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MESPOM Alumni Newsletter :: June 2008 :: Issue 1 1

MESPOM Alumni NewsletterJune 2008

Welcome,to the fi rst MESPOM Alumni Newsletter!

Taking a quick look at where we are now, we can see that MESPOM has reached an even more diverse stage. The fi rst batch has graduated a year ago and everyone has settled in to the ‘Life after MESPOM’. The second batch is relieved to be fi nished with thesis writing and hesitant whether to start job hunting today or take a few weeks or even months of holiday. The third batch is nicely tanned after the weeks in Lesvos and a bit sad about having to split for the Manchester and Lund semesters. The fourth batch is excited about moving to Budapest which is still just a spot on the map and they don’t know yet how much they are going to love this city. The fi fth batch is still hesitant on where to apply and checking the long lists of documents they will need to present for the applications.

MESPOM graduates are working all over the world. In terms of locations, we are living on three continents (nobody in the Americas or the Antarctic). In terms of sectors, we cover the private sector, the public sector, academia, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). And in terms of scales there are people working with the smallest particles used in nanotechnology and genetically modifi ed organisms, others working at a more tangible scale with water pollution, air pollution, and yet others working at the strategic levels of international treaties and sustainability strategies.

To get more detailed insight, read further!Márta Vetier (Hungary, Batch 1)

Impressum. MESPOM is an Erasmus Mundus Masters course in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management operated by four leading European Universities and supported by the European Commission. MESPOM prepares students for identifying and implementing solutions to complex environmental challenges, especially in an international context. Editor: Márta Vetier. Language editing: Rachelle Bissett-Amess, Jennifer Lenhardt, Martino Tran. Design: Márta Vetier. Contact: All authors and the editor can be contacted using the following e-mail address template: fi [email protected] Views expressed in this newsletter are those of the author only.

MESPOM Alumni Newsletter :: June 2008 :: Issue 12

Renewable energy for rural livelihoods in the Himalayas

Saatvika Rai (India, Batch 1)

I made a trip to the Himalayas as an external monitoring and evaluating team for a project called “Renewable energy for rural livelihoods”. This project focused on providing renewable technology for lighting such as small hydro powerplants, solar PV and biomass gasifi ers to rural communities in a cluster of villages. The project also wanted to go beyond just lighting the villages, but also allow for excess electricity to be used for livelihood opportunities such as grinding food grains, running motors, and even a computer centre.

So around the last week of January (during Lovish’s wedding time) we took our rucksacks and headed off to a district called Bageshwar, in the State of Uttaranchal to conduct our baseline survey (before the project is completed so that we could assess the impacts and benefi ts of the project later). I thought I’d take you through that journey through some pictures.

After an overnight train journey from New Delhi, we had a 3-4 hour long road travel to reach Bageshwar. On the way we got a glimpse of the important Himalayan peaks.

Even after reaching Bageshwar, our project villages were remote, and beyond any motorable road. So we used to trek very steep terrain of 8-10kms, taking us ‘city-people’ nearly 4 hours one-way. And of course, since there were only temporary trek routes to walk along, all had to be done during sunlight hours.

The villages were scarcely populated, often with 1-2kms distance between cluster of houses and their fi elds. And not all houses were puccka (permanent). But most of them kept their cattle of cows, goats and even domesticated dogs on the ground fl oor while they lived above them. This is traditionally done since animals and humans generate heat while breathing, and keeping cattle below helped naturally heat their houses.

These hills are also famous for their special pashmina wool, from which pashmina shawls are made. The beauty of these shawls is that they are so fi ne that the entire shawl can be passed through a fi nger’s ring.

We often work with students from local institutions to help with fi lling out the baseline

Leader


questionnaire we prepared. They are able to translate certain questions into the local dialect for communication.

Beautiful people. Most of the youth migrate to cities in search for work. A lot of boys join the Indian army and fi ght at the forefronts in harsh cold climate border regions such as above Kashmir and close to Nepal.

We were always warmly welcomes and stuffed with food in each village. We needed it with the cold and hard trek. Families would give us pepper tea, and a curry made from milk with rice. Since these areas are mainly rain-fed with no irrigation, their fi elds were not very productive, making the villages purchase surplus food from the market near the closest town. Also, there are no health facilities available to them, expect for traditional medicine. Patients are usually carried on chairs and taken 5-7km to the nearest health facility, with no guarantee of any service provider being available there.

But the villages had schools. Not higher education, but facilities till about class 8th. For higher studies the children (often boys only) are sent to boarding schools in towns and cities.

The only mode of transport on these temporary roads is donkeys, mainly used to carry load and food supply. Even the old people were better climbers than us! Believe it or not, despite the remoteness of the area described, there were some well-off people with mobile phones, which worked only at certain peaks of the mountains.

Through our treks we did get to see many beautiful and rare birds, insects, plants and trees. However, some of the mountain regions were extremely dry due to over grazing and unsustainable use of forest resources, making the area vulnerable to landslides.

