Bee Coalition seeks pesticide ban
The UK-Based Bee Coalition is calling for a global ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, citing the results of a Worldwide Integrated Assessment that reviewed 800 studies covering birds, animals, soil and...
View ArticleDating the enemy? LEED teams up with American Chemistry Council
A peculiar email hit The Fifth Estate inbox today (Thursday) titled “US Green Building Council and the American Chemistry Council to Work Together to Advance LEED”. For anyone who has been following...
View ArticleUS chemical Comancheros and LEED “truce” is not funny, but dangerous
The recent media release pointing to a truce between the US Green Building Council and the American Chemistry Council would have been greeted with confusion if not dismay by many people in the...
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Toxic playgrounds: Broken Hill kids exposed to poisonous dust
From The Conversation: In the shadows of Broken Hill’s rich mining history lies a legacy of contamination and regulatory failure that will likely outlive any benefits locals derive from mining. One in...
View ArticleFracking & pals: dizziness, nosebleeds and eye irritation
A report released this week in the US on air pollution from unconventional gas extraction, also known as fracking, showed that there are high levels of various chemicals of concern released during the...
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Australia’s poor governance on mercury lighting a bad look for property
SPECIAL REPORT: The property industry is in the cross-hairs with mercury, found in old technology lighting and potentially damaging in the extreme to humans and ecology, clogging up landfills and...
View ArticleAlarm bells for strata owners as firefighters told to stay on sidelines
Dodgy building products causing excessive fire risks could see firefighters refuse to enter high rise apartment buildings to fight fires, the head of Strata Community Australia has warned. SCA chief...
View ArticleAustralian workplaces contain 227 substances that trigger asthma
There are 227 substances commonly found in Australia’s workplaces that can contribute to adult-onset asthma, a new study from Perth’s Curtin University has found. According to the study, published in...
View ArticleNanomaterials and health: regulation playing catch-up with reality
Nanomaterials are increasingly being used in the industrial, built and consumer environments but concern is mounting over their potential negative environmental and health effects. As yet there is no...
View ArticleCould green design principles make us sick (and what can we do about it)?
Concerns have been raised that green building principles such as energy and water minimisation strategies may be increasing the risk of dangerous Legionella pneumophila bacteria proliferating in...
View ArticleVictorian government’s coal to hydrogen plans come under fire
The Victorian government’s plan to turn brown coal into hydrogen in line with long-term plan by Japanese interests will make it harder for the state to meet its climate commitment of keeping global...
View ArticleGovernments talk tough on trash, but will anything change?
ABC’s Four Corners waste and recycling exposé has everyone talking about rubbish, with the NSW and Queensland governments squaring up for a stoush over garbage sent to Queensland to avoid landfill...
View ArticleThis problem is urgent, dangerous and widespread – why we need to act on PFAS...
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views One of Australia’s leading experts on the chemicals used in firefighting foam and Scotchguard, suspected of causing cancer,...
View ArticlePFAS contamination problem could affect virtually any construction site
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views The Department of Defence is being dragged over the coals for its handling of the PFAS contamination crisis, but the problem...
View ArticleRethinking traffic congestion to make our cities more like the places we want...
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views Soon after becoming prime minister last year, Scott Morrison appointed a minister for “congestion busting”, signalling the...
View ArticleDeodorants, perfumes and other personal pollution: The next frontier in...
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views Fragrances have been under fire for their toxicity lately and now the evidence is mounting that wearing deodorant and other...
View ArticleCoronavirus news: Backslide on plastic, Greens want mining plan moratorium,...
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views As progress continues for controversial mining projects, the Greens have called for a halt on all planning measures until a...
View ArticleBee Coalition seeks pesticide ban
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views The UK-Based Bee Coalition is calling for a global ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, citing the results of a Worldwide...
View ArticleDating the enemy? LEED teams up with American Chemistry Council
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views A peculiar email hit The Fifth Estate inbox today (Thursday) titled “US Green Building Council and the American Chemistry...
View ArticleUS chemical Comancheros and LEED “truce” is not funny, but dangerous
The Fifth Estate - Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views The recent media release pointing to a truce between the US Green Building Council and the American Chemistry Council would...
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