ECLWM is a first-of-its-kind, international training and demonstration center on livestock waste management techniques in Asia. ECLWM�s goal is to address the pressing problem of managing livestock waste in Asia and the United States in both an environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner. ECLWM was established in 1997 by the National Pingtung University of Science & Technology (NPUST), a proven leader in the field of waste management, and a U.S. consortium of companies and universities led by the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP). An interagency program led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US-AEP works closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Rich Rominger, at a recent conference on animal residuals management in Crystal City, Virginia, on November 15, 1999, described the ECLWM as a "unique effort to create a "clean revolution" for the 21^st century�Some of the best minds in U.S. agricultural and civil engineering are donating their expertise. This could become a global model for tackling a 21^st century challenge that clearly knows no borders."

The ECLWM is a product of a unique public-private consortium of leading U.S. government agencies, companies and universities in the field of waste management. U.S. partners include US-AEP, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Iowa State University (ISU), North Carolina State University (NCSU), Oregon State University (OSU) and Purdue University (PU). The key U.S. industry partners who donated equipment and expertise to the ECLWM include Agri-Bio Systems, Inc., AO Smith Engineered Storage Products, Inc., Equipment Manufacturers Institute (EMI), Aeromix, Inc., BioWeb Inc., Insta-Pro Inc., RayDot Inc., OCECO and the Chicago Industrial Pump Company.

The ECLWM is not only a partnership between the United States and NPUST, but also a regional center which engages leading livestock-raising countries in Asia such as Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong. ECLWM programs include training and demonstrations for senior-level industry, government and university professionals, cutting-edge research, and pertinent publications. Housed on the 285-hectare campus at NPUST, the ECLWM�s facilities include a well-designed 80-seat classroom equipped with the latest audio-visual components, a laboratory for biochemical analysis of animal waste, and animal shelters with automatic equipment for feeding, ventilation and waste treatment.

The following people and organizations have donated their equipment and expertise to ECLWM:

Mr. Rick Jones, AO Smith, DeKalb, IL
Mr. Dick Pehrson, Bioweb, Inwood, NY
Mr. Doug Anderson, Aeromix, Minneapolis, MN
Mr. Ming-Jong Kiang, Insta-Pro, DesMoines, IA
Mr. Mike Glynn, Raydot, Cokato, MN
Ms. Rebecca Mason, OCECO, Tiffin, OH
Mr. Emmett Barker, Equipment Manufacturers Institute, Chicago, IL.
Mr. Matt Vetter, Chicago Industrial Pump Co., Chicago, IL
 

The three-day opening and conference will feature the following U.S. speakers and panelists:

Dr. Rich Vetter, Agri-bio Systems, Elgin, IL
Dr. Frank Humenik, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Dr. Ron Miner, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Dr. Alan Sutton, Purdue University, West Lafayette, ID
Dr. Krishna Pagilla, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Dr. Stewart Melvin, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Mr. Barry Kintzer, USDA, Washington DC
Dr. Richard Reynnells, USDA, Washington DC
Mr. Rick Jones, AO Smith, DeKalb, IL
Dr. Ming-Pi Mi, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Dr. Prince Dugba, Murphy Farms, Nevada, MO