But it wasn’t a landslide that blocked our road journey back to the train station, it was a half over-turned truck. With only one road leading to our destination, we patiently waited till rope and genius ideas were at play, all the while going through our cameras to see the captured pictures from the visit, and debating if the project was actually going to bring about a change in the lives of the village community, or was it just one of those other ‘development initiatives’. Will fi ll you in on the results of the impact assessment after my next visit in July 2008.

Leader


International Youth Summit “Go4BioDiv”Tahia Devisscher (Bolivia, Batch 1)

During the last two weeks of May, 50 young adults from 18 countries had the opportunity to participate in the International Youth Summit “Go4BioDiv” exchanging experiences, ideas, discussing and developing a common message that portrays the thoughts about the youth’s future and its dependence on biological and cultural diversity. This message was presented in the form of a Declaration at the United Nations COP 9 on the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, May 2008.

As a participant of the Youth Summit, I had the opportunity to talk to decision-makers from all over the world and to discuss topics such as the future of GMOs (genetically modifi ed organisms), biofuels and in particular the new concepts of development we proposed as a core message in our Declaration. The impact we caused at the UN COP 9 was very successful and as the conference fi nalised, leaders from different countries committed themselves to support our initiative by sending our message all around the world. I will start my own commitment by sharing our Declaration with the MESPOM community, hoping that it can reach many of us, creating further discussion and echoing in our multiple and diverse home-countries.

Participants came from: Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Philippines, Russia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Declaration

Respecting (bio)diversity is respecting life

We, as representatives of the young generation all over the world, want to share with you our thoughts about our future and its dependence on biological and cultural diversity, especially in the face of climate change.

We call for:

New conceptions of development• We want to reconsider the relationship between humankind and

nature, acknowledging that humans are an integral part of the web of life, which encompasses not only terrestrial but also aquatic and marine ecosystems.

• According to the Living Planet Report 2006, 16% of the global population make up 45% of the global ecological footprint, which means that if everybody consumed as many resources as the industrialised nations, we would need three planets. But we only have one!

• Therefore we call for new concepts of development based on the idea that we are all developing countries. Industrialised nations have to develop ways of reducing their ecological footprint whereas the majority of the world’s population should be able to improve their living standards without increasing their impact on our planet.

• These development concepts should be based on people’s needs respecting existing nature conservation values and knowledges.

• We demand integrated, sustainable natural resource management to prevent future confl icts (i.e. water, food, land tenure).

• We want to look beyond monetary values and strive for fair distribution of costs and benefi ts of biodiversity conservation.

• To do so we need coherent laws and enforcement measures, as well as innovative and long-term fi nancing mechanisms.

• Moreover, we are convinced that in the long term fair terms of trade are better strategies to balance conservation and development interests than compensation mechanisms.

Actions to address root causes and threats• Since healthy ecosystems and diversity of species and genes leave us

with more options to confront (adaptation/mitigation) climate change, we urgently need to address the root causes of biodiversity loss such as poverty, population growth, unsustainable consumption patterns and lack of knowledge.

• Other threats to biodiversity also need to be dealt with, for instance genetically modifi ed organisms (GMOs), patents on life, monocultures, agrofuels, and invasive species.

Environmental education, participation, and communication• We call for high quality environmental education and communication,

ensuring its accessibility (in formal and non-formal spaces) on local, regional, and global levels.

• More participatory approaches are needed for biodiversity conservation such as community conserved areas.

• Different actors and sectors of society (i.e. economics, science, politics, media, and civil society) should work together towards more integrated approaches.

• We need to share information based on unbiased, multidisciplinary research.

• But let us not forget: conservation requires concrete actions on the ground!

Accountability, transparency and commitment• As part of civil society, we will hold our decision-makers accountable

for their words and actions, measuring them for instance by the quality of national reports on the state of biodiversity.

• Governments have to establish binding laws and incentives towards sustainable production, consumption, and end-use.

• Furthermore we urge our governments to actively take part in international processes and to collaborate in an effective and coordinated way.

• Politicians should have the courage to take decisions towards a more sustainable world even though these might be inconvenient.

Unity in diversity• (Bio)diversity conservation must be the priority for long-term human

development. • Climate change is happening and it is threatening the basis of our life.

Start acting now!• We want to make a difference, working in unity respecting diversity.

Special reports


Everyday life and work at UNSonja Koeppel (Germany, Batch 1)

Over 8000 meetings are organized yearly at the United Nations Offi ce in Geneva, the Palais des Nations – and I am now responsible for approximately 20 of them.

