The Rudd Government's $75 million Carbon Trust, headed by former Liberal environment minister Robert Hill, will enter into a contract with its UK counterpart to maximise access to its database of energy efficiency options.
A BHP Billiton site has slashed energy use and turned a hazardous waste into a saleable product and News Ltd expects annual savings of $833,000 and a 12-month payback by optimising computer use, according to the latest reports under the Energy Efficiency Opportunities scheme.
An "industrial ecology" collaboration between major corporates including Kraft, Boeing and Holden at a Melbourne manufacturing precinct is expected to yield at least one water re-use project by the end of next year.
Building products company Boral has cut mains water use by 22% over the last year as it continues to improve its rainwater capture and water recycling systems.
Rising water prices and concerns about water security have prompted BlueScope's Port Kembla steelworks to set a goal of sourcing all its water from sources other than the Sydney region's storage dams.
Owners of commercial office buildings will be required from the second half of 2010 to provide energy efficiency ratings when they sell and lease office space, Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced today.
