US-AEP congratulates the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) on the successful completion of its 12th annual conference. The conference took place April 5-6,2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. This year's theme, "What is Global Citizenship? Ecology and Society in an Era of Rapid Change," explored the responsibilities and challenges of leadership in a world of increasing globalization. Brenda Bateman, Director of US-AEP's Policy Group, chaired a discussion entitled "User's Guide to Global Codes of Conduct-Frameworks for Corporate Behavior," featuring representatives from Intel Corp., Ford Motor Co., and the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the U.K. The panel argued that while codes of conduct have succeeded in moving corporations quite a distance in the direction of environmental, social, and economic stewardship, there remains quite a bit of disagreement about the purpose and long-term effectiveness of codes.

Harry Kraemer, Chairman and CEO of Baxter International, addressed plenary participants with a few remarks about corporate leadership on environmental issues. He asserted that if you wait until you have all the facts, you would never get to a point where you can make a positive difference. With 450,000 employees in 130 countries, Baxter is not the type of company that has to wait for anyone before making such a difference. Therefore, Baxter has put into place guidelines to decrease energy consumption by 30 percent over the next four years, because the ability to dramatically cut energy consumption continues to be significant. Kraemer noted that any U.S. government support of these efforts would be greatly welcomed. In the absence of such support, however, he feels it will continue to be the responsibility of the private sector to provide leadership.

he Economic Times (ET), the most prominent English-language business newspaper of India, is planning a special International Supplement on Clean Technology and Environment Management for Industries, coinciding with World Environment Day, June 5. ET is the largest read English business newspaper in India, and one of the top three worldwide, with an average daily circulation of 487, 783 in seven largest cities in India. It reaches about 75% of the decision-makers in corporate India.

ET has approached the US-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) in India for assistance in making this supplement an international one, by linking it effectively with the U.S. experts (for editorial papers) and companies (for technology information and Advertisements). The topics to be covered include: the clean development mechanism, environmental and energy audits, pollution prevention, wastewater treatment and recycling, hazardous waste management, alternative fuels for vehicles, renewable energy, medical waste management, and environmental services.

More than 50 participants attended a three-day conference entitled "Advanced Analytical Techniques and Quality Assurance for the Challenges of the 21st Century," in Singapore in mid-April. The event was jointly organized by the Environmental Technology Institute (ETI), US-AEP, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC). Mr. Herbert Schulz, the Charge d' Affaires, gave the welcoming remarks. He was accompanied by Mr. Jonathan Bensky, U.S. Senior Commercial Officer for Singapore. The conference also featured an exhibition of U.S. products.

Conference participants addressed themes of analytical methods, quality assurance, and quality control issues in analytical laboratories. The forum allowed key professionals from the government, laboratories, industries and research institutes to share their views, needs and expertise. Issues such as certified lab processes, QA/QC requirements, and regulatory measures were openly discussed in question and answer style sessions. The goal is to create a better analytical system in Singapore.

Wednesday, May 9- "Developing Corporate Greenhouse Gas Inventories": Ms. Janet Ranganathan, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute, will discuss the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative (GHG Protocol), which is a partnership of businesses, NGOs and governments convened by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to develop voluntary GHG estimation and reporting standards

Wednesday, May 23- "U.S. Cities and Global Engagement": Mr. James A. Brooks, International Program Manager, National League of Cities, will describe the scope of NLC's international programs, its role in the International Union of Local Authorities, and perspectives on the role of cities in the global economy. Mr. Brooks manages NLC's outreach, education, and training programs related to global economic competitiveness and international relationship building for U.S. cities and towns. The National League of Cities (NLC) is a non-profit membership organization in Washington, D.C. that represents and serves municipal governments and their elected officials.

US-AEP bids farewell and best wishes to Samuel Tumiwa. Sam has been a part of US-AEP for more than seven years, and has been serving as the Deputy Director for the Industry program under Louis Berger Group. He leaves US-AEP to take up an appointment as a Renewable Energy Specialist in the Infrastructure, Finance and Energy Division (West) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. Sam will start at the ADB on May 2nd. We wish Sam and his family the best in this new endeavor.

US-AEP welcomes YoungWan Park, who has recently joined US-AEP/South Korea. YoungWan Park is a Commercial Specialist. Welcome.

Upcoming Events

June 11-14: Korea's International Exhibition on Environmental Technologies, Envex 2001, will take place in Seoul, Korea. (info at www.cskorea-doc.gov)

June 24-28: The 94th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Air and Waste Management Association will take place in Orlando, Florida. (info at www.awma.org/ace2001)

News to share?