Since December 2007 I have been working at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva or more specifi cally in the Secretariat of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes as well as its Protocol on Water and Health. We support countries in the wider UNECE region, including Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia to implement transboundary and integrated water resources management through capacity-building, projects, the elaboration of guidelines in different areas etc. This involves organizing and servicing meetings and workshops; drafting agendas; background documents and reports; communication with government representatives, experts, NGOs and scientists; coordinating with other UN agencies and external partners; and sometimes doing background research. Some interesting topics I am currently working on include water and adaptation to climate change, a UN-wide seminar and initiative in the area of transboundary water management.

The work is interesting and challenging, but also sometimes frustrating because of the UN bureaucracy which everybody complains

Carbon trading and ChinaMengmeng Cui (China, Batch 1)

China is now the largest carbon credit provider in the world. In the fi rst two years, 2005 and 2006, I think most of the credits came from HFC and SF6 projects, simply because each project of such kind produces so many credits. Now, more attention is put into energy effi ciency and agriculture related projects.

My attitude is a bit torn over the carbon trading scheme. On the one hand, I see people here getting excited because it’s the fi rst time they are getting rewarded for activities such as, like producing renewable energy or reducing energy consumption. In the past, it had always been in the form of government enforcement under which enterprises had no choice and no bargaining power. However, on the other hand, there are contradictions in the system that prevents it from performing more effectively. This is due to the way corporate decisions are made. As a company, decision is made based on two things: profi tability and risk. The normal combinations are: low risk and low profi tability; high risk and high profi tability (low risk and high profi tability does not fulfi l CDM requirement and therefore is not discussed). Unfortunately,

Children, courts and scientifi c factsIrina Arakelyan (Armenia, Batch 1)

My company, MJCA, is representing Corby Borough Council (UK), which was involved in the reclamation of former British Steelworks land in the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. In the time of the reclamation works around 20 children in the area were born with various limb malformations. Those children (who are now teenagers) together with their mothers have made a formal court claim against the Council accusing it of not managing the reclamation works properly and spreading the pollution which resulted in the children being born with limb defects. Classical case for America, but very rare in England!

I’m sure, if I wasn’t working for a consultancy, I would have been on the opposite side even without reading the case, but now I’m learning to look at incidents like this one from the points of view of both industry/regulatory agency and the people/claimants and to base my opinion strictly on scientifi c facts.

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most CDM projects fall into the high risk low profi tability category which does not appeal to company decision makers. Therefore, most CDM projects are toward the “low risk and low profi tability” end. This means that new energy effi ciency technologies are rarely being used even with carbon fi nance. Some people may argue that we always reach out for those low hanging fruits fi rst, but my concern is that there are so many hanging fruits that we’ll never get to the higher hanging fruits, which are riper and tastier.


UN night negotiations – the changes in styleMarta Vetier (Hungary, Batch 1)

I had a chance to participate in the UN negotiations on the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-MOP-4). I took part in the conference as an observer from Greenpeace. Normally negotiations run from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. However, as the end of the negotiations were approaching and still nothing has been agreed upon, the meetings were being continued longer and longer into the night. And as darkness falls the negotiating style changes completely. After 10 p.m. on Thursday – before the last day of the meeting – there were no more than 40 countries represented in the room: the big ones including the EU, Brazil and New Zealand; and countries that did not trust the big ones most notably Uganda and Zimbabwe.

After 10 p.m. delegates were starting to get tired, desperate and daring. For example, when discussing a proposal that had 5 points, New Zealand stood up with the following suggestion: “We propose to delete point 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5”. Luckily the committed negotiators from Zimbabwe and Uganda said they cannot agree to this. Similar proposals were tabled many times during the night, which would never happen during the daytime.

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about… and because it can be very theoretical, that is without concrete implications and impacts on the ground… (typical UN frustrations…). On the other hand, it is great since it is a bit like MESPOM: very international. This helps to overcome the occasional frustrations… and overall I am happy.

“Environmental Peacebuilding” meets the CaucasusAnja Wittich (Germany, Batch 1)

Currently I am in the Caucasus region again – travelling from Armenia to Georgia and Azerbaijan. Just a year ago working and travelling in the South Caucasus was just a distant dream, connected to my general interest of contributing to improve livelihoods by enabling people to develop solutions to environmental problems independently.

Last summer I moved from Budapest to Berlin and started working for a non-profi t environmental institute engaged in public consulting and research. Since then I am working in my fi eld of interest related to the Caucasus and wider Eastern Europe.

This time together with my colleague I am on a fi eld mission to explore issues of nature conservation, natural resource management and regional cooperation and identify the potential for improving livelihoods across the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the non-recognized entities of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh). The focus is specifi cally on the role of external actors and their capacity for confl ict-sensitive programming and ensuring ownership. The aim is to develop recommendations for external actors and to develop a more concrete project on these issues in the second phase of the project. During the mission we are talking to representatives from governmental institutions, international and non-governmental organizations and also include representatives of the non-recognized entities. We actually have the exciting opportunity to explore in-depth what donors mean by saying „encouraging regional cooperation“ and „contributing to confi dence building“. Often the actual activities are not designed to meet expectations and therefore regional cooperation becomes wishful thinking. Civil initiatives seem promising and worthwhile to be supported,

while they can hardly overcome obstacles on the political level. Maybe the community of externals will have to re-think its approach towards the region and its unresolved confl icts and engage there differently, in a more coordinated way. For more information on the project please check www.initiativeforpeacebuilding.eu.

