Any outreach
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 …
A recent piece in the Insights section of CIWM’s Circular Online journal has the intriguing title, Does the Circular Economy give you the ick? The article, by Trewin Restorick of Sizzle Innovation, makes the point that while many sources talk up public enthusiasm for the circular economy, there is genuine …
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 …
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 …
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 …
The Independent Water Commission’s Review of the Water Sector in England and Wales, released on 21 July, may have produced less public furore than anticipated – in part as many of its recommendations targeted the regulators rather than the water companies. But there are signs that another sectoral issue may …
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 …
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, …
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 …
Researchers in Japan have discovered a species of bacteria that parasitises a methanogen with a key role in anaerobic digestion. This is the first time such bacterium-on-archaeon parasitism has been observed. The bacterium was isolated in a two-strain co-culture with host archaeon Methanospirillum hungatei. The source was digestate from a …
For some summer holiday entertainment, why not try this game on friends and family? Think you’ve got what it takes to save a city’s water supply from a major pollution event? Step into our virtual escape room, Contamination Crisis, and race against the clock to crack 10 water science and …
Survey call-out! Can you support the Green Stories Project by answering a short impact survey? This kind of research helps the Project to get funding and makes all the difference to running new projects and competitions. If you have been influenced by reading any of the books, or as writer …
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 …
We are posting a lot on PFAS and related issues at present, reflecting the level of activity in this area. Dr Tao Lyu, who leads EBNet’s PFAS WG, gave a presentation on Treatment wetlands as nature-based solutions in managing emerging micropollutants: PFAS and beyond at the European Wastewater Management Conference …
Clear signs of another drubbing coming for the UK water companies, with an item on today’s BBC News website headlined Serious water pollution incidents up 60% in England. The piece, by BBC correspondent Esme Stallard, shows the Environment Agency, Public Accounts Committee, Secretary of State for the Environment, NGOs and …
