The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in Thailand, which is currently designing and constructing six large municipal treatment plants, sent two top scientists to participate in a biosolids management study tour hosted by US-AEP�s California Environmental Partnership, August 15-29. BMA selected Mrs. Suthimol Kessomboon, Chief of Environment and Sanitation Section, and Ms. Sariporn Leemaharoungruang, Chief of Planning Sub Division, to participate in the two-week tour. Both women indicated that they received excellent briefings from the plants� biosolids managers about how to plan and manage an effective biosolids program. The tour included visits to nine municipal water pollution control plants (six of which also have land applications of the biosolids), two recycling facilities, one landfill, four composting operations, and one privately owned company that demonstrated its innovative dewatering technology. Ms. Mary Wilson, Technical Coordinator for the California Environmental Partnership, developed the study tour program with the assistance of US-AEP/Thailand Director J.D. Murphy, Dr. Teng-Chung Wu of the California Environmental Protection Agency�s (Cal/EPA) San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Mr. Suwan Sonkprasha of Cal/EPA�s Department of Toxic Substance Control. Logistical support and travel funding were provided by US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program, which is administered by the Institute of International Education.

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in collaboration with US-AEP/Sri Lanka held an ISO 14000 seminar on August 26 in Colombo. The seminar was sponsored by USAID's Technology Initiative of the Private Sector (TIPS) project, the National Development Bank (NDB)/Environmental Resources Management (Lanka) Ltd. (ERM), and the DFCC Bank. His Excellency The Ambassador of the United States of America Shaun E. Donnelly delivered the welcome address, followed by Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya, Mayor of Colombo, who delivered the keynote address. The seminar focused on ISO 14000 awareness and the benefits of ISO 14001 registration.

August 27-28, more than 35 participants attended an ISO 14001 workshop sponsored by US-AEP and TIPS. The two-day workshop was designed to provide hands-on experience in developing an ISO 14001 system. Certificates were awarded to workshop participants by Mr. Spencer King, CEO/TIPS. Mr. James Highlands, president of Management Systems Analysis, Inc., conducted the seminar and workshop. Higlands� participation was arranged by the Institute of International Education through US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program.

The three-day program also focussed on the newly formed "ISO 14001 EMS Users Association." US-AEP and TIPS sponsored a meeting of 20 corporate members on July 21, 1998, to discuss plans for setting up the Association. Subsequently, the Association appointed an executive committee, technical committee, finance committee, and promotions committee. Mr. Chandra de Silva, president of the Association, spoke at the ISO 14000 seminar about the Association�s objective of "working towards the adoption of ISO 14001 standards for industry and services in Sri Lanka as an EMS standard for sustainable development." Several new corporate and individual members enrolled in the ISO 14001 EMS Users Association during the three-day program.

US-AEP�s Clean Technology and Environmental Management component (CTEM) actively participated in the ISO 14000 seminar and workshop. Mr. Subrata Mazumder, Technical Manager/India, and Ms. Suzanne Young, Technical Manager/Thailand, shared CTEM�s experience in using EMS principles and practices as voluntary business standards for sustainable development. They discussed how initiatives such as "greening the supply chain" can be used to promote EMS and also presented a comprehensive "road map" for implementing ISO 14001.

In collaboration with US-AEP, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delivered several training activities in Thailand, August 18-27. In response to requests from the municipality of Hat Yai and the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), EPA�s Dennis Wagner and Kristy Miller provided training and technical assistance on developing, implementing, and evaluating targeted environmental campaigns. In Hat Yai, EPA trained 30 individuals to carry out a campaign to educate the Hat Yai citizenry on the benefits of wastewater treatment and the need for public support of a tariff that will be used to fund the new wastewater treatment facility. Direct results of this training include: a highly focused campaign to work with tourism and hotel associations to gain the support of hotel owners; more than 600 community health officials in targeted efforts to develop public support; a television documentary on the benefits of wastewater treatment and the need for the tariff; and an intensive three-month public-education campaign in one of Hat Yai's key community districts, which will culminate with a festival on the king�s birthday. In addition, EPA made specific recommendations to senior Hat Yai officials to ensure the success of their campaign to build public support for Thailand�s first-ever environmental tariff. In Bangkok, EPA trained 22 individuals at BMA, laying the groundwork for developing focused, result-oriented campaigns that urge Bangkok residents to reduce vehicle emissions and to sort their garbage.

The Environment Agency of Japan will host the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development�s (OECD) International Conference on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registries (PRTR) on September 9-11, in Tokyo. As defined by OECD, a PRTR is an environmental database or inventory of potentially harmful releases to air, water, and soil as well as wastes transported off site for treatment and disposal. Facilities releasing substances listed on a PRTR registry report periodically what pollutants are released, the quantity, and to which environmental media. The goals of this conference are to share lessons learned from existing or emerging PRTRs, to evaluate the national and international role of PRTRs as an environmental policy tool for sustainable development, and to identify future directions and challenges. Dennis Zvinakis, US-AEP�s regional representative and Asia coordinator for The Policy Group, and John Harmon of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will attend the conference. Information-based strategies have been at the heart of The Policy Group�s work, which has included supporting Indonesia�s PROPER program as well as a recent New Jersey/Thailand State Environmental Initiative grant for an information and performance-based policy initiative.... To learn more about PRTR or the upcoming conference, visit OECD�s PRTR Web page at http://www.oecd.org/ehs/prtr/index.htm. For more information on The Policy Group�s related initiatives, check out https://www.usaep.org/policy/disclosure.htm.