I enjoy travelling to the Caucasus region on a regular basis. Every time this gives me the opportunity to touch base with peoples’ realities in a region of rapid change as well as with the potentials and threats of development cooperation. It is a truly enriching experience, even though I might encounter Caucasus-like adventures just as well in Berlin. Travelling is especially enjoyable as I usually meet friends and alumni from the ENVSCI department (special greetings to Nino!) doing fascinating and much-needed environmental jobs in the Caucasus.


Bioenergy in Ukraine: Business Models for More Sustainable AgricultureYuliya Voytenko (Ukraine, Batch 1)

Ukraine is shown to have signifi cant potentials for renewable energy sources, and specifi cally for biomass. At present the position of biofuels sector in Ukraine is neither established nor legitimate. Development of bio-energy options is believed to help the country combat its energy security problem, contribute to the revitalization of agriculture in Ukraine and bring a number of other economic, social and environmental benefi ts.

The dissertation explores possibilities for the establishment of a meaningful agro-industrial bioenergy sector that not only offers tangible benefi ts to Ukraine but has also a capacity to co-exist with the country’s entrenched energy sector, which is now largely following coal and nuclear pathways in its development.

The most important contribution to the fulfi llment of this objective is expected to come in the form of newly constructed business models. Such business models are expected to play the role of motivational tools as their main purpose is to demonstrate a clear suite of benefi ts to key stakeholders as they engage and incorporate bioenergy practices. Such benefi ts include the economic profi tability of growing bioenergy crops, the reduced risk in agriculture, improving the overall competitive advantage of agricultural sector; supporting environmental protection; waste valorization, etc.

The achievement of a meaningful engagement of the Ukrainian agricultural sector via well-structured models for business is envisaged as one pathway towards a more resilient and sustainable agricultural communities within the country.

PhD Title: Bioenergy in Ukraine: Business Models for More Sustainable AgricultureInstitution: Department of Environmental Sciences, policy and Management, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

Carbon Footprinting in Buildings Deepak Rai (India, Batch 1)

Recent increase in scrutiny of UK building industry has demanded a need for criteria, approaches and practices which could guide sustainable design, construction and operation. Development of a comprehensive and reliable datasets on environmental attributes of building materials and processes plays an important role in this endeavour. There has been a signifi cant increase in information on energy and environmental impact associated with the production of building materials and construction activities. However despite the considerable improvements, there is little work which focuses on full building life cycle impacts. The overall aim of my project is to develop a life cycle methodology for systematic estimation of building carbon impacts, and to develop a modelling tool for examining different scenarios of carbon management in construction materials, processes and services. A particular novelty of the project is that it would develop an integrated, generic modelling framework and a set of carbon decision making models that would enable a systematic and transparent evaluation of construction carbon impacts.

PhD Title: A systematic approach to estimation of life cycle carbon impacts of buildingsInstitution: Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom

Research


Irina Arakelyan (Armenia, Batch 1) :: I’m working as an environmental consultant at MJCA, which is an engineering and environmental consultancy in the UK. I’m involved in various projects, mainly related to the waste management and land fi lling regulations and work extensively with the Environment Agency.

Lovish Ahuja (India, Batch 1) :: My profi le of work has not undergone any substantial change except for the fact that I have joined Sterlite Industries India Limited. Sterlite is part of Vedanta resources, a London listed metals and mining major. Sterlite is a leading producer of copper and has pioneered the manufacturing of Continuous Cast Copper Rods in India. I am based in Delhi but looking after our Tuticorin plant, Tamilnadu. Our Tuticorin complex has a Copper smelter (4,00,000 tpa copper), Sulphuric acid plant (12,00,000 tpa), Copper Refi nery (1,20,000 tpa copper), Rod mill (90,000 tpa copper) and Phosphoric acid plant (1,80,000 tpa).

