In Mumbai, India, USAID Administrator Brian Atwood gave the keynote address at a September 29-30 seminar on Environmental Risk Management for Bankers, while the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank opened the inaugural session. Approximately 70 people were present for the seminar kickoff and represented commercial, development, state and cooperative banks, as well as the press. Forty-four registered participants stayed through the two days. The seminar's objective--to integrate environmental risk into banks' overall risk framework--was addressed through topics including environmental risk identification, appraisal, and control; transfer and monitoring; and requirements for environmental risk management policy. Participants found the presentations "excellent" and were fascinated by examples of actual environmental costs passed on to bankers. Many attendees were able, for the first time, to link losses to the lack of evaluating environmental risk in standard loan practices.

A similar half-day roundtable was held in New Delhi on October 1, where 27 industry and bank representatives discussed how to determine an appropriate balance of environmental responsibility among banking, industry, and government. The seminars in Mumbai and New Delhi were the final seminars in a series of four which were conducted by The Bank of America along with the Indian Bankers Association and the Confederation of Indian Industries, in coordination with USAID/India and US-AEP.

Through US-AEP's Overseas Program Fund, more than 80 Asian food processing professionals-- representing Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan--attended the International Exposition for Food Processors (IEFP), held October 13-16 in Las Vegas, Nevada. IEFP, which featured more than 1,000 food processing and packaging vendors, provided the Asian delegates with several opportunities to learn about waste minimization and clean technology. In addition to attending the expo, where US-AEP's booth was on display, the Asian delegation participated in three days of clean technology seminars put on by the Food Processing Machinery & Supplies Association, as well as one-on-one meetings with U.S. suppliers. The delegates also visited the Ethel M Chocolates factory in nearby Henderson, Nevada, where the facility's wastewater is purified using a "Living Machine" designed and built by Living Technologies of Burlington, Vermont. The process mimics natural purification, providing microbes, plants, snails, and fish to feast on the bacteria. The result: water that is clean enough for landscape irrigation. In fact, Ethel M uses part of the water to irrigate an adjacent three-acre cactus garden. US-AEP's Overseas Program Fund is managed by the National Association of State Development Agencies.

The American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) promoted its international program, developed with US-AEP assistance, during its Fall Conference, held October 2-4, 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah. More than 75 engineering firms, some of them small-to-medium sized, visited ACEC's international booth to discuss international opportunities. Twenty firms benefited from extensive one-on-one counseling. Many companies at the conference expressed the need and necessity to look beyond U.S. borders and traditional markets in order to find work. Some engineering firms are pursuing their international endeavors through acting solely as subcontractors, others through U.S. government contracts, and still others via privately funded projects. However, every firm emphasized the need for timely project information and/or partnering opportunities as the key to their ability to pursue and win work. Consequently, at its international booth ACEC highlighted its project and partnering lead e-mail system (The Inside Track), a network that enables U.S. firms to make contacts, find project/partnering opportunities, and develop solid contracts within the Asia region. As a result of the conference, ACEC believes its highest priority in the coming months is to gather information from the US-AEP project network so that all parties may benefit.

US-AEP's textile and apparel expert, Suzanne Young, presented on the topic of "Cost Comparisons - Green, Clean, Recycled" during the US-AEP co-sponsored workshop on "Green Design," held in Hong Kong, September 22-25, 1997. The first half of her presentation focused on the cost advantages of green production in the textile industry. According to Young, "clean considerations during the initial design stages result in win-win-win-win situations for the buyer, the supplier, the consumer, and the environment." Later, she used Patagonia's Environmental Analysis matrix tool, which ranks five product categories against an ideal, to demonstrate how designers can identify opportunities and create truly environmentally sound products. The participants then had to plan a specific product and evaluate it using this tool. Attending the workshop were apparel designers and managers from Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The regional workshop was a collaborative effort of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institute of Clothing and Textiles and US-AEP--through its Clean Technology and Environmental Management initiative, Environmental Exchange Program, and Hong Kong Office of Technology Cooperation--with support and assistance from Business for Social Responsibility, Hong Kong Trade and Development Council, Hong Kong Productivity Council, and the bleaching and dyeing industry.

In September, US-AEP coordinated two highly successful events in Chennai, India, that resulted in substantial media coverage and several trade leads: "Environmental Management in Chemical and Petrochemical Industries," held September 13, attracted more than 120 participants from throughout India and heightened US-AEP's visibility in South India's media. The seminar was co-sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Mumbai-based Chemtech Foundation. Key speakers included US-AEP/US EPA Action Team members, Craig Haas and Lauri Ferris, who discussed "Environmental Auditing in Chemical and Petrochemical Industries" and "Air Emission Characteristics," respectively. In addition, US-AEP/India Tech Rep Kevin Bricknell spoke on "Solid Waste Management." The September 15 seminar on Clean Technology Environment Management, organized by the Madras Productivity Council, also generated press coverage and resulted in several trade leads for U.S. environmental technology companies. Tech Reps Kevin Bricknell and Sundaresan Subramanian, along with other local experts, provided faculty support for the select audience of manufacturing companies, consultants, and professionals.

Alma Madrazo, US-AEP/Philippines, is actively marketing US-AEP programs and services: On September 23, Madrazo spoke about US-AEP's perspective on the "Polluter Pays Principle" during an environmental management seminar at the University of Asia and the Pacific. Participants in the seminar included representatives from government, academia and nongovernment organizations, as well as individuals holding strategic positions in industry (environmental managers, operations managers, pollution control officers). On September 2-3, 1997, US-AEP/Manila co-sponsored the 1997 "Philippine International Wastewater Treatment Congress and Exhibition", where Madrazo had a booth displaying US-AEP publications. At the same event, the Water Environment Association of the Philippines (WEAP) shared a booth with the newly formed Philippine Section of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA). Both WEAP and A&WMA/Philippines are professional organizations organized under the guidance of US-AEP's Office of Technology Cooperation in Manila. More than 250 participants attended the Congress and several trade leads were generated in the process. On August 8, 1997, Madrazo delivered a paper entitled "Philippine Agenda 21: A National Agenda for Sustainable Development" and served as reactor during the 2nd Technical Session of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers meeting on August 8, 1997. The event was attended by 75 engineers in charge of operations and environmental management in their respective companies.