US-AEP and the Indian Environmental Association (IEA) collaborated to present a December 17 seminar in Mumbai, "Privatization of Environmental Infrastructure." Much more than a training session, this event also featured the inauguration of IEA�s Mumbai chapter and the signing of two important memoranda of understanding (MOU) to combat industrial and biomedical waste.

IEA represents the Water Environment Federation (WEF), one of US-AEP�s partners for environmental association development in Asia. The Mumbai chapter joins IEA groups in Pune and Chennai, which for the past three years have been channelling WEF�s support and knowledge to help improve the management of water by Indian industry. The chapter was inaugurated by Ms. Kathleen McGinty, former chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Dr. Karl Hausker, former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency�s Policy and Planning Department, both currently Fellows at the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI). Among the attendees were Louis Berger International Vice President Ron Kornell, representing US-AEP�s Clean Technology and Environmental Management (CTEM) program, and Pradip Khare, treasurer of WEF. Further IEA expansion is in the works, as US-AEP will support IEA efforts to launch chapters in Baroda, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Bangalore.

One of the MOUs signed will support the Indian Cleaner Technologies Initiative (ICTI), an extension organization that helps industries improve productivity by maximizing resource use and reducing waste and pollution. Under this MOU, US-AEP�s CTEM program will help ICTI establish an information center by providing information on the latest technologies, as well as $25,000 toward the first year of operation.

The Singapore Confederation of Industries (SCI) and the Clean Technology and Environmental Management (CTEM) Center in Singapore held a conference on energy efficiency for the manufacturing and building sectors on December 4, 1998. The conference, supported by the Singapore Environment Council, was attended by 75 delegates from the government and private sectors. Ted Flanigan, a consultant to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Energy, was the keynote speaker. Topics of the conference included rethinking energy concepts, managing energy consumption, and privatization. SCI Vice President Edwin Khew expressed his appreciation to US-AEP for assistance in bringing Mr. Flanigan to Singapore and organizing the conference.

News from the Policy Group.

Forum on policy and partnership building: On January 12, US-AEP�s Policy Forum will feature a "policy and partnership building" session with two senior representatives from Conservation International, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to preserving the world�s biodiversity. Mr. Glenn Prickett, vice president for private-sector partnerships, and Mr. Ian Bowles, vice president for conservation policy, will be the speakers. This brown bag luncheon begins at noon in the 7th floor conference room of 1720 Eye St., NW, Washington, D.C.

Suggested read on "sustainability": World Resources Institute (WRI) has published a study that highlights the proliferation of policy and research activity on the concept of sustainable development, asserting that "meaningful change has not yet begun." The Next Bottom Line: Making Sustainable Development Tangible, written by WRI�s Matthew Arnold and Robert Day, attempts to address the international business communities� concerns about climate change, economic and social development, and use of natural resources. Find out more at WRI�s website: http://www.wri.org/.