Aussie Lecturers Teach Thai Students New Ways How To Manage The Environment

[webfact]

ENVIRONMENT

Learning new ways to manage the environment

By WANNAPA KHAOPA

THE NATION

Nakhon Pathom

Aussie lecturers teach Thai students how they do things

Thai students have come up with new ideas on protecting the environment after learning what Australian researchers have done to cope with problems in Australia.

Last week, students from Mahidol University's Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies (Salaya campus) plus hundreds from many other universities attended special classes, with lectures by three researchers specialising in environmental science and related fields from renowned Australian institutions.

Students at universities in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Bangkok and neighbouring provinces opened their eyes to different ways to protect the environment Down Under as researchers with different expertise gave lectures on different topics under the "Australian Visiting Researcher Programme".

Rungtip Junlah, 21, a fourth year student at the faculty told The Nation she was impressed after learning that 20 per cent of the wastewater in Melbourne - the second biggest city after Sydney - could be recycled. She was interested in Australian wastewater recycling technology called membrane technology, as it appeared to be an effective way to do wastewater treatment.

"Thailand has had problems about water pollution for a long time. I want the technology to be used broadly in Thailand so we can reduce the water pollution problems when we just treat the wastewater before releasing it. It's a good start although we haven't been able to recycle it for use yet," she said.

Rungtip was among around 40 students attending a class at the Salaya campus conducted by one of the three researchers, Prof K Baskaran, associate dean of Deakin University's Faculty of Science and Technology. His topic was entitled "Integrated Water Management in Australia and Climate Variability".

Maytee Chaiterapunkul, 21, a fourth year student at the same faculty who also sat in the class, said he studied informatics technology related to the environment, so he thought the interesting part of the lecture was that Australia had good environmental data.

"Baskaran's lecture showed that Australia had well collected data about its environment. The data dates back to 100 years ago, which is really useful for environmental prediction. This is a good model for Thailand. We have problems with a lack of data," he said.

Chayut Pinichka, 26, a master's degree student at the faculty, said water usage calculation for processing a chicken product in Australia showed how much the country was concerned about water consumption.

"The calculation would help an idea to do a water footprint in the future," he said.

Assoc Prof Kampanad Bhaktikul, a lecturer at the facul-ty, said it was a good opportunity |for his students to learn what researchers outside Thailand had done about environmental protection. They also learnt about disasters and impacts of climate change in Australia. And, these would increase their awareness about the environment.

"The programme was conducted in Thailand this year for the first time. It is a valuable opportunity for Australian academics to exchange information and ideas with Thai students, academics and policy makers in the fields of environmental science and clean energy," James Wise, the Australian Ambassador to Thailand said.

"Australia and Thailand share a number of similar environmental challenges and this programme provides an opportunity for both countries to share ideas on how to address these challenges. I welcome this initiative as another example of the strong spirit of collaboration between Australia and Thailand, built over almost 60 years of bilateral relations."

Aside from giving lecturers to Thai students, the three professors met and discussed collaboration with Thai lecturers and agencies related to the environment.

Baskaran specialises in integrated urban and industrial water management, while Prof Leslie Edye from Queensland University of Technology specialises in bio-fuels and bio-refineries, total biomass utilsation and sugar manufacture. Prof Matthew Phillips, from the University of Technology Sydney, specialises in energy efficient materials - applied physics.

Kampanad said: "We'll work together in terms of research collaboration. We'll exchange re-search knowledge, co-advisers and students. We'll also share knowledge to strengthen our training courses."

Baskaran said the Australian government had arranged the programme to showcase its expertise in environmental areas in Thailand. This had also been done in China and Korea.

"We are keen to develop continuing collaboration. I'm talking to the (Thai academic) institutions to provide an opportunity to develop an industry specific training programme. We can run it here as well as we can run it in Australia.

"We can provide the technology and then make industry aware of the technology available and how to apply it. This will be the next step," he said.

The collaborative program has co-funded by Australian Trade Commission and Australian Education International.

The initiative benefits young Thais working on the environment, and environmental education. It would be good if Thailand could expand the collaboration to other environmentally related agencies, starting from the industrial sector, as Baskaran recommended.

-- The Nation 2011-06-27

[swifty5x5]

Seems alittle deep. It should start this is a trash can anyone know what it is used for?

