Sustainability

Fluorinated “forever chemicals” such as PFAS and TFA are at the centre of global health concerns. Laura Timberlake investigates the HVAC&R industry’s role in addressing the issue.

When Ashak Nathwani arrived in Australia from Uganda in 1972 with 20 cents to his name, little did he imagine how much he would achieve in his life. Laura Timberlake reviews his recently released book and explores his astonishing career.

Researchers at RMIT University have developed an innovative technique that can make concrete 30 per cent stronger by turning waste coffee grounds into biochar. Laura Timberlake explores how the researchers are applying the innovation in the real world.

Researchers at RMIT have created an invention from waste polystyrene that generates static electricity from motion and wind.

Researchers at Binghamton University are developing bacteria-powered biobatteries into artificial indoor plants that can produce oxygen and generate power.

Many Australians live in substandard housing, but what can we actually do to improve thermal performance and reduce our energy bills?

Priya Gandhi, M.AIRAH, took the trip of a lifetime to Antarctica in 2023. Laura Timberlake speaks to her about the lessons she learned.

As temperatures around the world soar, the question is not just how to stop global warming, but how humans can survive.

The Wings is set to be the first office building in Belgium to generate its own geothermal energy and consume no fossil fuel.

Architect and biomimicry professional Jane Toner shares with us the principles of biophilia and the importance of designing buildings that are attuned and responsive to their natural surroundings.

Ambitious sustainable targets have been set by the host nation for the Paris 2024 Olympics to reduce the Games’ carbon footprint by half.

Should there be a green light for nuclear energy in Australia? Definitively no, writes Ian Kenins.

Living green walls can improve aesthetics, add a soothing touch of greenery to a space and lift our moods. But can they have a material impact on indoor air quality? Nick Johns-Wickberg investigates.

Geothermal cooling is relatively underdeveloped in Australia, but as Ecolibrium staff writer Nick Johns-Wickberg discovers, its potential is huge.

Playing predominantly out of MyState Bank Arena in Hobart, the Tasmania JackJumpers have, in just two seasons, quickly become one of the National Basketball League’s premier teams. Sean McGowan reports on the award-winning redevelopment of the venue, which took place ahead of the team’s debut in late 2021.

An historic Melbourne precinct has experienced a complete reinvigoration that has not only attracted new clients, but returned some of the city’s most spectacular heritage spaces to the public.

This paper presents a techno-economic evaluation of a phase change material (PCM) thermal battery (TB) system developed through an industry-university cooperation project.

The race is on to reduce embodied carbon in buildings and construction. But as more organisations take up the challenge, coordination is key.

In a net zero world, it doesn’t matter whether we divide emissions by headcount or square meterage. By any measure, the balance of emissions must be the same. Zero.

In California’s capital city, a 1940s building has been re-lifed, aiming to create strong ties between nature and the local community.