Category: <span>Outreach</span>

September 2025 – Green Stories selection

Each month we are showcasing selected stories from our Green Stories: Microbes to the Rescue anthology, equivalent to about 30 mins in the Audiobook version. The anthology is also available as a free eBook on the Resources page. The first two have a futuristic flavour: Chapter 15:  Future Tree by Nick Sidwell, UK – environmental biotechnology …

Joint call to promote nutrients in the EU Circular Economy Act

The European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) is inviting organisations to sign a letter calling for ambitious targets for nutrients in the EU’s Circular Economy Act. Sustainable nutrient supply and management is a critical issue for many regions, with several countries including the UK currently reviewing associated regulations: any further developments …

Blooming algae again

Two years ago algal blooms in Lough Neagh, the UK’s largest freshwater lake, were so severe they caught international attention. Plans were drawn up and debated, but now it looks like the issue is firmly back in the news. Dr Les Gornall, an expert in Anaerobic Digestion and animal slurries …

Organic Waste Feedstocks for Bioenergy and Biorefinery production

Two recent reports by IEA Bioenergy’s Task 43 add to the literature on assessing and tracking the availability of biomass feedstocks for production of bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts. The Review of feedstock supply for bioenergy in selected IEA Bioenergy member countries aims to define and inform a structured framework for …

Bird Life

Today is a public holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so a quirky item that may interest bird lovers seems suitable… Brett Westwood is a radio presenter and author specialising in natural history, especially birds.  Angela Bywater, EBNet’s former Network Co-Manager who now manages the UK side of the …

Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts – UK/Canada Visit

The Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB) aims to develop environmentally and economically sustainable bio-derived composites and plastics, utilising waste biomass to replace petroleum and its derivatives. It started early this year, and is one of six worldwide Global Bioeconomy Centers which will run for 5 years with funding from …

Exploring environmental biotechnology as a field – UK AsSIT presentation

A new video presents the results of a small study carried out by EBNet’s Environmental Biotechnology and Social Sciences WG (EBSS), led by Prof Adrian Ely of the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex. The work aimed to explore the past, present and future of environmental …

EA Statement and CIWEM Podcast on Nature-based solutions

The Environment Agency’s new Position Paper on Nature-Based Solutions is the starting point for an episode in the Planet Possible podcast series, featuring Helen Wakeham, the EA’s Director of Water, and Mark Lloyd, CEO of the Rivers Trust.  A wide-ranging discussion includes the challenges presented by lack of performance data, …

Summer listening or reading – Green Stories for August 2025

Each month we are highlighting selected stories from our Green Stories: Microbes to the Rescue anthology, equivalent to about 30 mins in the Audiobook version. The anthology is also available as a free eBook on the Resources page. This month’s choices are: Chapter 5:  What Any Fool Can Do by Vienna O’Shea, UK  –  a tale …

Cunliffe Review

The Independent Water Commission’s Review of the Water Sector in England and Wales was released on 21 July 2025, but the public response has been more muted than some anticipated (see Prepare for a drubbing). In part this may be because, while the report recognises that all parties involved bear …