[visions]

Seems alittle deep. It should start this is a trash can anyone know what it is used for?

You are quite correct in that observation. I agree totaly.

But it seemed to me, that lecture had an audience of students already interested in that field of research.

Pratom schools are where your "this is a trash can" education should start.

From my experience in schools there is no enviromental education at all.

Several years ago in Khon Kaen the city had a "Big Clean Up Day" maybe they still do, I dont know.

I was supervising a group of students collecting rubbish from an assigned area of roads. Lunch time came, and would you believe.... ALL the empty food containers were just dropped where they were eating, despite having the bags of rubbish nearby!!

Obviously the lesson hadnt sunk in. Equally obvious was my reaction, to make them add them to the rubish bags!!

A long jourey starts with the first step.

[Deeral]

Thailand has failed in a grand style when it comes to managing it's natural resources and its about time that they sought advise from outside - something that Thailand repeatedly refuses to do on issue after issue.

When it comes to ecological management Australia has some of the best people and also even has similar environments that it has had to deal with.

the sad part is that this effort is so late and probably too small to have any great effect.

[EvilDrSomkid]

Seems alittle deep. It should start this is a trash can anyone know what it is used for?

You are quite correct in that observation. I agree totaly.

But it seemed to me, that lecture had an audience of students already interested in that field of research.

Pratom schools are where your "this is a trash can" education should start.

From my experience in schools there is no enviromental education at all.

Several years ago in Khon Kaen the city had a "Big Clean Up Day" maybe they still do, I dont know.

I was supervising a group of students collecting rubbish from an assigned area of roads. Lunch time came, and would you believe.... ALL the empty food containers were just dropped where they were eating, despite having the bags of rubbish nearby!!

Obviously the lesson hadnt sunk in. Equally obvious was my reaction, to make them add them to the rubish bags!!

A long jourey starts with the first step.

That would be the first and easiest step they could take here. DOWN THROW YOUR GARBAGE EVERYWHERE!

The thing is, most people here don't care. The kids do the same as their parents.

Toss the trash bag over the nearest fence.

Another step step they should take is getting rid of all those old trucks and buses spewing black clouds.

It would do wonders for the air quality.

[maidu]

Good on you, mates! Thai youngsters have a lot to learn about environmental husbandry. In the US they have college courses on Garbalogy - I jest not.

Just one facet of this: I can think of a slew of ways in which Thai college students could gauge and act upon environmental problems here in Thailand. Anyone want a list? Thai colleges and universities don't. There is so much that could be done - much of it with volunteers and/or little funding - but there needs to be a willingness by Thai administrators, and thus far there's been scant little focus.

One of thousands of useful projects: Adopt-a-Highway program - where a particular group (biz, school, sport group, whatever) takes responsibility for picking up litter at a particular stretch of highway or stream course or beach.

I have a pet project, which is to clear two paths leading to a wonderful cave 2 Km west of Chiang Rai town. The local authorities don't even know the cave exists, but I don't mind taking volunteers (and sometimes paying workers) to come out and clear the paths. Next, I'll make signs (to the cave) and set them up. Thankfully, a local Buddhist group hasn't commandeered the cave (as they have with several other caves nearby) otherwise it would be off limits for recreation, exploration and wonderment.

[hanuman2543]

First and easy step: No more free plastic bags

[Nawtier]

I hope you people are not shit canning thais and their garbage and recycling responsibilities.

[Misterwhisper]

Seems alittle deep. It should start this is a trash can anyone know what it is used for?

Well said, swifty. Start with restricting the use of plastic bags and styrofoam containers. Prohibt 7-Eleven and other convenience stores from putting each single cup of yoghurt bought into a tiny, minute, pygmy, ultimately useless plastic bag together with 3 or more plastic spoons.

A house is currently being erected on a plot next to mine. The construction workers live in stilted shacks built over an adjacent swampy area. Six huge trash bins are a mere 15 meters away for everyone in my soi to use. The garbage comes around reliably once a week. Yet the construction workers' trash goes straight into the swamp, which now starts to resemble a landfill.

