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"THE Newman Government has back-flipped on a proposed plastic bag ban amid concerns of a voter backlash. A day after telling The Courier-Mail the ban was being considered as part of an overall waste strategy, Environment Minister Andrew Powell has confirmed he's now changed his mind. A spokeswoman for Mr Powell said the Government was no longer considering a ban on plastic bags and in a statement Mr Powell cited cost of living issues as the main concern."

""Solar-powered households face higher fees to use grid" read this weeks headline in The Australian. "Australia's one million households with rooftop solar photovoltaic panels face the prospect of higher charges to use the poles and wires that distribute electricity" it went on. The AEMC will be making recommendations to our Federal and State Governments. But we know what can move these governments - the voice of the people. Together, we can tell our governments to get behind solar - not penalise it. Show that you won't stand for a tax on the sun by signing our petition below."

"The Opposition has clearly stated its intention to remove the Clean Energy Finance Corporation if it takes government at the next election. Will the Coalition introduce another mechanism to take its place? How will an Abbott Government make sure Australia brings to market the diverse range of renewable technologies we need to transform our energy sector?"

"Coal-fired electricity may have little or no economic future in Australia, a new analysis has found. While the new government seems determined to turn its back on renewable energy, our study shows that even without a carbon price, and even with the assumption that carbon capture and storage will eventually become commercially available, coal may not be able to compete with renewable electricity."

"Two of Australia's World Heritage listed places have made the headlines in the last week. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority gave the go-ahead for silt from a government-approved dredging operation to be dumped within the World Heritage listed park boundaries. And the federal government announced that it was seeking to have a recent extension of Tasmania's World Heritage listed forests partially overturned. What is World Heritage listing and why is it important?"

"The Napthine government will try to drum up interest in the vast but carbon-intensive brown coal reserves of the Latrobe Valley through a direct sales pitch to big mining companies. More than a year after it sought expressions of interest in opening up new coalfields in the valley, the government is turning to active promotion of 13 billion tonnes of unallocated brown coal, including to overseas companies."

"These maps are based on data from the Clean Energy Regulator, the Australian Government agency tasked with the administration of the Renewable Energy Target. For each postcode and local government area, the map shows the estimated percentage of dwellings that have a PV system and the total photovoltaic capacity installed. Most of the PV systems in Australia are small-scale rooftop installations; however there are a number of larger-scale PV power stations with a capacity of more than 100 kW. These power stations are indicated by individual markers. Live performance data is available for systems in the Desert Knowledge Precinct in Alice Springs, and at the University of Queensland."

The LivingGreener website provides a starting point for information about living more sustainably and reducing your environmental impact. It includes information on programs and financial support available from the Australian Government as well as state and territory governments.

"The Australian Greenhouse office (AGO) is the world's first government agency dedicated to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It was established in 1998 as a separate agency within the environment portfolio to provide a whole of government approach to greenhouse matters. The AGO is also responsible for the energy star (http://www.energystar.gov.au) and energy rating (http://www.energyrating.gov.au) mandatory programs for buildings, domestic appliances and industrial equipment. "

"UB's SMB Campus is home to the Ballarat branch of the National Centre for Sustainability. The NCS provides educational leadership and works in partnership with industry, government and community. It undertakes program delivery, resource development, project work and applied research to support the development of sustainable practices. NCS staff with their knowledge and expertise are positioned to form strategic partnerships with industry, government and community, consulting and educating about sustainability. UB, through its innovation and regional community focus, is meeting the demands of the Western Victoria community in sustainability in the urban and natural environment."

"Climate change isn't an issue for any one government or any one region. Carbon pollution has taken a devastating toll across the planet, from floods in Manila to droughts in Australia. To learn about the global reach of the environmental changes caused by human behavior, take a world tour with the six videos that premiered during Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon."

"Climate change isn't an issue for any one government or any one region. Carbon pollution has taken a devastating toll across the planet, from floods in Manila to droughts in Australia. To learn about the global reach of the environmental changes caused by human behavior, take a world tour with the six videos that premiered during Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon."

"The Victorian Government is committed to building on the existing ResourceSmart Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Victorian (ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic) framework to reach an additional 400 schools by 2015. As part of this initiative, selected eligible schools are being provided with a one-off grant payment. The Energy Efficiency Grants provide a one-off payment of up to $10,000 per school to undertake energy audits, purchase energy efficient or sustainable infrastructure, and undertake related energy saving activities. "

"In 2008, the City of Yarra set a target to be carbon neutral by 2020. Not just council headquarters - the entire inner-city municipality. But how does a whole district go carbon neutral? It can't rely on government subsidies, or an unforeseen technological breakthrough, says Alex Fearnside, chief executive of Yarra Energy Foundation, the organisation established in 2010 to make it happen."

"The Victorian Government is committed to building on the existing ResourceSmart Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Victorian (ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic) framework to reach an additional 400 schools by 2015. As part of this initiative, selected eligible schools are being provided with a one-off grant payment. The Energy Efficiency Grants provide a one-off payment of up to $10,000 per school to undertake energy audits, purchase energy efficient or sustainable infrastructure, and undertake related energy saving activities."

"ARIES is a research, consultancy and education centre at Macquarie University that supports change for sustainable development within government, business and the community."

".... behind the scenes a growing number of economists and energy analysts are challenging the assumptions and methods behind these studies. None of them argues against seizing truly cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities. Rather, they caution against overestimating their energy and carbon savings potential. As such, it is time to rethink the privileged place efficiency has taken in the climate and energy strategies of national governments and international agencies. "

Sustainable Gardening Australia was established in 2003. We are a not-for-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to changing the way Australians garden. SGA is totally committed to achieving real, continually improving and easily understood environmental solutions for gardeners.

"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.)"

VCCCAR is a multi-institutional research organisation whose focus is primarily actor-based research. This is developed through collaborative partnerships with universities, government, private and community sectors. The purpose of our research is to assist the development of policy and build understanding and capacity in relation to adaptation across the private and public sectors in Victoria.

"Many times in human history governments have tried to write policies based around future technologies and missed identifying the transformational keys. In the 1970s, for example, few if any horizon-scanning policies on communications predicted the internet or mobile phones. Yet scientists are increasingly unified in the need to develop new technologies to address the critical problems now facing us in fields such as energy and climate change."