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Breeding dogs for certain colours can affect their health, behaviour and life-span. Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of Sydney Bethany Wilson, Honorary Affiliate, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The deep-sea cucumber that resembles a headless chicken has previously only been filmed in the Gulf of Mexico. But scientists have filmed Enypniastes eximia with underwater cameras in the Southern Ocean off east Antarctica for the first time.

• ‘Headless chicken monster’: deep-sea cucumber seen in Southern Ocean for first time

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ARENA backs "Project H2GO" – a trial that will inject renewable hydrogen into existing gas networks, for domestic use and storage.

The post Renewable hydrogen to be trialled in Sydney gas network appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Chargefox stations will allow drivers to charge electric vehicles in just minutes

Drivers travelling between Australia’s major cities could soon charge their electric vehicles in just 15 minutes with a super-fast network being rolled out across the country.

The 21 sites on highways between Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane will be powered entirely by renewable energy. Sites are also planned for Western Australia.

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Automobile clubs and ARENA join forces to help fund first nation-wide public EV ultra-fast charging network, powered by renewable energy.

The post Car clubs, ARENA get behind solar-powered ultra-fast EV charging network appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Solar, mostly from rooftops, accounts for more than half of all electricity use in South Australia and pushed state to record low grid demand.

The post South Australia grid demand hits record low as solar accounts for 54% appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The University of Melbourne and Powershop announce 2018 Energy Hack winner.

The post Energy Hack winner announced appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Endeavour Energy today welcomed its one millionth customer marking a significant milestone for a company that has grown alongside its customers for over a century.

The post Endeavour Energy reaches one millionth customer, gifts solar for the future appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Song meters help save a critically endangered bird; regional youth strut their stuff at an arts workshop; and flannel flowers put on a dazzling display.

Overgrown mice are killing millions of chicks on the remote Gough Island in the South Atlantic.

Australian energy storage company Redflow Limited has today strengthened its Board by recruiting David Brant, an experienced businessman with strategic manufacturing expertise.

The post Redflow Board gains manufacturing expertise appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Charities tackling hunger could save Britain £500m a year if they had capacity, finds report

The collection and redistribution of edible food by the UK’s largest charity tackling hunger – and that would otherwise go to waste – saves the UK economy some £51m every year, according to an independent report published on Monday.

If FareShare and other charities in the sector were able to scale up their capacity in order to handle half of the surplus food available in the UK supply chain, the value back to the state could be as much as £500m per year, it claims.

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Michael Gove unveils consultation on move to cut pollution and protect oceans

Plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds could be banned within a year under government plans to cut pollution, Michael Gove is to announce.

Launching a consultation on the proposals on Monday, the environment secretary will cite the success of the 5p charge on single-use plastic bags, which led to an 86% drop in their use at major supermarkets.

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Solar pushes wholesale prices into negative territory on two consecutive days in Queensland, highlighting changing shape of the grid.

The post Solar sends day-time prices negative in coal-dominated Queensland appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Combined output of Australia's large scale solar farms breaks through 1GW mark for first time.

The post Australia large scale solar output breaks through 1GW on Sunday appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Nauru is best known as a site of Australian offshore asylum detention. But everyone on the island - not just refugees - is struggling with the issue of environmental change that threatens their lives and homes. Anja Kanngieser, Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Former governor general Michael Jeffery says soil health and regenerative farming is essential for security and carbon emissions

From the red soil of his hometown in the Western Australian outback town of Wiluna, Michael Jeffery very nearly became a farmer.

He opted for being a soldier instead, serving in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam, where he was awarded the Military Cross and the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. After a distinguished military career, he served as governor of his home state of Western Australia and governor general of Australia – who represents the Queen, Australia’s head of state.

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Readers Eric Banks, Clare Hay, Michael Robinson, and Frances Middleton discuss the environmental and spiritual pros and cons of dishwashers

I have to take issue with Jo Steranka (How you can do your bit in the war against climate change, Letters, 18 October). Dishwashers are typically much more efficient than hand washing in terms of energy and water consumption. Research carried out by Christian Paul Richter (Usage of dishwashers: observation of consumer habits in the domestic environment, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 2011) on 200 households in Germany, Italy, Sweden and Britain, found that households with a dishwasher used on average 50% less water and 28% less energy per cleaned item than households that didn’t own a dishwasher. Even so, a higher degree of sustainability was identified because 20% of dishwasher cycles were not fully utilised and 52% operated at a temperature that was higher than necessary.

Furthermore, Jo Steranka states that “opinion pieces don’t help if they don’t offer practical solutions”; er, has she tried digging up a paved garden? Getting around a city (that isn’t London) without a car? Not buying new clothes until the old ones wear out? Get real, Jo! (Although I do agree about buying local produce and turning off the lights at bedtime – are there people who don’t?)

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A scheme at one Leeds’ CitiPark hopes to encourage recycling by giving motorists a 20p parking voucher for every bottle they bring in

It seems a great idea: take plastic bottles along to a car park to recycle, help rid the world of plastic pollution and get money off the cost of parking. This is the scheme running at the Leeds Merrion Centre CitiPark. For a month-long trial period, the company will collect every plastic bottle of at least 500ml brought into the car park. The bottle will be recycled and the motorist will get a 20p car parking voucher for each one. The process itself is quite straightforward: hand them to the attendant for a discount before paying. But will it catch on?

“It’s been going really well,” says parking attendant Richard Bedford. “One chap came in with 30 bottles. He only needed 15 to pay for his parking, so he’s bringing the rest back next week.” Apart from such isolated success stories, though, the car park isn’t exactly besieged by bottle-laden motorists when I arrive. Bedford estimates an average day’s take at 10 to 20 bottles, but behind him is a full crate, and he says hundreds have been recycled so far.

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Newly digitised pictures shine light on the first British reconnaissance trip to Everest, in 1921.