Anna Gohman

The Fifth Estate • August 17 2026

Bega Valley's circular economy ambitions point to smart economics, but the reality is tough

For decades, traditional economics framed environmental and social efforts as voluntary, “do-good” expenses. Now, as the climate crisis threatens supply chains, government regulations tighten, and consumer preferences shift, corporate economic security is tied to environmentalism.

One company leading the corporate green transition is the Australian-owned food and beverage company, Bega Group (formerly known as Bega Cheese).
At Bega Valley on the New South Wales south coast,  Bega Group is worki...

The Fifth Estate • July 16 2026

The city that won’t wait until 2050

After a deadly heat wave exposed the limits of long-term climate planning, Paris is accelerating urban redesign through greener streets, cooler buildings and climate-resilient neighbourhoods.

Across much of the world, political inertia and direct opposition to climate action have led governments to scale back emissions targets, delay investments, and unwind environmental policies. Paris, however, is charting a different course.
Following March’s municipal mayoral election, the city known for it...

The Fifth Estate • July 9 2026

Regional Orange gets its first 6 Star Green Star community rating

A joint initiative by Landcom and Orange City Council will set a new sustainability benchmark, combining net zero ready, all electric homes with water-sensitive urban design, affordable housing, and biodiversity protection. The project is leveraging its location, designed on a water catchment site, to boost green development goals and meet environmental, regulatory, and structural challenges that frequently restrict development in the area.

Around 300 new homes in Orange, New South Wales, are s...

The Fifth Estate • July 8 2026

Beyond the green bin: rethinking food waste in multi-unit dwellings

More than 530 tonnes of food scraps from apartments are set to be diverted from landfills under a $4 million trial funded by the South East Queensland Council of Mayors and participating local councils.

The Multi-Unit Dwellings (MUDS) Food Organics Pilot Program aims to use a mix of on-site processing technology and community-based collection methods to divert the equivalent of about 100 garbage trucks’ worth of food waste for recycling into compost, fertiliser, and renewable energy. Methods wi...

The Fifth Estate • July 3 2026

Regional projects and regenerative design redefine excellence at NSW Architecture Awards

The New South Wales Architecture Awards announced this year’s most outstanding new architecture, setting industry benchmarks for design excellence, sustainability, and social impact.

Jury Chair Bill Tsakalos said that a “striking takeaway” from the awards was “the number of regional projects that have achieved recognition at the highest level,” which did so through sustainable methods.
Tsakalos also honoured an Australian spirit in the award cohort.

“This year’s awarded projects confirm that A...

The Fifth Estate • July 2 2026

EVs are hot but where’s the workforce?

EV sales are at record highs, but there’s an emerging and serious shortage of independent workshops, skilled technicians, training and infrastructure needed to support them. Training courses that exist are booked out.

While government incentives backed an unprecedented surge in EV sales in the 12 months to 2023, when annual market share first broke the 5 per cent barrier, support has failed to keep pace with consumer demand, independent workshops have scrambled to source parts, and electrician...

The Fifth Estate • June 25 2026

What we found out about the gas tax it’s not good

There’s a lot of misdirection – to say the least – about the tax that Australia extracts from its big extraction industry of gas. The industry has been advertising strongly to turn public support its way. But what’s the truth? Here’s what we found.

Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), yet the profits from this multibillion dollar sector remain a source of debate as the nation collects a far smaller percentage of this resource wealth in taxes and roya...

The Fifth Estate • June 23 2026

TerraCycle expects growth in corporate recycling as regulations start to bite

TerraCycle has been in Australia for 12 years and has notched up 2500 public drop off locations for the products it recycles. Now it’s aiming at the corporate sector for the next tranche of its growth as regulations push the sector to better behaviour.

Industries are showing growing interest in sustainable operations, and TerraCycle, which specialises in hard-to-recycle waste, hopes to play a part in the corporate green transition in the sector.
When we last spoke to TerraCycle in 2021, the com...

The Fifth Estate • June 18 2026

ACT Architecture Award winners lead in sustainable and socially conscious architecture

The Australian Capital Territory Architecture Awards this year landed on community co-design, environmental responsibility, and adaptive reuse as key for winning entrants.

The awards by the Australian Institute of Architects consist of a panel of five industry experts and architects selected 25 winners and special honours recipients that revealed a deep commitment to sustainability, with climate-conscious design extending beyond the sustainable architecture category.
North Wright Compact Housin...

The Fifth Estate • June 18 2026

Inside Futurebuild: The materials, technologies and ideas shaping the next era of building

The Fifth Estate dropped into Futurebuild Australia in Sydney last week to have a chat with some of the more sustainable exhibitors on show for our newfound plaything of video interviews. See below for some of the clips. We also checked in with the panel discussion on passive house, to make sure we caught any new insights after our own Passive House Debate last month.

The exhibition and conference event at Sydney’s International Convention Centre, the building, construction, and development ind...

The Fifth Estate • June 17 2026

WA Architecture Awards 2026 winners reveal a new era of resource conscious design

The future of architecture is doing more with less, as winners of Western Australia’s 2026 Architecture Awards find innovative solutions to address affordability concerns and industry constraints.

A peer-reviewed jury assembled by the Australian Institute of Architects selected 35 projects likely to pioneer the future of the built environment through dematerialisation, adaptive reuse, and minimising footprints.
Jury chair Peter Hobbs said the primary commonalities across all categories were sus...

The Fifth Estate • June 16 2026

The biggest oil crisis in history is now the biggest wake up call

Thanks to the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a passageway for oil, renewables have gained recognition as safer, less volatile alternatives to fossil fuels. They look poised to usher in a green transition.

