Maltese students in Japan

Ing. Marco Cremona, a freelance water treatment engineer and environmental consultant with Sustech Consulting, recently participated in a scholarship for a two-month intensive training course in "Environmental Policy and Environment Management System", offered by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in Osaka, Japan.

JICA is the executing body of the Japanese government in the provision of official development assistance to developing countries. JICA conducts training, dispatches experts, provides equipment and project-type technical co-operation, development study, dispatch of co-operation volunteers, and survey and administration of capital grant aid programmes.

The training programme for overseas participants is one of JICA's fundamental technical co-operation activities for developing countries. The administrative body in Malta for the JICA programme is the Ministry of Home Affairs which is also responsible for the selection of the participating candidates.

Marco, who attended the course after having been selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as being a suitably qualified candidate to represent Malta, received theoretical and hands-on intensive training on global environmental conservation initiatives and measures taken by the Japanese government in environmental management.

The course contents were devised by the Global Environment Centre Foundation (GEC), which was established in January 1992 to support the activities of the International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Acting as the collecting point of information on environmental technology and comprehensive environmental management in the large cities of Japan and overseas, GEC facilitates the transfer of environmentally sound technology to developing countries.

The training course was in the form of a series of lectures from June 3 to July 25. The topics covered such aspects in environmental management as environmental policy and planning in Japan, environmental impact assessment (EIA), sustainable development for coastal zones and small islands, and pollution control.

The course also comprised intensive one-week tuition on Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001 international standard), culminating in an examination which is the first step in the participants becoming internationally certified environmental auditors.

After having successfully completed these examinations in Japan, Ing. Cremona plans to be in a position to offer local private-sector firms and public agencies guidance and auditing of EMS systems to ISO 14001 international standard using the UNEP-IETC's Urban Environmental Management: Environmental Management System Training Resource Kit and IEMA-(Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) approved study materials provided during the course.

Marco has worked in the field of environmental management since 1994 when he completed a Masters degree in hydrology and water studies at the University of Malta. He has attended numerous seminars and conferences on environmental issues, both in Malta and abroad, in his own capacity and as technical advisor to Friends of the Earth (FoE) Malta. Ing. Cremona graduated as a mechanical engineer from the University of Malta in 1992.

In his capacity as a qualified hydrologist, Ing. Cremona has contributed to various Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for projects of national importance. Last February he successfully completed an Environmental Impact Assessment training course organised by IEMA and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA).

Apart from providing consultancy services in water treatment and water recycling to local industry, Marco Cremona is undertaking research in a number of innovative projects for which patents are being sought. Support for these projects is being provided by IPSE through its Kordin Business Incubation Centre (KBIC) facility in Paola.