In June 1997, representatives of Thermax Limited of India--N.D. Joshi, director for Research and Development in the Waste Management Division, and L. Venkateswaran, General Manager of the Water Treatment Division-- participated in a US-AEP Environmental Business Exchange to learn more about the technologies of electro-coagulation and fluidized bed systems for industrial and possibly municipal water treatment applications. Site visits included: Global Water (Aurora, Colorado), American Environmental Systems (Boulder, Colorado), Environmental Water Systems (Northglenn, Colorado), Vortex Water Systems (Denver, Colorado), Ozone Processes Inc. (San Diego, California), Environmental Technology Group (Las Vegas, Nevada), and MSE Technology Applications (Fairfax Station, Virginia). As a result of the exchange, Thermax has developed a business relationship with Ozone Processes Inc. Thermax has sent effluent samples for laboratory analysis to Ozone Processes and signed a collaborative technology transfer agreement with Ozone which will include copyright fees, reimbursement for lab tests, and royalties on all sales.

More than 15,000 water quality and wastewater treatment professionals participated in WEFTEC'97--the Water Environment Federation (WEF) 70th Annual Conference and Exhibition--held in Chicago, Illinois, on October 18-22. About 150 delegates from 10 Asian countries attended the event under the auspices of US-AEP's Overseas Program Fund, a grants program carried out by the National Assocation of State Development Agencies (NASDA). Throughout the week, NASDA facilitated more than 600 one-on-one meetings with U.S. companies and a full day of technical site tours for the Asian delegates. Preliminary feedback indicates numerous potential commercial opportunities. US-AEP further supported the conference by participating at seminars and workshops that focused on doing business in Asia. WEF's one-day workshop, "Infrastructure Needs Equal Business Opportunities in Asia," attracted 90 attendees. Speakers included, among others, US-AEP's founding director Lewis P. Reade and US-AEP's former director of Environmental Infrastructure, Peter Gourlay, now with CNA. At each workshop and seminar, industry representatives and service providers commended US-AEP for being at the forefront in helping the U.S. environmental industry penetrate the emerging Asian markets. US-AEP heightened its exposure by displaying the US-AEP booth at the WEFTEC exhibition and interacting with exhibitors and companies.

As part of a US-AEP Environmental Business Exchange, five leading members of the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand and Swine Raiser Cooperative Federation Ltd. visited the United States from September 21-October 3, to learn about swine farm pollution prevention and clean technology. The participants represent every swine-producing region in Thailand through these associations, and their visit is indicative of the interest of the Thai government and the swine raiser associations in addressing swine waste management. During site visits and meetings with U.S. companies, the delegation discussed swine waste management technologies and practices, as well as the opportunity for joint collaboration in establishing a pilot biogas generation project. Participating U.S. companies included: Aeromix Inc. (Minneapolis, Minnesota); Kohler Co. (Sheboygan, Wisconsin); A.O. Smith Harvestor (DeKalb, Illinois); Agri-Bio Systems Inc. (Elgin, Illinois); and Silk Roads, Ltd. (San Francisco, California). In addition, the delegation visited the newly established Poultry and Livestock Waste Management Center at North Carolina State University; discussed ISO 14000 implications for the agricultural production sector with Environmental Management Systems (Bethesda, Maryland); attended a Swine Symposium sponsored by the University of Minnesota; and discussed the US-AEP-initiated Environmental Center for Livestock Waste Management being established in Taiwan.The Thai group plans to build a pilot biogas generation project on one of its farms in the next year and will continue to advise the Thai government on cost-efficient, clean methods of swine waste management. This Environmental Business Exchange program was facilitated by the Institute of International Education.

On October 21, the Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF), a US-AEP partner organization, held a conference and awards ceremony celebrating technology innovations. Attending the event in Crystal City, Virginia, were representatives from major engineering, design, and consulting firms. Keynote speakers included Bruce C. Coles, Chair of CERF's Board of Directors and CEO and president of LAW Companies Group, Inc., and George F. Will, syndicated columnist and author. Participants attended a series of training sessions ranging from "identifying how technology innovations can be put into practice" to "how to think outside the box." Julie Haines, Managing Director of US-AEP's Clean Technology and Environmental Management component (CTEM) took part in the day's activities. CERF's "state of the industry" reports, commissioned by US-AEP/CTEM, were distributed and well-received.

From May 1995 to September 1997, US-AEP's Environmental Exchange Program (EEP), under the management of the Institute of International Education (IIE), conducted 31 fellowships, 588 business exchanges, and 1,165 technical exchanges, involving a total of almost 1,800 individuals. Among those countries with the highest participation in EEP activities were Thailand (384 participants), India (331), Indonesia (221), Philippines (220), Taiwan (159), and Korea (157). U.S. states that have been most active in hosting EEP events include California (7 fellowships and 190 business exchanges), Washington, D.C. (13 fellowships and 152 business exchanges), and Illinois (7 fellowships and 110 business exchanges).

...Jim Woodcock, who joins US-AEP as the new Urban Environment Infrastructure Representative in Indonesia. Jim holds a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford and an M.A. in Economics with an emphasis on natural resource economics from Thammasat University, Bangkok. Jim previously served as a Consultant Economist, where he provided representational and consultant services to numerous government and private sector institutions, and as Vice President/Manager for URS International/Trans-Asia Engineering Associates, Indonesia. At present, Jim can be reached at 62-21-344-2211, ext. 2480 or via e-mail at Vicki MacDonald's old e-mail address (vimacdonald@usaid.gov). His new e-mail account (jwoodcock@usaid.gov) will be active in a couple of weeks.

...Alex Izadpanah, who starts on October 27 as Environmental Engineer with the Environmental Technology Network for Asia. Alex holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and a masters' degree in environmental engineering from the University of Maryland. He joins ETNA after eight years with HBI, Inc., an engineering firm in Virginia that performs environmental assessments and surveys of commercial buildings and industrial sites.