Dobris takes stock, finally

• Of 105 large European cities, the "most unfavorable climatological conditions" exist in Paris, Budapest, Rome, Turin, Lisbon, Porto, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Madrid and Manchester. The cities with the "most favorable climatological conditions" are Toulouse, Dresden, Hannover, Stuttgart, Oslo, Kranodar and Yarosavl.

  Of 33 European countries monitored, the Russian Federation generates the most waste (about 24 million tons/year) but the least waste per capita (about 150 kg/year). Austrians are the most wasteful, generating nearly 600 kg/year per capita. Hungarians are the seventh greatest producers of waste per capita (just under 450 kg/year) but rank 13th in total waste produced (about 5 million tons/year). Moldovans are the most wasteful eastern Europeans, generating about 450 kg/year per capita.

  These are just a few of the interesting, and often startling facts which fill the new environmental bible, Europe's Environment - The Dobris Assessment. Three years after it was conceived at the Dobris conference, The Dobris Assessment has finally made its way onto bookshelves around the Region. Published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), this telephone book-sized tome details the state of the environment in 46 European countries, including a section outlining the 12 most pressing environmental problems facing Europe today. But it isn't just a catalogue of depressing facts; it also provides the best strategies and responses to Europe's most serious environmental problems.

  The Regional Environmental Center distributed 3,300 complimentary copies of this English-language book to public and university libraries, environmental media organizations and key environmental NGOs. To obtain your own copy of The Dobris Assessment, contact: EEA, Kongens Nytorv 6, DK-1050, Copenhagen K, Denmark; Tel: (45-33) 36 7100, Fax: (45-33) 36 7199.

Democracy, Macedonia-style

• The Institute for Sustainable Development has just opened a new office in Skopje to administer the Macedonian Democracy Network Program, a program that supports, strengthens and empowers NGOs in Macedonia. What is unusual about the Macedonian version is that the program will focus exclusively on the environment.

  "The environmental subsection of the Macedonian NGO community is relatively more sophisticated so they will benefit the most from our program," says Steve Nicholas, the program's country director. "And environmental issues, along with women's issues, cut across ethnic tensions."

  In addition to environmental issues, Democracy Network Programs in other countries offer support in the areas of democracy, economic development and social welfare. In all countries, including Macedonia, the DNP offers training and small grants programs.

E-TIP tips off

• ECOLOGIA has developed a user-friendly Home Page on the World Wide Web that will provide NGOs with access to professional-quality environmental information at a single site. Called the Environmental Technical Information Project (E-TIP), this "one stop shopping center" provides information on toxic chemicals, environmental health, solid waste and radiation to anyone with a PC and a modem.

Head of Slovak Greenpeace expelled from Czech Republic

• Lubica Trubiniova, head of Greenpeace Slovakia, and several other Slovaks have been banned from entering the Czech Republic for one year. The sentence was handed out after they took part in a blockade of the main entrance to the Czech nuclear plant Temelin in early October. Trubiniova was detained by Czech authorities on 2 October and then forced to leave the country within 24 hours. She alleges there has been no public discussion on the project. (Source: OMRI Daily Digest)

Bucolic Black Sea coast receives treatment

• An environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the Black Sea coast will be carried out by a consortium of Spanish and UK companies following the award of a contract by the European Commission. The region's ecosystem was described last year as being "on the verge of catastrophe." The 12-month project will move the area toward sustainable development by providing advice and support to authorities, developing the capacity of experts to conduct EIAs and environmental audits, and promoting public awareness of environmental problems and their solutions. Public participation will be encouraged in basic environmental monitoring and clean-up activities.

World Bank under pressure

• Nongovernmental organizations are pressuring World Bank's board of directors to open the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) information disclosure policy. As the arm of the World Bank that lends to the private sector, the IFC often restricts important information from the public, releasing only project locations and loan amounts in a one-page summary. This policy is up for review in September, giving NGOs the chance to lobby the IFC to open up. NGO's are asking that the IFC's disclosure policy be in line with the World Bank's policy for loans to the public sector.

