Guangdong Province has the ability to reinvent itself as a catalyst for ecologically friendly, sustained economic growth, and serve as a model for other Chinese cities, according to officials and business leaders attending today’s Guangdong International Forum on Sustainable Development. The conference, held at Sun Yat-sen’s Lingnan (University) College, included the launch of a new partnership initiative between China and the United States to promote the adoption of innovative measures to promote improved energy use and environment, health, and safety measures that can strengthen long-term economic development.

Recognizing the serious environmental and health costs of China’s dramatic economic growth over the past three decades, China’s government has instituted a range of environmental and energy use regulations as well as mechanisms to encourage compliance with these requirements. China’s strong focus on resource efficiency and sustainability is especially critical in Guangdong Province, where the energy demand and environmental impacts of industrial development are profound.

Industries and communities in the Pearl River Delta are seeking help to meet these new standards. Some, in fact, are striving to exceed them. To many, green development is not just a way to solve the problems of the past. It’s a requirement for success—and survival—in the rapidly changing global economy. Factories and businesses urgently need advanced technologies and management systems to reduce energy use, improve performance, and increase competitiveness in the face of the global economic crisis.

The U.S.-based Institute for Sustainable Communities officially launched the Guangdong Environmental Partnership (GEP) program today in response to these needs. It aims to build a network of agencies, organizations, businesses and schools dedicated to transforming Guangdong into a model of clean energy and sustainable economic development.

The GEP is an alliance between Chinese and U.S. government and private collaborators. Partners include multinational corporations such as General Electric, Citigroup, Honeywell, SABIC-Innovative Plastics and Adidas, private foundations such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, three Chinese pilot communities, and universities and educational institutions from the U.S., China and Japan. Government partners include national and provincial environmental protection agencies in China, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"This partnership harnesses both Chinese and American innovation with a common goal: to establish Guangdong as a regional leader in clean energy and sustainable growth," says Olivier Carduner, Director of USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia, one of the major sponsors of the GEP program. "It is a tangible demonstration of how our two countries can work together to secure a vibrant and healthy global economy."

The challenges of environmental health and sustainable development are hardly unique to China, notes George Hamilton, President of the Institute for Sustainable Communities. "These are global issues that require international cooperation and partnership," Hamilton says.

Sharing best practices is central to the GEP. It will be a hallmark of one of its main initiatives, to establish an Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Academy at Sun Yat-sen’s Lingnan (University) College. The Academy’s innovative curriculum has been shaped by Chinese and Western experts, including trainers from multinational corporations such as General Electric, Honeywell, SABIC-Innovative Plastics and Adidas, and is guided by an international steering committee.

“We have found that building the capacity of Guangdong managers to implement EHS measures boosts their companies' compliance and their ability to compete," says Ann Condon, Director and Counsel, EHS Programs, for General Electric and a member of the Academy’s steering committee. "These are the businesses that will drive China’s growth as it moves to a cleaner and greener economy."

GEP funders include USAID, the GE Foundation, the Citi Foundation, Honeywell, SABIC-Innovative Plastics, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Japan Foundation’s Center for Global Partnership, as well as other private companies and partner organizations.

About ISC and the Guangdong Environmental Partnership

Founded in 1991 by former U.S. Ambassador and Vermont Governor Madeleine M. Kunin, the Institute for Sustainable Communities has led 72 transformative projects in 20 countries. ISC’s Guangdong Environmental Partnership works at four levels to:

1. Establish an Environment, Safety and Health Academy at Lingnan College at Sun Yat-sen University. The Academy will expand the pool of qualified EHS Managers serving factories in Guangdong. Starting in the fall of 2009, the Academy will train 1,800 individuals and certify 360 EHS Managers annually.
2. Share best practices between the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection and its Regional Supervision Centers, Guangdong’s Environmental Protection Bureaus, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve environmental enforcement and governance practices.
3. Develop comprehensive energy efficiency programs in three pilot communities. Each community will plan and implement up to 10 priority energy efficiency projects. Their experience will form the basis of a proven model that communities across China can use to reduce energy use, cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental health.
4. Connect educators at South China Normal University and community schools in Guangdong with their counterparts in Japan and the United States to develop improved education curricula and activities—for all three countries—that promote sustainable development, energy efficiency and environmental health.