The Refinishing Touch Blog

With the rapid development of new technologies for environmental sustainability, we are highlighting locations around the globe that are making the most of them with a series of posts about what has become a global initiative: sustainability.

Following our post on India, we’re taking a look down under at Australia’s University of Sydney, which was recently awarded the Green Globe Public Sector Sustainability Award for the work of its Integrated Sustainability Analysis research team. The team developed a new method that facilitates and improves how businesses calculate their carbon footprints. This new method analyses every aspect of a business’ product development including energy and water consumption, industrial interdependency and carbon emissions to accurately gauge its environmental impact.

The University of Sydney was also honored for its innovative stormwater recycling system with a Stormwater Industry Association NSW Award for Excellence. With the new system the campus collects water runoff from nearby public areas, pavements and rooftops, filters the water through rain gardens and then recycles the water for irrigation and for use in the university’s newer buildings. This system recognizes the ecological and recreational uses of stormwater and allows for a nearly “drought-free” campus.

It’s inspiring to see the innovation and enthusiasm supporting sustainable living across the globe. In our next post we’re going to be slightly closer to home with a post about some North American initiatives.