IDEE searches for trainers

• The Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe is looking for indigenous NGO trainers to include in their upcoming Directory of NGO Trainers in Central and Eastern Europe. The directory will focus on trainers from most REC countries that operate in the following sectors: democratization, economic development, environmental protection and social safety net restructuring. If you know of any local NGO trainers that should be included in this directory, which will be available in both electronic and printed formats in early 1996, please contact Susan Brown at IDEE. Tel: (202) 466-7105, Fax: (202) 466-7140, E-mail: idee@dgs.dgsys.com.

Earth Summit now on CD-ROM

• The environmental conference that produced the landmark Agenda 21, the first ever Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is now available on CD-ROM. In another "first for the earth," the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), along with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, have reduced all the key official documentation produced during a major UN conference onto a fully searchable CD-ROM.

Environmental Literature Sought

• Garland Publishing of New York is preparing Literature and Environment: An Encyclopedia, an international and interdisciplinary work to be published in 1997. It will include entries on specific authors and works, as well as on relevant topics from theory, philosophy, science and other areas. Send suggestions for topics or names of potential contributors to Patrick D. Murphy, Department of English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705-1094; Tel: (412) 357-2263, Fax: (412) 357-3056, E-mail: pdmurphy@grove.iup.edu.

The board thinks it over

• On the eve of the "Environment for Europe" conference in Sofia, the REC's board of directors gathered in Budapest for their third quarterly meeting of the year. At the top of the agenda: the selection of a new executive director. The field has been narrowed to four candidates, but don't hold your breath: Considering the importance of the decision, the board decided to mull it over indefinitely.

US military backs REC

• The US government donated two truckloads of miscellaneous equipment to the REC. The goods came from American military bases being closed down in Germany. The shipment was made up largely of office equipment and furniture, but several musical instruments, including a bassoon and a trumpet, also found their way to Budapest. Keep your ears open for that "new REC sound."

Keep on discussin'

• The Business Information Service started a business and environment discussion list. The ENVBUS-L list will facilitate discussion among persons and organizations who are interested in business and environment issues in Central and Eastern Europe. REC believes that before sustained environmental progress can be achieved in Central and Eastern Europe, it is necessary to promote the development of a strong environmental business sector. For more information, send a message to listserv@rec.org. The message body should read help and the subject should remain blank.

Internet by e-mail?

• REC has developed a manual on how to use REC-Net for accessing environmental information. Designed as a textbook for use during one-day seminars, the manual provides a good, general introduction to the mysteries of electronic communication, as well as practical exercises to hone your skills. The most interesting bit? How to access environmental information from resources such as Gopher and the World Wide Web using nothing more than an e-mail connection.

REC books in Britain

• The Regional Environmental Center has contracted the Devon-based Natural History Book Service (NHBS) to manage the sale and distribution of its major publications in an effort to reach a larger audience worldwide. From now on, those wishing to acquire a copy of the Emerging Environmental Market Survey or the NGO Directory should contact NHBS directly. Delivery time is estimated at a minimum of 3-10 days for Europe, 3 weeks for North America, and 6-8 weeks for the rest of the world.

  The Regional Environmental Center is charging customers for its publications as part of its ongoing effort to reach financial sustainability over the next two years. The REC's activities may have increased, but it is unlikely funding from outside sources will be able to keep pace.

  "We just can't afford to give these products away free-of-charge any longer. We are now charging reasonable prices so we can recover our publication costs. Of course, NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe will still receive copies free-of-charge," says IET Team Leader, Winston Bowman.

  NHBS can take orders by mail, fax, telephone or e-mail; soon readers will be able to order publications on-line via NHBS's BookNet. NHBS will accept payment in the form of credit cards, cheques, bank drafts, postal money orders or bank transfers in one of three currencies: British pounds, US dollars or German marks.

  To order all REC publications, contact:
  Natural History Book Service
  2-3 Willis Road
  Totnes, Devon
  TQ9 5XN, United Kingdom
  Tel: (44-1803) 865 913
  Fax: (44-1803) 865 280
  E-mail: nhbs@nhbs.co.uk
  WWW: http://www.nhbs.co.uk