Day: 13 September 2002

International Business Briefs: carbon offset, and water treatment and engineering

In this week’s International Business Briefs, a Canadian company is using carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions; a water treatment equipment company announces record sales; a US company wins a US$27 million contract for water resources projects in Southern Nevada; and a new Mexican wastewater treatment plant.

What technologies should Government assist?

A UK Government scientific organisation is calling for comments on what areas of research and technology should be promoted in order to help shape the future of society and the economy.

Portfolio shuffle at the Environment Department

The Secretary of State for the Environment has announced a shuffle of portfolios between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) ministers, with each minister receiving a variety of responsibilities.

Every Londoner makes footprint the size of eight football pitches

Londoners are running up a huge debt on the Earth’s resources, with each person in the capital city during 2000 requiring an area of 6.63 hectares – roughly equivalent to eight football pitches to provide for their levels of consumption and to dispose of their waste, says new research published on 10 September.

Swiss car dealers slap on sticky labels

Cars in Switzerland will soon be sporting labels on how fuel efficient the vehicle is. From 2003, Swiss car dealers be slapping on the colour-coded A to G labels commonly seen on electrical appliances. The Swiss government hopes the new scheme will cut fuel consumption by 3% a year.

Biomaterials market needs government backing

Developing a UK market in biomaterials could boost the economic and environmental health of the nation, says a new government forum. Crop products such as oils and starches could feed the growing market in biopackaging and replace toxic substances with safer bio-alternatives. But government-assisted programmes may be needed to kick-start new technologies and tap into the European biomaterials market.

Recycling group rejects EU waste shipment proposals

Proposals to tighten EU legislation on waste shipment are being opposed by a recycling lobby group. The recommended changes include more form filling for non-hazardous waste, which would be costly and could breach commercial confidentiality, says the group.

Letter from the Editor: science in the spotlight

This week it has been the turn of science to be illuminated by the media spotlight, with all eyes turning to the University of Leicester for the annual British Association Science Festival. Two stories from the event that have caught edie’s attention are giant Antarctic sea spiders that could be facing extinction because of climate change, and the storage of carbon dioxide in disused oil and gas fields.

Road tax should be based on car emissions, says EU

Car taxation should be harmonised across Europe to curb air pollution, says a new EU communication. Road and registration taxes should be redesigned to reflect carbon dioxide emissions from individual cars. The latest EU study suggests significant CO2 reductions can be made if taxes are more directly related to cars’ CO2 performance.

News Release: Wallingford Software extends worldwide appeal with release of InfoWorks v4.5

“Strengthening the worldwide appeal of InfoWorks, extending its functionality and improving the overall productivity of hydraulic modeling characterizes the release of InfoWorks v4.5”, says Paul Banfield, Sales Director of Wallingford Software, the world’s largest hydraulic modeling software company. Composed of three modules [InfoWorks WS for water supply, InfoWorks CS for wastewater, sewers and storm water, and InfoWorks RS for river systems], InfoWorks is the world’s only integrated modelling package that spans the separate disciplines of water supply, distribution, collection and river systems.

News Release: Package deal for trickling filters gives guaranteed improvements

Experience of poor distribution affecting media efficiency has led Marley Davenport of Worcester to introduce a package deal that gives water companies and their contractors guaranteed results and peace of mind.

News Release: Flowcrete launches corrosion protection division with Atako acquisition

Flowcrete has acquired the Atako range of specialist corrosion flooring protection, waste water treatment and tank-lining products.

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