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Final Report for "Linking US & Russian Communities Through Environmental Managment Councils" Project

On April 26, 1999 Andrei Severny arrived in the United States to begin six full weeks of activities and training in ISO 9000, Quality Management Systems; ISO 14000, Environmental Management System Standards; the EQMI Community-Based Phase I, II, III EMS m odel, and establishing and organizing Community Environmental Management Councils (CEMCs).

During the first week of Mr.Severny's visit to EQMI in Centreville, Michigan, he toured the community and visited a facility which has implemented an environmental management system. During this first week Mr.Severny also attended classroom training on IS O 9000 and ISO 14000 Integrated Management. The second week of training centered around a manufacturing facility and Mr. Severny learned about implementation methods for ISO 14000. During his third week in Michigan, Mr.Severny attended a full week of EQMI classroom training on the Phase I, II and III Community Based Model. During this week he also met with members of the St.Joseph County Community Environmental Management Council who donated funds to the Virtual Foundation used for this project. Week Four was again spent at the manufacturing facility for more hands-on learning. Mr. Severny also spoke at an EQMI event, "A Glimpse at the New Era of Community Environmentalism." Week Five focused on environmental aspects and Environmental Auditing through f urther classroom training. During the last week of Mr.Severny's visit to EQMI, he toured several Michigan communities.

The project goal of educating Mr.Severny about ISO 14000 and Community Environmental Management Councils has already proved fruitful. Upon returning to Russia, he began interpreting the knowledge that he gained in the United States into language that wou ld be understood to communities in Russia. Mr.Severny drew upon what he had learned in Michigan to produce materials about ISO 14000 which are better understood by within the Russian culture than those produced in the USA.