I am sure that you can imagine the environmental impacts of the products produced. For your information our interaction with environment ranges from mining; generation of emissions, effl uent and hazardous waste during production process and transportation of raw material and fi nished products. We have a team of 28 professionals working under the HSE department responsible for environmental and health & safety performance of the unit. I have the position of Sustainability Manager in the department with areas of work including:

1. Developing annual sustainability reporting2. Preparing annual communication on Global Compact and CII-Charter on Sustainable Business Growth3. Liaison with the Ministry of Environment & Forest and external agencies (including NGOs) for environmental and sustainability awards4. Identifi cation of CDM projects5. Preparation of the annual HSE excellence plan6. Conducting regular awareness training programs on environment for employees7. External communication of environmental matters

I’m lucky to be working with highly professional people who also happen to be extremely friendly! I’m now a member of the CIWM (Chartered Institute of Waste Management), and soon will become a member of the IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment). By the way, there’s an exciting project I’m working on! (See ‘Children, courts and scientifi c facts’)

E k a t e r i n a Tsvetkova (Russia, Batch 1) :: I am working as a project analyst at Vertis E n v i r o n m e n t a l Finance (Hungary). I am dealing a lot with project assessment and analysis. Mostly clean development mechanism (CDM) projects, however now more and more joint implementation (JI) projects come into the picture (obviously). It is very interesting, especially working on JI projects where one can see all the relations between government and business. Given the uncertainty with the international transaction log (ITL), the main UNFССС tool to transfer Kyoto and EU-Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) credits from one account to another (countries, companies, whoever), it is extremely interesting to witness how companies try to comply. I can say that so far I am very satisfi ed with my place and my job assignments. To add to this, I am aiming at combining a part-time PhD with my work. I anticipate that this going to be hard, but after MESPOM nothing is impossible any more!

Mengmeng Cui (China, Batch 1) :: I have been working with Climate Bridge Ltd. a UK carbon trading company since I graduated. I have been a project manager since I joined the company and am in charge of business negotiation, project due diligence check and some daily operational management stuff. Recently I have been doing a lot of work with environmental organisations to make companies in Shanghai carbon neutral.

I have given training to ordinary Chinese people regarding carbon footprint and how to reduce carbon emissions in our daily life. Most people in China do not have much knowledge

Letters


Fatema Rajabali (Kenya, Batch 1) :: Wow - it’s hard to believe that it’s been one year since we celebrated our graduation on the Danube cruise boat! It’s been an exciting year with lots of fun experiences and learning opportunities.

Immediately after graduating I went off to Marseille to do an internship at the World Water Council. Having written my thesis on water issues, it’s great that I could start off my career in an area that I am particularly interested in. I worked with the Water Monitoring Alliance (WMA) on further building the on-line information exchange platform, researching and developing the African and Mediterranean regional profi les, and networking. I was rather excited to learn recently that many of the recommendations I made in my report for the WMA have been incorporated into their long-term strategy.

I returned to the UK in February and was fortunate to land a position with the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. I work with ELDIS where I conduct research on environment and agriculture issues. Part of my work is to highlight a varied number of environmental-related publications from different sources, targeting a range of actors in the development sector. Not being very technologically-oriented, this has been a great opportunity to develop an understanding of the role that information systems are playing in the environment and development sector.

Currently, I am based in Brighton, which is a really fun and happening place to live - and has the added advantage of being by the sea. As always, if you’re ever in this part of world, do get in touch. I can’t wait to catch up with many of you in person!

Márta Vetier (Hungary, Batch 1) :: Since graduating I have had many jobs. During the summer, I worked as a volunteer for the Peak District National Park in the UK. I was monitoring the success of their peat land restoration project. In practice I was up on the highlands from early morning till dusk no matter what kind of weather and identifying and counting plants.

Afterwards, in October 2007 I joined Wardell Armstrong, an environmental and engineering consultancy in the UK, as an environmental scientist working on EIAs (environmental impact assessments). After a few weeks, I realised that this job is very far from what I am interested in doing. I was serving business interests and not protecting the environment.

In March 2008 I joined Greenpeace. I am working for the European Unit as a junior policy advisor on GMOs (genetically modifi ed organisms). Greenpeace European Unit is based in Brussels and monitors and analyses the work of the EU institutions. We also expose defi cient EU policies and laws, and challenge EU decision-makers to implement progressive solutions. And I love this job!

of climate change and carbon footprint, so, I think what I do now helps a lot in terms of environmental promotion.

Personally, there isn’t much to update. I’m planning to set up my own company in the near future, although I’m not sure what exactly I want to do. I’ve had many different ideas, of which I will have to fi gure out makes the most money. :-)

Sunny Goh (Malaysia, Batch 1) :: One month after the MESPOM graduation ceremony I rejoined a local university in Malaysia as an academic tutor. In fact, I went back to the same position from which I was given 2 years of educational leave to complete MESPOM. After 6 months, the academic board in University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) fi nally agreed to assign me as an academic under the Department of Engineering Sciences.

As an academic my responsibilities are to deliver lectures and to conduct research, and I am also involved in departmental management work. Since I only hold an MSc degree I only teach undergraduate students. I teach one or two subjects per semester in the Bachelor Degree in Environmental Technology. This program is a combination environmental sciences and engineering. Unfortunately, there is not much progress in my research as I have to allocate time parallel between management, teaching and research.

