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"A home energy audit will help you to understand where you use energy at home and where you may be able to make savings.  You can do your own home energy audit online using the links on this page.  Each section contains questions about how you use energy and should take less than 10 minutes to complete. By the end of the audit you'll know what you can do to reduce your energy use and minimise your bills. "

"People use less energy when they know their use is being monitored, a new US study has found. Among other things the findings suggest ways to increase the success of energy efficiency programs. Behavioural scientist, Dr Daniel Schwartz, from the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues, report their findings this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

"It's the food even food rescue organisations won't take but one campaigning chef is using it to make salads, soups and even chocolate cake. Former Gasolina head chef Adam Smith is the founder of The Real Junk Food Project, a volunteer collective that intercepts food waste from markets, stores, restaurants and food charities. Using only the ingredients on hand, Smith would until recently cook up a weekly feast using free public barbecues for whoever was nearby and hungry."

"Buried in a little-noticed rule on microwave ovens is a change in the U.S. government's accounting for carbon emissions that could have wide-ranging implications for everything from power plants to the Keystone XL pipeline. The increase of the so-called social cost of carbon, to $US38 ($A40) a metric ton in 2015 from $US23.80, adjusts the calculation the government uses to weigh costs and benefits of proposed regulations. The figure is meant to approximate losses from global warming such as flood damage and diminished crops. (That figure also compares with the $A23 per tonne carbon tax in Australia.)"

"Solar panels make energy, but they take energy to make, too. And, until about 2010 or so, the solar panel industry used more electricity than it produced, according to a new analysis. Now, the industry is set to "pay back" the energy it used by 2020."

When I testified before the US Senate in the hot summer of 1988, I warned of the kind of future that climate change would bring to us and our planet. I painted a grim picture of the consequences of steadily increasing temperatures, driven by mankind's use of fossil fuels. But I have a confession to make: I was too optimistic. My projections about increasing global temperature have been proved true. But I failed to fully explore how quickly that average rise would drive an increase in extreme weather.

"The US National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society cordially invite you to join us for the release of "Climate Change: Evidence & Causes," a new publication produced jointly by the two institutions. Written by a UK-US team of leading climate scientists and reviewed by climate scientists and others, the publication is intended as a brief, readable reference document for decision makers, policy makers, educators, and other individuals seeking authoritative information on the some of the questions that continue to be asked."

"Smartphones, laptops, tablets, digital TV. You may not have considered it, but all those devices require a lot of energy to operate, and gobble it up even when they sit idle. In fact, the iPhone uses more electricity than a refrigerator. A medium-sized, energy star fridge uses 322 kilowatt hours (kWh) each year. The average iPhone? 361." See the full report at http://goo.gl/FstidW

"Researchers at the University of Alberta are developing a new kind of silicon-free, spray-on solar cell, which promises to be much cheaper than more conventional solar cells. The solar cells are flexible enough to roll up and use in such things as window blinds, according to CBC. They can even be applied using spray coaters used for the touching-up of automotive paint."

"This online course will emphasise a multitude of ways to enrich your teaching programs using the theme of sustainability. As a cross-curriculum priority of the Australian Curriculum, you will learn practical and creative ways to make sustainability come alive in your classroom. Busy teachers will find this course incredibly valuable, as you will be provided with a complete Education for Sustainability (EfS) 'getting started toolkit'. You will gain a: * A clear definition of what EfS is and why it is important to integrate it into teaching practices * Guidance on how and where it can be integrated into your classroom using the Australian Curriculum * Examples of best practice from leading schools and other inspirational teaching ideas * Strategies in overcoming barriers and enabling staff and students * Hundreds of FREE to access, high quality ready-made classroom lessons and hands-on activities that can be used by all teachers within your school. Get a head-start on 2015 and enrich your curriculum today!"

"Alcoa (NYSE: AA) announced today that its $21 million Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products casthouse expansion at its Barberton, Ohio plant is expected to cut in half the total amount of energy used to recycle aluminum for forged wheels, reducing greenhouse gases and increasing the overall efficiency and sustainability of the company's manufacturing process. The recycling facility, the first of its kind in North America, uses advanced technology to produce wheels from re-melted and scrap aluminum. Construction of the 50,000-square-foot facility began in July 2011. It is now up and running at full capacity and has created more than 30 full-time jobs."

Climate Commons is a map-based interactive platform that contains layers of news and information on climate change in the US. It is designed to provide academics, policymakers, journalists, and the general public with the latest data and stories on the causes and impacts of, and responses to climate change across the country. The map combines the most recently available data on climate change indicators, such as temperature, precipitation, and emissions, with the latest, geo-tagged stories on climate change in the United States. By providing users with the ability to compare recent data and media coverage on a local, regional, and national level, Climate Commons aims to inform Americans about the impacts of and responses to climate change in their own towns, regions and states. It also serves as a tool for better analyzing the perception and realities of climate change across the US.

"How solar and EVs will save us"

Tired of hearing that sustainable construction has to cost more, Josh and his colleagues want to prove that resource efficient homes can be built at comparable cost and timeframes to regular houses. The homes will be thermally comfortable year round, without the need for air conditioning or additional heating. They will generate more electricity than they use, and will harvest and recycle water. In addition to private garden areas, a common productive garden will supply both houses with fresh food. What sets this project apart from many others is that the building designs have achieved a 10 Star energy efficiency rating*, whilst intentionally using conventional building materials and construction methods so they can easily be replicated by industry and the wider community. The project also demonstrates a more sensitive approach to residential subdivision that has considered maximising effective garden area around the homes to allow for natural shading, children's play spaces and local food production - important health and lifestyle benefits that are rapidly disappearing from our suburbs. Construction started in November 2012 and is scheduled for completion by May 2013.

"We challenge the reader, on Oceans Day, to join us in a one-month "plastic de-tox" commitment. Start by counting how many disposable plastic items you use in one day, and decide how many of them you could do away without compromising your quality of life in any significant manner."

"One of the world's fastest-growing social movements is calling for citizens and institutions to sell out of fossil fuels - but it's not just a matter of morality. Hard-headed analysts say there's a growing risk of a collapse in the value of fossil fuel investments. Taken together, these warnings present a new way to understand our climate crisis. In this edited version of his Lunchbox/Soapbox address, Michael Green takes us inside the movement - starting in the offices of Goldman Sachs, listening to US climate activist Bill McKibben."

The Educator Toolkit for Using Technology to Connect Students & the Environment includes activities and resources at all grade levels from the US National Environment Education Week. - See more at: http://eeweek.org/#sthash.78U9pAw6.dpuf

Plastic Free July is a simple idea developed in 2011. It aims to raise awareness of the amount of plastic in our lives by encouraging people to eliminate the use of single-use plastic during July each year. Plastic Free July is an initiative of the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) in Perth, Western Australia. It was developed by clever Earth Carers staff. It has now gone worldwide.

Which countries in the world emit the most carbon dioxide? How fast has China overtaken the US to reach the number one position? And why does Gibraltar have such high emissions per person? This interactive guide made for us by Craig Bloodworth of the Information Lab gives you a way to navigate the latest Energy Information Administration data

We already know that our traditional thermoelectric power sources, namely coal, are having a negative impact on our planet's climate. But, as it turns out, the reverse is also true - research has found that worldwide warming is reducing the amount of cooling water that can be used in coal and nuclear plants, and this is already causing problems for electrical grids in the US and Europe.