USAID RDM/A Regional Environment Office Weekly Report Week Ending October 26, 2007

Confidence in Quality: Eliminating Shoddy CFL Products within ASEAN Countries. Consumer confidence in energy efficient lighting could be severely damaged if action is not taken to eliminate shoddy products from Asian markets, according to lighting experts and policy makers who met in Bangkok, October 25 to 26, 2007. Representatives from Asian governments and lighting manufacturers learned about regional and international compact fluorescent light (CFL) initiatives, and shared best practices for testing CFLs, increasing public awareness, and phasing-out old fashioned, energy-wasting lights. Participants also formulated policy recommendations to eliminate shoddy CFLs from the markets of ASEAN countries. The two-day workshop was organized by USAID’s Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) Clean Development and Climate Program, and co-sponsored by the United States Department of State and the ASEAN Centre for Energy.

Thailand Shares Its Proficiency in Horticulture with Participants from Tsunami-Affected Areas During USAID Study Tour. On October 14-20, 2007, USAID’s Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods (SCL) Program sponsored a study tour to demonstrate and share Thailand’s expertise in horticulture, agriculture and post-harvest processing techniques. Participants came from tsunami-affected areas in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. With the help of the Horticulture Research Institute (HRI) at Kasetsart University, the nine participants were exposed to a variety of lecture and field-based exhibits of effective growing and post harvesting value-added techniques for fruits and vegetables. On the last day of the tour, each of the participants created a proposal request outlining how they intend to use what they have learned during the tour. USAID provides small grants to support their efforts to share these new techniques in their home countries. The study tour is one of the SCL Program’s ongoing efforts to encourage regional exchange of good practices and lessons learned post-tsunami. .