The constuction waste (empty sacks, broken tiles and bricks, unused cement, styrofoam packaging,, bubble wrap, etc.) is frequently hauled to an empty plot 40 meters away and dumped there RIGHT NEXT to a sign put up by the district office threatening everyone who litters there with a 2,000-Baht fine. The garbage hill is growing in height by the day. And now "someone" (who do you guess?) has even torn down that sign and uses it as a plankway so their heavy wheelbarrow won't sink into the soft ground!

If you confront any of the construction workers with their filthy habits, they just ignore you. They don't know any better, it seems.

Yes, let's start with the little things and delegate elaborate concepts like wastewater recycling to advanced classes.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Misterwhisper

[sirchai]

Seems alittle deep. It should start this is a trash can anyone know what it is used for?

You are quite correct in that observation. I agree totaly.

But it seemed to me, that lecture had an audience of students already interested in that field of research.

Pratom schools are where your "this is a trash can" education should start.

From my experience in schools there is no enviromental education at all.

Several years ago in Khon Kaen the city had a "Big Clean Up Day" maybe they still do, I dont know.

I was supervising a group of students collecting rubbish from an assigned area of roads. Lunch time came, and would you believe.... ALL the empty food containers were just dropped where they were eating, despite having the bags of rubbish nearby!!

Obviously the lesson hadnt sunk in. Equally obvious was my reaction, to make them add them to the rubish bags!!

A long jourey starts with the first step.

We're doing an English project covering the topic environment at a tiny primary school in the lower northeast. I hope that other schools will follow. Our kids are doing a great job, the Introduction, a power point slideshow, a Role-play and a rap song. :jap:

[Hachi]

"Aussie lecturers teach Thai students how they do things"

A rather sad indictment of the current state of the world isn't it? Australian based lecturers now teaching Thai students about the environment?

Australian businesses especially the mega mining Co's are some of the world's largest polluters and destroyers of the environment!

A litany of terrible events can be easily found through an online search.

Here is just one: "Facing the possibility of legal liabilities amounting to billions of dollars due to environmental damage, BHP-Billiton secured a deal from the PNG government that indemnifies the company against all future compensation claims"

PNG Environmental Disaster

[Nawtier]

Thats not in Australia is it ??

Now come up with something relevant in a country that counts.

[HeavyDrinker]

I walk daily along the canals around the airport.

Were it not for the masses of polystyrene containers and plastic bags floating in the canal it would be a truly beautiful walk...

Almost every day I will see someone just casually throw a bag of litter in the canal.

Take a train ride anywhere and look down out of the window. On either side of the tracks it it just a constant flow of litter.

It breaks the heart to see it.

While it is easy to criticise this program, at least it is a start.

One hopes that these students will go away from it and actually begin to spread the word to their countrymen.

[Deeral]

Unfortunately most posters see to be gauging "pollution" or "the environment" on the number of polythene bags they personally encounter.

Looking at the problem in terms of public litter is a rather blinkered approach.

the biggest polluters are of course the factories which in turn are owned by the ruling class in Thailand.

I think one needs to look at the environmental "disaster" that is Maptaphut to get a more realistic view of the situation.

BTW - when you've picked up that litter - where are you going to put it????

[Nawtier]

In another 7/11 plastic bag of course.

[Deeral]

"Aussie lecturers teach Thai students how they do things"

A rather sad indictment of the current state of the world isn't it? Australian based lecturers now teaching Thai students about the environment?

Australian businesses especially the mega mining Co's are some of the world's largest polluters and destroyers of the environment!

A litany of terrible events can be easily found through an online search.

Here is just one: "Facing the possibility of legal liabilities amounting to billions of dollars due to environmental damage, BHP-Billiton secured a deal from the PNG government that indemnifies the company against all future compensation claims"

PNG Environmental Disaster

Oz is quite bi-polar when it comes to the environment - it has some of the most callous business interests that should scant regard for the ramifications of their activities and it ALSO has some of the most vociferous campaigners for a "green" society......it even has a green party in coalition with the governing Labour party.

[Deeral]

Many people's attitude to pollution seems to be a "not in my back yard" approach.

...... or worse still the attitude to rubbish is a bit like the old indian theory about the world being on the back of an elephant and the elephant was on the back of a turtle.....but it was impolite to ask what the turtle was standing on.

such is their philosophy on the disposal of plastic bags.