The ACT government is building Canberra’s first zero emissions office block for its staff

Artist's impression of ACT"s zero emissions office block. (Source: One Step off the Grid)

A zero emissions office block will be built in Dickson, Canberra, by developers Doma for the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Government’s staff. It will be the first carbon neutral office building with respect to power in Canberra. The ACT Government's plans to have Canberra carbon neutral by 2045 and this office will become the first of many. Other ACT government buildings such as some schools are already there.

Canberra has hot summers and cold winters so a lot of energy is needed in these seasons to moderate temperatures. “The solution being adopted for Dickson provides both heating and cooling for the building using a combination of water cooled and air cooled heat pump chillers which have the capability to reverse their mode of operation and provide either chilled water or heating hot water.” said Gavin Edgar, the General Manager of Dome.

In addition to this air conditioning system, power to the completed building will be 100% renewable as the ACT is expected to reach 100% renewable electricity in October this year. The building design will include electric underfloor slab heating and will be able to produce some of its own electricity through a rooftop solar system.

Read more: Canberra’s first zero emissions office block to house ACT government. One Step off the Grid, July 15, 2019.

Finland is aiming for a circular system for waste by 2025

Street recycling bins, Finland (Source: Sitra: https://www.sitra.fi/)

Finland does not have many natural resources and no fossil fuels. This means the country has to think hard about how to run its economy. Now it is aiming for a circular system where everything is reused and landfill is rarely needed.

In a linear economy we buy items and send waste and unused items straight to landfill. But in Helsinki, for example, the recyclables go to the Ammassuo Waste Treatment Centre and only 1% of that ends up in landfill, the goal is to get that to zero. The majority of the recycled waste is reused or reprocessed. Glass, paper, plastics, metals and cartons are sent to recycling facilities elsewhere. Organic materials are fermented to create methane, which feeds a gas-fired power plant. The leftover organic waste is made into compost.

[N.B. Conversely, organic waste that goes to landfill is buried and in this environment without O₂ it forms methane gas, which then makes it way into the atmosphere. Methane is 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO₂ so it is best that it is captured, burnt and used for power. Organic waste can also go to a well aerated garden composting system.]

The waste treatment centre is supported by Helsinki’s excellent recycling system. Householders are given containers for glass, metal, paper, cartons, plastics and biodegradables, what is left goes into general waste. There are incentives to sort, such that householders pay for their waste to be collected and those that sort more pay less.

As reported in 2018, not all householders were cooperating by sorting their waste and a lot of recyclables were still going to general waste. This mixed waste, at 50% of all waste, ends up at a new power station at Vantaa, which burns it to make electricity and heat. Some of this waste is plastics which are made from fossil fuels, so not at all circular.

This reluctance to sort appears to be a worldwide human problem, so it remains to be seen how well Finland educates its people to be more cooperative so it can achieve its goal of a circular waste economy by 2025. If successful, we will need to follow their example!

Reference: Towards a world without landfill. New Scientist, No. 3203, November 10, 2018, p 8.
Read more:
- Circular Economy Breakthroughs in Schools - Business Village Students Learn Circular Economy by Doing It! (in Finnish so translate page) Sitra, August 8, 2019.
- Waste management and recycling. Info Finland.

Modified e-cargo bike to deliver parcels for DPD in the UK

DPD's e-cargo bike (Source: The Driven)

“DPD and Electric Assisted Vehicles Limited (EAV) have launched a sustainable initiative that will see parcels delivered by the new Project 1 (P1) e-cargo bike in July 2019. Launched at the eBike Summit in Oxford, UK on April 10 [2019], the new P1 scheme focuses on neutralizing DPD’s carbon footprint through the use of e-cargo bikes in the UK.” (Parcel and Post Technology International).

The electric bike, devised in Oxfordshire, is designed to carry many parcels that can be easily accessed. Such a zero-carbon vehicle will be useful in the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London and help other UK cities reduce carbon emissions. They will also assist the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Read more:
- DPD and EAV launch e-cargo bike initiative. Parcel and Post Technology International, April 16, 2019.
- Electric assisted cargo bike rethinks delivery van. The Driven, August 5, 2019.

Evee, an electric car sharing company, plans big expansion in Australia

Source: The Driven

Electric car rental service Evee has announced plans to expand its EV sharing model beyond five Australian capital cities to other areas and to offer a wider range of all-electric models. The cars come from owners of EV’s who share their vehicles when not in use.

“EV owners can recoup the considerable cost of these high value vehicles when not in use. While for users it is both a transport solution for the eco-conscious, and a chance to experience the future of automotive transport now,” said Slava Kozlovskii, Evee’s founder. “A few of our clients ended up buying an EV after the rental. This is our contribution towards the transition to sustainable transport.”

Evee is now operating out of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Canberra. Pickup can be arranged from either the owner’s home, or airport pickups can be organised for an added fee, the company says.

The most common vehicles shared are Tesla Model S and X, with Nissan, BMW and Mitsubishi EVs also available but this range will soon increase as more EV brands and models arrive in Australia.

Read more:
- Electric car sharing company Evee readies for major Australian expansion. The Driven, July 25, 2019.
- Evee electric car sharing: https://www.evee.com.au/