Before the Middle East conflict, around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flowed through the Strait of Hormuz.
As the Iran war drags on past the 100-day mark on Sunday, there are signs, but no guarantee, that it is now over. Regardless, the world is moving to secure al...

The Fifth Estate • June 9 2026

China’s green infrastructure boom is transforming deserts and is now equal to the world’s eight biggest economies

The global green infrastructure market is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of roughly 19.6 per cent, according to HTF Market Insights. Currently spearheading this $5 trillion market and holding a near-monopoly on the production of the foundational technologies required for the green transition is China.

For China, green technology is more than an environmental concern; its implementation is an economic imperative backed by a combination of aggressive state planning, massive capital in...

The Emerald Review • May 2 2026

The New Climate Reality: Inside March’s Unprecedented Weather Extremes

March has frequently been a month of weather extremes. As winter transitions to spring, contrasting air masses clash within an atmospheric battleground of low-pressure systems and a powerful jet stream. In the past, the month’s notorious unpredictability has earned it a place in popular folklore characterized by catchy proverbs like “in like a lion, out like a lamb” and cautioned against by the famous warnings of Julius Caesar, urging to “Beware the Ides of March.” However,  this past month was...

The Daily Free Press • April 27 2026

Boston’s new 2030 Climate Action Plan targets 50% emissions reduction, carbon neutrality by 2050

Mayor Michelle Wu announced Boston’s 2030 Climate Action Plan Monday, which aims to cut Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. 
The plan, which is a collaborative effort between Boston businesses and institutions, seeks to build decarbonization, improve access to sustainable transportation, invest in coastal resilience and expand green workforce development.
Boston is currently on track to cut emissions by 48%, Wu said at the East Boston community ev...

The Daily Free Press • April 22 2026

‘One Sun, One Earth, One People’: Faith communities and activists rally for climate action

Climate activists gathered at the Boston Common Sunday for the “One Sun, One Earth, One People” Earth Day celebration aimed at promoting renewable energy and immediate climate action. 
The rally, organized by faith-based activism group Boston Interfaith Climate Allies, or BICA, aimed to unite diverse communities for a “sacred celebration,” according to the organizations’ website. 
Following the rally at Boston Common, a brass band and choir led attendees to the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, wher...

The Daily Free Press • April 1 2026

COM dean addresses Epstein correspondence, apologizes for delay in providing students with transparency

Marietta DiChristina, dean of Boston University’s College of Communication, directly addressed students Tuesday for the first time since The Daily Free Press published a Feb. 4 article about DiChristina’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein. DiChristina explained her connection to Epstein and apologized for the delay in transparency.
The “Conversations with the Dean” event, which was attended by less than 10 students, came after nearly two months of requests from the BU community for transparenc...

The Daily Free Press • March 31 2026

BREAKING: Zara Larsson to headline spring concert, BU student, solo artist Enrico voted as opener

A Boston University Student Government official announced on Instagram Monday night that Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson will be the headliner for “RhettRockz,” StuGov’s spring concert and “first student-built festival” taking place May 3 at Agganis Arena.
The Instagram story came shortly after StuGov’s Battle of the Bands, a competition between student solo and group acts to decide the concert’s opener. When the event concluded, Cian Moss, event emcee and StuGov co-director of engagement...

The Daily Free Press • March 25 2026

‘Not Good Enough’: Boston City Council hearing amplifies student and faculty concerns demanding transparency from university administrations

Students and faculty from Northeastern University and Boston University testified in a call for transparency, student representation and academic freedoms in higher education during a Boston City Council hearing Monday.
Councilor Julia Mejia and Councilor Miniard Culpepper introduced the hearing over concerns about “the lack of transparency” from university administration on issues that impact students, including the cutting and rebranding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and federal...

The Daily Free Press • March 20 2026

Watchdog or risk? Massachusetts’s launch of the ICE reporting portal faces skepticism over safety and effectiveness

Amid accounts of unlawful actions by federal immigration agents in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell last Friday introduced the “ICE Misconduct Portal,” a website aimed at gathering, tracking and analyzing reports of abuse by agents.
While student Democrat leaders said they support the idea behind the portal, they expressed hesitation about its use and effectiveness.
The portal allows Massachusetts residents to submit photos, videos and written reports of unla...

The Daily Free Press • March 5 2026

Rising housing costs leave students feeling ‘trapped’ as Massachusetts ranks second in the nation for cost of living

As Boston enters peak rental market season, students seeking off-campus housing this spring are running into high costs and limited availability — an unfortunate reality in Massachusetts, recently ranked the second-most expensive state to live in by Forbes.
The report, which measures cost of living by analyzing essential household expenses — including housing, transportation and food — paints a bleak picture for Boston residents, with Massachusetts ranked fourth highest for rental costs, third h...

The Daily Free Press • February 25 2026

City council passes resolution to continue funding Fare-Free Bus Program, discusses emergency policies for the homeless

The Boston City Council passed a resolution to continue funding the MBTA’s fare-free bus program and introduced an order for a hearing to examine weather emergency policies for unhoused individuals during its Wednesday meeting. 
Proposed by Councilor Enrique Pepén and co-sponsored by Councilor Miniard Culpepper, the fare-free bus program resolution ensures continued funding for the program until at least June. 
The program, implemented on routes 23, 28 and 29 and serving areas of Dorchester, Mat...

The Emerald Review • February 8 2026

From Hype to Reality: The Future of Insect Protein

When the insect protein industry emerged in the 2010s, it was met with an overwhelming sense of excitement over its potential as a healthy and sustainable food source. Within the decade, venture capital tracking sites identified over 100 insect protein startups, each championing insects as the ideal alternative to animal and human food.


However, the past 4 years have proved otherwise. As the hype faded, the realities of high costs, investor pressure, competition, and operational challenges ha...