Letters


Jennifer Lenhardt (USA, Batch 1) :: Hi friends! I can’t believe it has been a year since we, the guinea pigs, had the craziness and adventure that can best be described as ‘the thesis crunch and MESPOM madness’. I still think fondly to our memories in Budapest, the boat tour and the party afterwards. I guess I wasn’t quite ready to let it fi nish… and thus this year I have remained in Lund, actually working part time at IIIEE and also part time with Malmö’s City Planning Offi ce, as an intern addressing environmental aspects of city infrastructure and buildings. Both positions have been amazing, but soon I will leave Lund and move to Nairobi to work at UN-Habitat. Interestingly, I will also get to live with a fellow MESPOMer, Karen Basiye! In Malmö, I have worked with urban environmental planning; something I enjoy so much that going to work has been like eating candy. Malmö is doing so many exciting things, that I hope I can take some of these lessons and apply them in other parts of the world.

Working at IIIEE has granted further insight to the functioning of environmental research and allowed me to get to know IIIEE/MESPOM on a different level. I have got to know our professors as friends, and played the roles of both a (pretend) student and an employee. However, it has made me miss my classmates a lot! Even so, it was an extra treat to get to know MESPOM Batch 2 students here in Lund. You have become my friends and a great support. Thus, I wish all of you, MEPSOM Batch 2, the very best with your upcoming graduation and enter into the ‘real world’. The road is long, challenging and full of question… but looking back, it is also full of invaluable experiences, lessons and friendship – I wish you valuable lessons and the sincerest success until we meet again!

Gireesh Nair (India, Batch 1) :: I am back to studies again. I am pursuing a PhD at Mittuniversitet, Östersund, Sweden. In retrospect I think I am continuing my Northward journey right from my graduation at Kerala (South India) then job at New Delhi (North India), MESPOM fi rst at Budapest and then at Lund and now at Östersund. I moved here with my family and life is very busy these days.

My broad research area is about implementation of energy effi ciency measures in the residential sector in Sweden: Attitudes, perceptions of homeowners and the role of infl uencing factors in their decision making process. As a fi rst step I sent out a questionnaire to Swedish detached homeowners. Based on the responses, now need to make a presentation to the funding agency in a few months’ time. The research fi eld is of my interest “energy” but the research paradigm is the diffusion of innovation which is more social science. It is challenging but nevertheless interesting. I am now appreciating the fact that cost economic technology may not necessarily be readily adopted and there are many other factors that facilitate diffusion of a technology. It is also different from my past experience as an industry consultant and learning the difference between consultancy work for industry and academic research activities. The research work provides a lot of opportunities in terms of international conference participation as well.

Within three years I plan to go abroad to continue studying towards a PhD degree. My research will most likely be in environmental related modeling. I believe in using modeling tools to convince people of the possible (predicted or foreseeable) consequences of human activities.

Saatvika Rai (India, Batch 1) :: I work for TERI-India (The Energy and Resources Institute), an organisation embracing every signifi cant aspect of sustainable development. Our Director, Dr. R. K. Pachauri is the chairman of IPCC and the current recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Al Gore. I love my work and my specifi c profi le as I get to do a lot of fi eldwork for projects, and undertake hands on implementation. I basically look at environment and development issues (poverty, livelihoods, natural resource management, renewables) at the grassroots, testing and piloting new ideas, and documenting the results for others to replicate and up-scale.

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Message from Aleh Cherp

Dear MESPOM alumni:

It is great to share recent MESPOM developments with you. Several small changes have occurred in the programme since you graduated. A number of new courses at CEU are now taught by very popular Brandon and Tamara; and Manchester faculty also contributes to the Winter Semester. For the last year we have been using Moodle (http://moodle.mespom.eu/) for posting course materials, submitting assignments and hosting students’ wikis, blogs, quizzes and academic chats. As alumni, you are always welcome to register and check what is new in the programme (your criticism and suggestions are also very welcome!).

The Ecosystems Management is now entirely operated by the University of the Aegean and fully conducted on Lesvos. The students depart to Mytilene in mid-May and are not required to come back to Budapest, so many of them prefer to spend some extra days in Greece while preparing for the tough challenges of Lund and Manchester. The course in Lund has been better timed to allow students to leave Sweden by Christmas if they so wish.

The table below shows a growth in the number of countries whose citizens apply to MESPOM, the number of applicants from the EU, and the admission rates. But it also shows a decline in the overall number of applications last year, mostly due to decline of interest from Eastern Europe. All in all, we have managed to recruit very good students and we are very proud of all the three cohorts. Read www.mespom.eu/profi le/ about them!

In early May, the third cohort had to confront a tragic loss of one of their most outstanding students, Lydia Press, and the CEU shared sorrow with them and their parents who

2005 2006 2007 2008 2005 2006 2007 2008No of countries No of applications

EU (old, new, candidate) 5 8 14 17 32 29 28 43E. Europe, Balkans & Central Asia 16 14 15 15 136 130 100 49OECD (non-EU) 5 4 5 7 13 18 39 25China 1 1 1 1 11 21 44 43Asia (except China and OECD) 10 11 11 10 47 80 101 99Rest of the world 23 28 29 36 58 129 214 207Total for MESPOM 60 66 75 86 297 407 526 471*Accepted (total/EM) 30/25 34/28 39/25 34*/21Admission ratios (total/EM) 9.9/11.9 12.0/14.5 13.5/19.9 12.3/20.4

came to Budapest with a brief visit. Read about Lydia on the Internet.

