following its annual general meeting at the end of 2011.

How to effectively market your business in sustainability and infrastructure

The high penetration and heavy use of the internet in Australia has led to a proliferation of new marketing tools that provide the perfect complement to traditional marketing.

Gensets for the new generation

The new $1 billion Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne is laying claim to the title of Australia’s ‘greenest’, cleanest healthcare facility. It will feature a trigeneration power plant, incorporating lean-burn gas generator sets from Cummins Power Generation.

Propelling innovation in waste removal

A new diesel-driven trash pump by Gorman-Rupp, the Prime Aire, is now available from the company’s authorised Australian distributor, Hydro Innovations.

Trigeneration on track

A trigeneration project in Darling Quarter, Sydney, will use distributed technology to provide combined cooling, heat and power for a new commercial building and nearby recreational spaces.

Reducing ‘stuff’ on a global scale

At the SSEE 2011 International Conference, international waste and sustainability expert Annie Leonard – presenter of The Story of Stuff – spoke exclusively to Sustainability and Infrastructure Editor Lucy Rochlin about the role that engineers can play in solving the world’s pollution problems.

Minimising refuse from regional construction

by Pamela Tummers, Environmental Manager for the South of Embley Project, Bechtel Corporation

Over the five-year construction phase of an expansion to Rio Tinto Alcan’s Yarwun alumina refining facility in Gladstone, Queensland, a profile of waste generation and handling practices was obtained from the site to provide a model for predicting impacts on the collection and disposal facilities typical of regional areas.

Spotlight on: sustainability at Veolia Environmental Services

Veolia Environmental Services, the Australasian waste collection and management arm of the worldwide Veolia Group, has recently launched key initiatives in trucking and marina protection to help educate and inform Australians about the importance of sustainability.

Waste solutions in the pipeline

The City of Sydney has devised an Interim Waste Strategy to highlight steps that must be taken in order to reach its target of diverting 66 per cent of domestic waste from landfill by 2014. One of the most innovative solutions for meeting this target involves an underground, automated waste system.

Denmark leads the way with waste-to-energy

The rural municipality of Thisted, in Denmark’s northwest, is a blueprint for adapting to climate change. The region of 46,000 inhabitants uses 100 per cent renewable energy for its electricity demands, and 85 per cent renewable energy for its heating demands – in part powered by a waste-to-energy cogeneration plant.

At the heart of environmental management

Meinhardt Australia’s National Director for Infrastructure and Environment, Adam Creek, gives Sustainability and Infrastructure his thoughts on some of the major challenges facing environmental engineers today.

Fuelling greenhouse gas reductions

Declining traditional oil supplies, global warming, and increasing fuel and commodity prices are motivating a reassessment of dependence on fossil fuels for project development. Biofuels from companies such as Australian manufacturer Licella are increasingly becoming a viable alternative to traditional sources of power for transport vehicles.

‘Greening’ transport infrastructure

by Melanie Ryan

A project in Brisbane, Queensland, that was tasked with implementing new infrastructure for public buses was also designed to incorporate environmental sustainability at every level – and was used as a case study in the development of a new industry rating scheme.

The road to reducing emissions

Professor Ray Wills, Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia, provides an overview of current opportunities for improving the fuel and energy efficiency of Australian fleet transport and small vehicles.

Bike culture in South Australia

South Australia hosts almost 300,000 cyclists each week, and with the recent conclusion of a key initiative to promote improved cycling infrastructure, there is now a need for new programs to tackle transport issues for cyclists.

Roll up, roll up for the NBN roll-out

by Chanel Bearder

The expansion of the National Broadband Network is rapidly rolling out across Australia, as its developer NBN Co Limited collaborates with a series of suppliers and contractors to connect premises with fibre infrastructure.

Underground exchange

Yale Carden, Managing Director of GeoExchange Australia, outlines how heating and cooling infrastructure powered by geothermal energy – ‘geoexchange’ – reduces energy usage and peak electrical demand in buildings.

Recycled water, recycled infrastructure

AquaNet Sydney is developing an environmentally sensitive infrastructure solution to make affordable recycled water available to industrial customers in western Sydney. Parts of an isolated underground gas main network have been incorporated into a new network for transporting the recycled water.

Gearing up for a Clean Energy Future

The Federal Government’s Clean Energy Future legislation package has now been passed by both Houses of Federal Parliament, ensuring that carbon pricing, emissions trading and improved funding for clean energy development are enshrined in Australian law.

Bettering the built environment

by John Gaskin, Built Environment Supplier Advocate

The sectors servicing the built environment form an important part of the Australian economy, and it is essential that these sectors continue to transform to improve environmental sustainability outcomes.

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