KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is helping establish an environmental education management center in Hong Kong.
The UT Energy, Environment and Resources Center (EERC) has received a $106,000 grant from the State Environmental Initiative program to organize the center at the Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute, said Dr. Jack Barkenbus, executive director of the center.
The initiative grant is from the Council of State Governments. UT is working with the U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
EERC staff and faculty in the UT colleges of business administration and engineering, with input from the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C., are designing the curriculum and will teach courses.
Businesses in Hong Kong will be encouraged to adopt environmental management techniques practiced by successful organizations in Tennessee.
Hong Kong, with one of world’s highest population densities, faces environmental problems associated with rapid development, the burning of fossil fuels and industrial practices that are not environmentally friendly, Barkenbus said.