US-AEP developing multi-media
policy presentation tool.
One of US-AEP's major priorities is to promote among Asian governments
the adoption of policies that foster investment in cleaner technologies and
production processes. To support this objective, US-AEP is developing a
multi-media presentation directed toward top-ranking policy makers in the
Asian region. The presentation will be used as a tool for building awareness
of the environmental threats of projected high industrial growth and the
opportunities to avoid these threats with appropriate policies. This
computer-based tool will provide graphical projections of the long-term
economic and environmental consequences of alternative industrial
development and environmental policies. It is being designed to be
interactive, to enable policy makers to examine alternatives in which they
have particular interest. Development of the presentation tool, managed by ~LINK~John
Butler (director of US-AEP Policy/Framework), is expected to be complete by
early summer.
Business exchange results in $200K sale
for Argonne Lab.
In response to regulations and policies issued by India's Ministry of
Environment and Forests, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has
stipulated that proper waste management facilities be provided for
industrial estates. To help Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL)
comply with these regulations, US-AEP sponsored a one-week business exchange
for David Maloney, Assistant to the General Manager of Argonne National
Laboratory (Illinois). As a result of the December 10-17 exchange, Argonne
was selected to provide environmental consulting expertise and
architectural/engineering work for the development of IPCL's Baroda
Petrochemical Complex and the expansion of the Ghandar Petrochemical
Complex. Argonne's contract awards total $200,000, while the total income
for all U.S. subcontractors selected by Argonne is estimated at $5 million.
This environmental business exchange was arranged under the auspices of the
US-AEP's
Indonesian seminar examines true value of
recycling.
US-AEPndonesia, in cooperation with the Indonesian Association of
Sanitary and Environmental Engineers, co-sponsored a half-day seminar on
post-consumer recycling on March 19. The seminar was attended by 100
participants from universities, private sector firms, and government
agencies, and featured a presentation by environmental economist Frank
Ackerman of Tufts University (Boston, Massachusetts). In Ackerman's new
book, Why Do We Recycle?, he examines the validity of economic mechanisms to
determine the true value of recycling. During the seminar, Ackerman
emphasized that policy makers must also address source reduction strategies
in developing sustainable solid waste management plans. Sujana Royat of the
Indonesia's National Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), who served as keynote
speaker, emphasized that fast growing urban populations are straining the
government's ability to provide basic public services. He noted that only 60
to 70 percent of Indonesians are serviced by solid waste management
programs. US-AEP Infrastructure Representative Mary Boomgard presented
opening remarks on behalf of US-AEP.
Grant leads to additional
Pennsylvania/Korea partnerships.
Through a State Environmental Initiative (SEI) grant, the state of
Pennsylvania is helping to prevent further degradation of Korea's water
resources and improve water quality. In September 1996, a team representing
the Department of Community and Economic Development, Environmental
Protection and Pennsylvania State University traveled to Korea to establish
appropriate contacts, assess the country's needs, develop a seminar series,
and identify opportunities for technology transfer. Since that trip, Penn
State has successfully engaged in a Memorandum of Understanding with the
grant's Korean partner, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology (KAIST), and under its guidance, developed a seminar series that
matches the educational needs of KAIST with the educational expertise of
Penn State. In partnership with the PennsylvaniaChamber of Business and
Industry, the team is identifying Pennsylvania's environmental technology
companies and creating a database. Currently, the Office of International
Business Development is reviewing the information to match Pennsylvania's
business capabilities with Korean needs. This information will form the
basis for the continued development of a reverse trade mission to
Pennsylvania. The SEI program is sponsored by US-AEPand the
Council of
State Governments.
Sri Lanka hosts ISO 14000 seminar.
A seminar on ISO 14000 is being held April 2 in Colombo Sri Lanka,
through the joint sponsorship of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, US-AEP,
USAID's Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Project (NAREPP), and
Lanka International Forum on Environment & Sustainable Development (LIFE).
Serving as keynote speakers are Azeez Mubarak and Ajith de Alwis,
participants at the US-AEP-sponsored Pacific Basin Conference on Hazardous
Waste and the two-day ISO 14000 training sessions held in Malaysia in
November 1996. K.P. Nyati, head of the Environment Management Division of
the Confederation of Indian Industry is also serving as a workshop leader.
The seminar is introducing ISO 14000 to Sri Lanka's private sector and will
demonstrate how compliance with such environmental management standards can
increase international competitiveness and improve access to lucrative
markets.
Welcome to...
...Christina Mudd, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University School
of Advanced International Studies, who joins the CTEM team of Louis Berger
as an intern. Christina is studying international economics with a
concentration in energy, environment, science & technology. Prior to
graduate school, she worked with the Maryland International Center as a
program manager coordinating international exchanges and training programs
for U.S. Information Agency, USAID, Trade Development Agency, and various
private institutions.
