Category: <span>Outreach</span>

What is Environmental Biotechnology? A Venn diagram approach

Another post picking out what we hope are some interesting points from the recent paper on ‘What is Environmental Biotechnology?’. The motive is in part that it’s very long, and we don’t believe many people will persevere through the whole thing: one reader kindly but accurately compared the literature review …

Green Stories – our picks for December 2025

Each month this item highlights selected stories from our Green Stories: Microbes to the Rescue anthology, equivalent to about 30 mins listening in the Audiobook version. The anthology is also available as a free eBook on the Resources page. This month’s suggestions are: Chapter 9:  It’s the little things that matter …

Global Environmental Outlook – launched 9 Dec 2025

‘The circular bioeconomy is directly linked to environmental systems and is essential for the sustainable use of biological resources’, states the seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), a major UN report launched on 9 December 2025. The report highlights that circular economy and biobased solutions hold key opportunities to align economic …

NBIC additions

Two new items from the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) in its Biofilm 2025 Week. The results of the Biofilm Create! 2025 Competition were announed   –  and are just as impressive as we have come to expect. And a new Blog Series Beyond the Biofilm has launched, spotlighting researchers driving …

Bleeding to death? HoL Science & Technology Committee report

There have been numerous recent surveys, reports and editorials on the challenges facing new (bio)technologies for a more sustainable economy: some focusing on training and education to address the shortage of skilled and qualified people, others on facilities and funding for scale-up and implementation. But the prize for one of …

Green Story highlights – November 2025

Each month we showcase 2-3 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. November’s choices are: Chapter 8:  Microbial Intelligence by Jane Norris, UK  –  a short story told from a microbial …

AI 4AD & 4EDI?

Don’t miss this wonderful short presentation by Angela Bywater, originally prepared for the 2024 Trade Show of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA).  Angie, who is an ADBA Board Member, was asked to give a talk on Women in Biogas.   This is a subject on which she has wide …

PFAS enforcement notices in UK drinking water supplies

A BBC News item reports that seven UK water companies have been issued with enforcement notices requiring them to take action on potentially harmful concentrations of PFAS ‘Forever chemicals’ in water supplies to an estimated 6 million people. The cases were identified through analysis of Freedom of Information requests to …

Rags to riches, muck to brass?  Waste Crime finally hits the news

The UK’s huge problem with waste crime  –  the illegal and dangerous disposal of waste materials  –  is finally attracting some attention:  see BBC News, other media and responses from bodies such as CIWM, Environment Agency etc. A short report from the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee …