Investigating International Voluntary Programs in Asia

In this project, IIEC investigated opportunities for voluntary programs and profitable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in key developing countries in Asia.

IIEC-Asia collected and housed information on US Voluntary Programs and relevant materials on energy use, efficiency investment climate, and energy situation in the target countries. IIEC also created libraries of information about US Voluntary Programs and other related energy efficiency efforts globally. The library in IIEC-Asia now houses over 100 journal titles, and 3,000 volumes, plus a collection of over 100 topical articles. The library answers requests for information from around the region and has hosted students from regional universities doing energy policy research.

IIEC-Asia also developed a database of individuals and organizations that would be key to planning and implementing voluntary programs. IIEC-Asia's database now contains more than 3,500 records of relevant companies, organizations, and individuals. In addition, IIEC Asia has written "policy scans" on the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, identifying the current status and future direction for energy efficiency policies and regulations in each country. IIEC also published "Examples in Action: Sustainable Energy Experiences in Developing and Transition Countries."

IIEC-Asia furthermore developed and implemented a strategy for establishing a set of target countries, engaging key constituencies in each country to set program direction, describing potentially viable voluntary programs with theses constituents, and producing proposals for outside funding from sources such as E-7, GEF, and AIJ. To date, a computer monitor voluntary program in Thailand and a Green Buildings voluntary program in the Philippines have been funded.