Indonesia holds first
National Cleaner Production Roundtable.
US-AEP's newest partner, the
National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR), met this week with
Indonesian leaders of industry, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
academia, and government to assist in the formation of Asia's first
pollution prevention/cleaner production roundtable. This meeting laid the
framework for the development of Indonesia's National Cleaner Production
Roundtable over the next year. One of the keynote speakers was Kasru Susilo,
an official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Susilo, who participated
in two NPPR conferences in the United States under the support of US-AEP and
USAID's Environmental Pollution Prevention Project (EP3), has been a driving
force behind the creation of the Roundtable. Other scheduled speakers
included: Emil Salim, former Minister of the Environment for Indonesia;
Tungki Ariwibowo, Minister of Industry and Trade; Sofjan Tsauri, head of the
Institute of Indonesian Sciences; and Surna Djajadiningat, Assistant to the
Minister of the Environment. Natalie Roy, Executive Director of NPPR, and
Kevin MacDonald, NPPR's Technical Coordinator for International Development,
also participated in the meeting. The formation of Indonesia's Roundtable is
part of a US- AEP/NPPR program that promotes cleaner production concepts,
technologies, equipment, and education throughout Asia.
US-AEP facilitates
$496 million in environmental infrastructure contracts.
As of December 1996, US-AEP confirmed the award of Asian environmental
infrastructure projects valued at $496.7 million that involved US companies.
This reflects 17 separate contracts, including 14 service contracts and 3
project consortia led by US firms, that were a direct result of US-AEP
tracking and counseling.
Arizona-Taiwan
partnership matches needs with expertise.
The Arizona-Taiwan Environmental Initiative, led by Arizona State
University, received a US-AEP
State Environmental Initiative
grant in August 1995. As result of the initiative, there is clear
evidence that the products and expertise of Arizona environmental companies
will have a positive impact on the Taiwanese environment. For example, one
Arizona firm is introducing a product that will help Taiwanese firms clean
up their wastewater discharge. Another is introducing alternatives to toxic
pesticides that will begin to make positive changes in groundwater in
agricultural areas. The State Environmental Initiative program encourages
the formation of public-private partnerships to achieve the long-term
transfer of US environmental experience and technology to targeted Asian
countries. The program is implemented by the Council of State Governments.
Colorado company
introduces oil spill cleanup technology to India.
Sea Sweep, Inc. of Denver, Colorado was awarded a US-AEP
Environmental Technology
Fund grant to demonstrate and market its patented oil spill clean-up
product in India. This product is a water repellent sorbent with the
capacity to absorb 3 to 4 times its own weight of oils and chemicals. There
is growing demand for oil spill cleanup technology in India due to the
increased number of planned oil drilling activities. After identifying
potential clients, the Colorado firm will select three regional Indian
distributors to market its product. Sea Sweep, Inc. is being sponsored by
the World Trade Center Denver. US-AEP's Environmental Technology Fund is
administered by the National
Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA).
US Trade
Representative briefs ACEC firms.
The American Consulting Engineers
Council (ACEC), as part of its International Roundtable Luncheon Series,
hosted Geoff Jackson, the US Trade and Development Agency (TDA) Regional
Director for Asia and the Pacific and Richard Abizaid, TDA Project Director
for Thailand and Indonesia in December. Jackson briefed twelve of ACEC's
member firms on his recent travels to the region and discussed environmental
infrastructure project opportunities. He also requested ACEC members to
provide support in identifying commercially viable project opportunities in
the region that could be funded and developed jointly with the private
sector. Jackson and Angelo Iasiello of ACEC are investigating possible
collaborative efforts between TDA and US-AEP.
US-AEP on the Web.
Since US-AEP went online in September 1995, we have received 33,763
visitors! That's an average of 71 per day! The number of visitors per month
in 1996 steadily increased -- from 613 in January to 4366 in December.
Inquiries from commercial accounts top the list at 26% and non-profit
organizations account for 18% of the hits. More and more visitors are coming
from Asia, especially Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Welcome to. . .
. . . Kamran Akhtar, who joined US-AEP January 6, 1997, as the new
director of US-AEP's Office of Technology Cooperation in Taipei, Taiwan.
Kamran, who holds a masters' degree in Environmental Sciences, Public Policy
and the Law, previously served as legislative assistant to US Senator Frank
Murkowski (Alaska) and policy analyst for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration of the US Department of Commerce.
. . . and welcome back to Laura Ward, US-AEP/TSSC communications intern,
who is on semester break from the Thunderbird School of International
Management in Glendale, Arizona. Laura provided valuable assistance to the
communications team last summer and will now be working on a travelers' tips
guide, sector activity reports, and an environmental infrastructure article
for a trade publication.
A temporary
farewell to. . .
. . . Meaghan Conte, who will be on six-month sabbatical from the
National Association of State
Development Agencies, beginning January 15, 1997. Meaghan plans to
complete her masters' degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, Maryland. We look forward to her return in July. In her
absence, please contact Julie Pike (Domestic grants) or Amy Schwiderski
(Overseas Program Fund grants) via phone or fax for information on
US-AEP's Environmental
Technology Fund. Please do not use the e-mail address for NASDA.
