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Waste-to-profit opportunities explored in Philippines workshops.
Through US-AEP�s State Environmental Initiative,
implemented by the Council of State Governments, Washington State is helping
the Philippines explore ways to turn waste into profit. Project partners,
including the Clean Washington Center (CWC) of Washington State and the
Industrial Technology Development Institute of the Philippine Department of
Science and Technology, sponsored workshops in May to highlight resource
recovery technologies for chemicals and wastewater. The first workshop,
cosponsored by the San Miguel Corporation, was held May 3 at San Miguel
headquarters in Mandaluyong City. The second took place May 4 in Metro
Manila and was cosponsored by the Philippine Board of Investment, Philippine
Pollution Prevention Roundtable, Philippine Business for Environment, Pulp
and Paper Manufacturers Association, and Land Bank of the Philippines. Both
events featured experts in the field of resource recovery: Mr. Jeffrey Petty
of Filtration Treatment Systems of Seattle, Washington, and Mr. Ron Grulich
of CWC, gave presentations on the environmental value of separation and
recovery technologies. Over 80 participants from various industry sectors in
the Philippines attended the workshops. Due to positive feedback from
participants, an additional workshop is being considered.
Discover
the State Environmental Initiative website!
The Council of State Governments (CSG),
administrators of US-AEP�s State Environmental Initiative (SEI), has
launched a new website at
http://www.sei-asia.org.
The website explores how the SEI promotes long-term, mutually beneficial
partnerships between states and Asian countries and includes descriptions of
all SEI projects implemented since the program�s 1994 launch. SEI grant
application instructions and proposal deadlines can also be found on the
site. If you have comments or questions, contact Annette Souder at CSG by
phone (606-244-8199) or e-mail
asouder@csg.org.
NGO-Business partner in India receives grant from Mobil.
Exnora International, a Chennai, India-based
nongovernmental organization, caught the public�s eye in 1998 by
successfully implementing a composting project at Koyembedu, Asia�s largest
vegetable market. (The project was funded through US-AEP�s NGO-Business
Environmental Partnership, administered by The Asia Foundation.) As a result
of this public attention, Exnora was chosen as the recipient of a $25,000
grant from the Mobil Foundation to clean up Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar,
Chennai. The Mobil Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation that
receives funding from the Mobil Corporation, presented the grant during a
June 11 ceremony. According to US-AEP/Chennai Technology Representative
Sundaresan Subramanian, who attended the ceremony: "Corporate funding for
creating and maintaining civic amenities in Chennai is not new, but has yet
to reach the levels that would really catch public attention.... Given this
scenario, major funding by a U.S. multinational to an NGO in Chennai for an
environmental project has come as a pleasant surprise."
US-AEP
events in Thailand and Hong Kong highlight clean technology benefits.
Two recent conferences sponsored by US-AEP�s Clean Technology and
Environmental Management (CTEM) program highlighted the importance of using
clean technologies to achieve sustainable economic and environmental
development. The first, "Improving Industrial Competitiveness through Clean
Technology�A Path to Sustainable Development," was held May 6-7 in Bangkok,
Thailand. The conference was a featured event at the Entech/Pollutech trade
show organized by Miller Freeman Co. and US-AEP partner Kenan Institute Asia
(KIAsia). Keynote addresses were provided by U.S. Ambassador to Thailand
Richard Hecklinger and Minister Suwit Khunkitti of the Thai Ministry of
Science, Technology, and the Environment. Julie Haines, managing director of
US-AEP�s CTEM program, spoke on the relationship between environmental
performance, clean technology, and market access, stating that cleaner
production methods are the "key to unlocking efficiencies that result in
competitive advantage to those who employ them."
A wide range of partners worked together to ensure a successful
conference, including US-AEP�s Office of Technology Cooperation in Thailand,
US-AEP�s CTEM office in Thailand, KIAsia, and the Greening of Network-Asia
(GIN-Asia). US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program, administered by the
Institute of International Education, also played a role by providing two
speakers for the event: Joe Koreztsky of the Guantlett Group, who is
currently working with Nike on implementing environmental management systems
with the corporation�s suppliers in Indonesia; and Mary Anne Guilatco of
United Technologies Automotive, a member of United Technologies Corporation,
who discussed greening the supply chain initiatives in the Philippines.
Additional support for the conference was provided by the Thai Pollution
Control Board, Thai Environment Institute, and Department of Industrial
Works.
The second event, held May 31-June 4 in Hong Kong, was the Centre of
Environmental Technology�s (CET) 8th Annual Business and Industry
Environment Conference and Exhibition. CET, which has worked with US-AEP on
clean production issues in the past, collaborated with US-AEP�s Office of
Technology Cooperation in Hong Kong and the CTEM program on the design,
recruitment, and implementation of the conference. Over 1,000 business
leaders and environmental professionals in Hong Kong attended the event,
which opened with a keynote address by Mr. Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of
the Hong Kong government. One highlight of the conference was a signing
ceremony for the United Nations Environment Program�s "Declaration on
Cleaner Production," which was signed by 21 company representatives and
governmental department heads. At a session on best company practices,
CTEM�s Suzanne Young gave an overview on ways the private sector is going
beyond compliance to improve environmental performance, with representatives
from Nike, Adidas, and Interface providing examples. Debra Hall, regional
manager for Business for Social Responsibility�s Business and the
Environment Program, also provided remarks. Ms. Hall attended the conference
through US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program.
US-AEP to
cosponsor June 28-30 Asian mayors' forum in Sri Lanka.
US-AEP�s Urban Unit and the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) are cosponsoring the "Asian Mayors� Forum: Enhancing Municipal Service
Delivery Capability" in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 28-30. The forum will
encourage information sharing among Asian officials, representatives of
multinational lending institutions, and development agency staff, in order
to enhance delivery of municipal services. Topics will include stakeholder
involvement, infrastructure investment, resource management, public-private
partnerships, and service delivery outsourcing. The latter two areas are
expected to provide opportunities for U.S. environmental firms in the Asian
market.
News from
the field.
New fax numbers. To reach the Office of Technology Cooperation in
Chennai, India, via fax, please use: 91-44-821-5283. For the Office of
Technology Cooperation in Hanoi, Vietnam, use fax number: 844-826-7454.
Farewell and welcome. Vicki McDonald, former US-AEP field coordinator in
Indonesia, is returning to the United States. We wish her well in her new
endeavors! Assuming her post is Karla Boreri, who can be reached via
e-mail at
kmboreri@cbn.net.id.
Welcome, Karla. Greetings also to Cynthia Buiza, who has joined the
staff of the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC), US-AEP�s partner
for urban infrastructure development in Asia. Cynthia will serve as
communications manager for ACEC�s office in the Philippines. She can be
reached by e-mail at
ctb_acec_asia@pacific.net.ph. |