As strange as it may sound, MESPOM is nearing its end: we have only one more cohort to recruit for 2009-2011 with the help of Erasmus Mundus. Naturally, we are now thinking of MESPOM-2 which would run for another 5 years enhancing our strengths and doing away with the weaknesses. Your suggestions in this regard will be highly appreciated.

All in all, the alumni are one of the greatest strengths of MESPOM, with your level of engagement, commitment, professionalism, and loyalty. You can help MESPOM in a variety of ways, most simply by telling about it to your friends and colleagues, but also by writing a short blog entry about your life on our Website.

Finally, at the danger of violating the word’s limit established by Marta, but very much in the spirit of her brilliant initiative with the Newsletter I would like to say a few words about my own ‘career development’. Since last fall I’ve worked as the Director for Research and International Academic Cooperation of CEU. In February I was also entrusted with coordinating the “Energy, Security and Interdependence” chapter of the Global Energy Assessment (www.globalenergyassessment.org). As much as always I remain committed to MESPOM but now I can afford spending a bit less time with its day-to-day coordination because many of the procedures which were fi rst ‘tested’ on Cohort I are now routinely applied and because there are two additional colleagues helping me in Lund (Gunilla) and Budapest (Anton).

May I fi nish with wishing you an excellent summer, lots of success in saving the Earth, and happiness in personal life. Stay in touch!

Aleh Cherp (MESPOM Co-ordinator)

EM = Erasmus Mundus scholarship; * - estimate


A warm welcome to all graduates from the 2nd Batch! We wish you a successful career and happy life!

MESPOM 2nd Batch graduates and their theses titles

Dinara Abjamilova Land Reform and Rural Livelihoods - Case of the Kyrgyz RepublicReazul Ahsan Social equity and Sustainability for the immigrant communities in the UK planning policy: A

Study on South Asian immigrantsLeonard Akwany Water Footprint and Trade offs of Biofuels: The Case for Malawi in Sub-Saharan AfricaSarine Barsoumian Communicating CSR Between Businesses - Where do reports fi t in?Karen Basiye Extended Producer Responsibility for the Management of Waste from Mobile PhoneMunkhjargal Bayarlkhagva Air Pollution Issues and Air Quality Management Practice in Unaanbaatar City, Mongolia Rohit Bhagwat Site Waste Management Practices in Construction Industry in United KingdomMelissa Chin Nature For Sale But Who’s Buying? Biodiversity Banking in Malua, SabahYanin Chivakidakarn Source Separation Scheme in Three Thai Cities – Comparison of achievementsBrendan Cook Drivers and Barriers to Rural Bioenergy Entrepreneurships – The Case of Biogas in VietnamDemetris Demetriou Integrated Energy Planning for the Residential Sector - the Case Study of CyprusDusan Djordjevic Communication strategy for the EEA?John Duncan The End of the Line? Benchmarking South Africa’s Traditional Linefi sheryDorottya Hujber Barriers and challanges of „GROW YOUR OWN” food schemes in Melbourne, AustraliaAlesia Israilava Energy Crops: Stakeholder Identifi cation and Analysis – A Case of BelarusZheng Jie An Analysis of Outdoors Education in Senior Middle Schools in BeijingGerda Jónász Improved circular migration programs for a socially just agriculture! Case study of Andalusia, Sp.Sachin Kumar Standard Setting for Technology Procurement – Redesigning an Instrument for the EnvironmentQiao Liming Green Investment SchemeNa Lin Bioenergy Entrepreneurship in rural ChinaJiaqiao Lin Growing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Chinese Civil Aviation Industry in the Context of

Global Climate TargetsSaravanan Mahalingam Evaluation of Energy Performance Rating Tools for Existing Buildings in UKBM Krishna Manda E-waste Management in India – Stakeholders’ perceptions and Media attentionShahzia Mohsin Khan Social Innovations in Creative Communities for Sustainable Consumption: is it promising?Baijanta Nath Experience of Policy Instruments used to promote renewable energy - Case study of

Maharashtra, IndiaHue Nguyen Toxic Omissions and Cancerous Growths: Addressing the Unexamined Assumption of

Sustainable Consumption in Technologically Innovative SocietiesErdenesaikhan Nyamjav Implication of Transport Modal Shifts for Transport Energy Intensity: An International

