The Royal Embassy of Thailand in the U.S. hosted a luncheon in honor of the Greening of Industry Network � Asia (GIN-Asia). Thai Ambassador, Nitya Pibulsonggram, presided over the January 18^th event and joined the keynote speaker, Chandran Nair, CEO of Environmental Resources Management in Hong Kong, in wishing GIN-Asia success in its 2001 international conference in Bangkok.

Present at this event was: USAID Deputy Administrator Harriet Babbitt, State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Ralph Boyce, EPA�s Assistant Administrator William Nitze, US-AEP Executive Director Peter Kimm, and members of embassies and corporations.

The United States Environmental Resource Center (US-ERC), a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development, US-AEP, and the Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, launched its magazine, the Green Channel in January.

The US-ERC based in Mumbai, India, was established in response to the growing demand for improved industrial performance, energy efficient technology, and urban environmental management. Today it is an industrial environmental extension organization with an active and aggressive outreach program to assist industries and the public in understanding and handling environmental issues. "Although it was recently established, it has gained popularity, and has already successfully completed projects such as seminars, market research studies, technology screenings amongst other projects," remarks US-AEP Technology Representative in Mumbai, India, Mr. Suneel Paranis. US-ERC is working towards a clean environment by promoting the idea of safe and environmental-friendly industry practices via the Green Channel.

The National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) awarded the Environmental Technology Fund (ETF) grant to four U.S. environmental firms to help them develop markets in Asia. The following companies received the grant.

Global Energy Services from Diamond Bar, California, will provide energy consulting services to firms and utility companies in Nepal. Beginning May 2000, the company will conduct workshops to demonstrate energy conservation methods.

Advanced Technology Laboratories of Signal Hill, California, will perform organic and inorganic substance evaluations in Bangkok, Thailand. The analysis will form the basis for hazardous waste site remediation efforts. A test facility will be established by September 2000.

Filtration Treatment Systems, Ltd. based in Seattle, Washington, in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, will market services and filtration equipment in Manila, Philippines.

Water Systems International from Washington, DC, will establish a test pilot program focusing on clean drinking water is Bangladesh.

The ETF grant offers matching grants of up to $20,000 to generate business relationships that foster Asian and American economic development and help address the environmental challenges facing Asia.

[The Environmental Technology Fund is administered by the National Association of State Development Agencies.]

The Centre for Resource Education (CRE) in Hyderabad, India, a leading nongovernmental organization (NGO) thanked US-AEP and the Asia Foundation (TAF) at the Asia Working Group/ flagship NGO meeting in Taiwan. US-AEP and TAF contributed substantially in educating CRE on clean production methods and technologies. As a result, CRE recently received an offer from the Administrative Staff College in India to collaborate in waste minimization projects.

The Centre for Resource Education also received an $11,000 grant to carry out Environmental Impact Studies on the Mining Industry around Hyderabad. The project gives CRE an opportunity to focus their efforts on applying Waste Conversion Studies to develop alternate building materials and study the impact of mining for building materials.

Following are a few of the sales, facilitated by US-AEP Technology Representative, which were confirmed in January. In Taiwan: U.S. Environmental Services, Inc. of Burlington, Vermont, sold $140,000 worth of groundwater remediation systems to Yuh Chyuennai Industrial Co. (YCC), Ltd. US-AEP helped U.S. Environmental Services with this sale from start to completion. U.S. Environmental Services had initially found out about YCC�s environmental technology needs through an Environmental Technology Network for Asia (ETNA) trade lead. In pursuing and closing this deal, U.S. Environmental Services also applied for and received an Environmental Technology Fund grant from NASDA to help them market their technology in Asia. The Tech Rep�s counseling to both firms helped seal the deal. Also from Taiwan: Chemtech International, Inc. of Media, Pennsylvania, sold $5,300 worth of water and wastewater purification equipment to Jinn Sheng Trading. From India: Indavara Engineering Co., Pvt. Ltd. bought $11,900 worth of wastewater treatment equipment from Environmental Dynamics, Inc. (EDI), a company based in Columbia, Missouri. Indavara Engineering learned about EDI�s membrane diffuser at WEFTEC and placed an order subsequent to the conference. (The US-AEP trade lead program is administered by the Environmental Technology Network for Asia.)

US-AEP�s Policy Group invites you to participate in the next Washington Policy Forum. Scheduled for 12:30pm on February 8, the Forum on "Revisiting the WTO: Combining Trade and Environment" will feature speaker Mr. Seward Jones, Director of Multilateral Affairs, ITA, U.S. Department of Commerce. The Office of Multilateral Affairs in the International Trade Administration (ITA) develops and conducts multilateral trade policy, particularly with respect to the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Mr. Jones is experienced in issues pertaining to trade of environmental goods and services; competition policy and market access negotiations.

Linda Sadat is the new Program Analyst in the Secretariat�s office. She comes to US-AEP with many years of experience from the United States Agency for International Development�s Global Environment Center. She will be involved in the procurement aspect of US-AEP.

Magdelena Mook is the new Policy Analyst with the Council for State Governments (CSG). Prior to joining CSG, Magdelena served as a consultant to the United States Department of Agriculture in the Economic Resource Service division. She holds a Masters in International Trade from the Warsaw School of Economics. You can contact her at mmook@csg.org.

Welcome to the world little Douglas Williams Junior born to proud parents Sandra Williams (CTEM) and Douglas Williams Sr. Douglas Jr. was born on January 19^th, and weighed a healthy 6.9 pounds.

US-AEP�s Vietnam office in Hanoi has moved.

The new contact information is: