A US-AEP Technology Fund grantee successfully demonstrated its composting and bioremediation technologies in Cebu City, Philippines, on August 19. GESS Environmental�a California-based firm� was a recipient of a Tech Fund grant in February 1999 to showcase its technology in the Philippines. Cebu City engineers were trained by GESS to design and operate composting facilities in Cebu City as part of the demonstration project. To facilitate the composting process, large quantities of market and food waste as well as paper are being collected. For example, the San Miguel Brewery is diverting brewery by-products for composting.

GESS also demonstrated its bioremediation technology, inoculating oil-contaminated soil with bacteria and nutrients to degrade the oil, thereby removing it from the soil. The clean soil is then usable as cover for the compost sites. By cleaning contaminated dirt brought to the landfill, the city will eliminate the need to haul fresh dirt for compost covering from the nearby hills, which causes erosion.

Eighty people attended the demonstration, including Cebu City waste engineers, University of Southern Philippines staff and students, and representatives from private waste management companies. The demonstration was so successful that GESS will return to the Philippines in November to finalize contracts for some of the equipment and technology that were presented at the workshop. [The Technology Fund is administered by the National Association of State Development Agencies.]

P.U. Asnani, US-AEP Urban Environmental Infrastructure Representative for India, has recently been nominated to be a member of a government panel on solid waste management for Indian municipalities. The government of India nominated Mr. Asnani to be a member of the Technology Advisory Group, a newly formed committee that will offer guidance to the government on appropriate technologies for improving solid waste management practices in the country. Other members of the group comprise representatives from government and the private sector.

Mr. Asnani was chosen for this prestigious position due to his extensive experience in the solid waste management field. He has been assisting 21 major Indian cities in 12 states in designing solid waste management systems for their municipalities. In addition, Mr. Asnani was selected to the Supreme Court Committee on Solid Waste Management for Class-I Cities in India, an expert panel created by the Indian Supreme Court to recommend how to improve solid waste management in urban areas. The recommendations in the March 1999 report to the Supreme Court led to the creation of the Technology Advisory Group, which will provide guidance for implementing those recommendations.

US-AEP sponsored two international videoconferences in Washington, DC, and Seattle, Washington, August 30�31, on water supply and wastewater infrastructure project opportunities in the Philippines. The videoconferences provide U.S. firms an opportunity for face-to-face discussions with key project officers and decision makers of the Philippine government.

Sixteen U.S. engineering, finance, and consulting firms participated in the Washington event, and found the information presented by the Philippine panel to be very valuable. Mike Barros, vice president at Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), said that overall "the videoconference was a success because it was beneficial for U.S. firms who have or want to do business in the Philippines."

In Seattle, participating U.S. firms also found the event successful. Participants commented on the importance of making face-to-face contact with the people involved with these projects. The information presented also gave U.S. firms a better idea of how to proceed in the Philippine market. For example, Don Tubbs of Tubbs Geoscience said his company will need to switch their focus based on the information from the Philippine presentation.

As mentioned in the last issue of UPDATE, three Vietnamese government officials traveled to Bangkok August 30-31 through US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program to discuss Thailand�s recent conversion to unleaded fuel. Vietnam is currently examining converting to unleaded fuel; although leaded gasoline was banned in 1995, enforcement of the ban has not been implemented.

The delegation�including representatives from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment; the Ministry of Transportation; and the Directorate for Standards and Quality�met with Dr. Supat Wangwongwatana of the Thai Pollution Control Department (PCD). Dr. Supat played an important role in Thailand�s successful conversion to unleaded fuel, and is author of the report, "Unleaded Air in Bangkok: A Story of Success." In addition, the delegation met with officials from the Thai National Energy Policy Office and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, and made site visits to a PCD air quality monitoring station and a PCD auto emissions testing laboratory.

Since the conversion in 1996, Thais have seen a 90�95% reduction in ambient air lead levels. Therefore, Dr. Supat suggested to the delegation, the health threat posed by lead has been completely eliminated. He also suggested that, although it took Thailand five years to complete the conversion, it would probably take Vietnam only one to three years since they have no refineries that would need to be re-equipped.

According to US-AEP Technology Representative David Wagner, who accompanied the delegation to Thailand, the Vietnamese officials were "invigorated and optimistic" by the information they received from the Thai experts. [Note: EEP is administered by the Institute of International Education.]