Comparison on CEE Countries during the Transition YearsElad Orian The Transfer of Environmental Technology as a Tool for Empowering Communities in Confl ict;

the case of Participatory Water Monitoring in Cajamarca, PeruTatsiana Palchekh Developing Strategic Environmental Assessment screening in a transition country. The case-

study of BelarusAdam Paulsen Planning a path towards sustainable energy development - A case study of electricity system

planning in Ontario, CanadaNeelambari Phalkey Analysis of the wind effects on Urban Heat Islands in the city of Manchester, UKAlexander Romanov Economic restructuring and air pollution in Russia in 1999-2006Suganda Shanker Role of religious rituals in biodiversity conservationLuciana Silvestri The Bitter Sweet Promise of Biofuels: Sweet for a few, bitter for many: A study case of HondurasLydia Stergiopoulou Economic Valuation of Wetland Habitat Injuries in Lake Kerkini in GreeceChi-Chung Tsao Applying IO Approaches for Estimating Environmental Impacts of Industry and Policy in a Life

Cycle Perspective. A case study: GHGs emission of semiconductor industry and “Two Trillion & Twin Star” Policy in Taiwan


Budapest, HungaryEkaterina Tsvetkova (Russia, Batch 1)

Budapest is Budapest. From one point it is changing nearly everyday – new walking streets show up, replacing previously car-infested areas, new

cafes are opened, new people move in. From the other – it is still “the same old Budapest” with its gorgeous view from Buda Castle, Tokaj wine tasting and Margit Island magic.

One thing which will defi nitely never be the same, is Budapest full of friends, all at the same time. People do come – Ivana, Draga, Hanna, others… and some stay for a while, like me, Yulia, Gamze, Tanya… But life keeps moving and this gives us a great incentive to travel and see friends.

Varanasi, India Deepak Rai (India, Batch 1)

Recently I had one of my most memorable experiences visiting Varanasi (India) which has been the ultimate pilgrimage spot for Hindus for ages. Often referred to as Benaraes, Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world. It is the holiest of all sites, inarguably one of the most culturally signifi cant places in human history. Its dramatic ghats (river banks) fl anking the sweeping Ganges, fi lled with pilgrims and priests creates a magnifi cent atmosphere. However the city

has immense civic and environmental problems which often make people think how a place that is so venerated, could be so utterly defi led? The environmentalist

in me tried to understand the essence of its mystical existence and inherent environmental issues but was quickly reminded by a hippy friend’ remark that the journey to Varanasi is nothing but a quest to fi nd the spiritual you. Perhaps the assumption is that you cannot even pretend to know the beauty of this place unless you have it embedded in your soul, know it left and right and love it to the core.

Around the world

Geneva, SwitzerlandSonja Koeppel (Germany, Batch 1)

Regarding private life, Geneva is not so exciting and certainly not like Budapest - but the lake and the mountains around are great! I have ventured out to ski

again and am enjoying going out with friends more and more often.

At the Palais and in Geneva I have meet people from all over the world, with very interesting stories and backgrounds: someone responsible for the security of staff at the International Red Cross, a trade union representative from Serbia, a lawyer working with Internet Governance from Nigeria, a friend who has worked for UN peacekeeping in Liberia and many more... But also a former classmate from my primary school whom I had not seen since, and interns from MESPOM second year. The world is very small… and seems to meet in Geneva sometimes…

Weddings:

Lovish Ahuja (India, Batch 1), on picture

Tatjana Palchekh (Belarus, Batch 2)

Engagements:Irina Arakelyan (Armenia, Batch 1)

Congratulations to all, we wish you a happy life together!

Private life


Dear all,Your input is very welcome to the next issue of the MESPOM alumni newsletter, which I plan to put together during January 2009. I am waiting for articles for the following sections:

1. Knowledge and experience sharing: write about recent developments in your fi eld or about special projects that you are participating in etc – focusing not on yourself but on the issue.

2. Research: input from PhD students and those involved in research projects is especially welcome!3. Reviews of conferences, books, websites etc.: share information sources that might be useful for others! Send me the bibliographic details

and a few words about it.4. Private life: did you get married, engaged or had children? Send me a short description of the event and maybe a few pictures.5. Travels: write a few words about the city where you are living or about a country that you have visited. Send a few pictures along!6. Letters

Practicalities:− If you intend to have it published under 'Knowledge sharing', ‘Research’ or 'Reviews' give your article a title.− Keep in mind that many people in the alumni don't know you, write your articles in a manner that makes it interesting to read even for alumni

from other batches than yours!− Always include your full name, country and batch number.− Avoid abbreviations or explain them in the text.− Length: 50-500 words per article.− File format: MS Word or Open Offi ce Writer document; images, graphs and tables in separate fi les.− Font: Times New Roman, size 10, no lines between paragraphs, justifi ed− Images, graphs, tables etc.: in separate fi les (jpg, odt, jpg, tif, gif or bmp)− Email everything to my fi [email protected] e-mail address with the subject: “alumni newsletter”

Warm regards,Marta Vetier

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