A new Joint Research Centre (JRC) report provides key information for policy makers and business managers on how to assess the environmental impacts of products and services through more consistent and better quality life cycle assessments. Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) helps to assess the sustainability of supply chains, use, and end-of-life management options for goods...

The Limerick/Clare/Kerry Region, through the Regional Waste Management office, has signed up to participate in a European wide waste recycling project. The region has become an active partner in the “Regions 4 Recycling” Interreg IVC European Project, a partnership initiative comprising 12 European Regions with the ambitious target to promote regional contributions towards a European...

The European Union possesses five key funding opportunities to support research and innovation: the Research Framework Programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund within the Cohesion policy; the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Fisheries Fund within the Rural development policy and the Common Fisheries...

SMEs should be aware of funding schemes that encourage Irish organisations to research and bring to market more environmentally sustainable technologies and processes. FP7 is the European Commissions 7th Framework Programme for research. It runs from 2007 – 2013 and has funds of over €50 billion allocated for research activities in this period. The main...

Greywater is water which has been used for washing and can potentially be reused rather than discharged down the drain. Grey water includes water from laundry, dishwashers, baths, showers, hand washing etc, but does not include toilet waste. Kitchen sink waste water often contains traces of grease, fats, meat, fish, and oils and may not...

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have built a prototype device which they say can generate electricity from waste water and simultaneously treat the water. Reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology was developed in the Netherlands and other countries. Fresh water and seawater are placed in intermittent chambers separated by membranes, and an electrochemical charge is created. Researchers...