National, multidisciplinary membership

There are about 500 individual and 75 institutional members of ENSEARCH. They come from all over Malaysia. Most of them are professionals from the various disciplines, working in the government, universities and private organisations.

To achieve the above objective ENSEARCH has initiated and formed in 1992 an independent, non-government and non-profit research and development centre called the Centre for Environmental Technologies (CETEC). The main objectives of CETEC are as follows:

• to undertake independent and objective environmental research;
• to develop and provide environmental technology services for both the public and private sectors;
• to promote public understanding of important environmental issues through education, training and information services;
• to provide advisory and technical services on national environmental issues to the public and private sectors; and
• to organise and conduct symposia, conferences and train personnel from both public and private sectors in environmental management and research

One of ENSEARCH's core activities is its Education & Training Programs. A Committee chaired by one of its two Vice-Presidents is responsible for organising the Programs. Numerous training programs have been organised and conducted over the years. The following is a list of some of the programs conducted:

• EARA Approved Advanced EMS Auditing
• Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation
• Waste Minimization and Waste Management
• Environmental Legislation and Law
• EMS for Construction Industry

Another core activity of ENSEARCH is to promote networking among individuals from multidisciplinary backgrounds through the organising of activities, such as talks and visits, to promote interaction and sharing of experiences and views. A Committee chaired by its other Vice-President is responsible for organising the Activities Programs. Numerous activities have been organised and conducted over the years. The following is a list of some of the talks and visits conducted:

• Tea-talk on "The Rise of Green Consumerism"
• Tea-talk on "Health in The Face of Environmental Emergencies"
• Tea-talk on "The EMS Approach: A Management Tool for Identifying Cleaner Production Technology Opportunities"
• Forum on "Environmental Management - The Way Forward"
• Visit to Putrajaya and Cyberjaya
• Visit to PERODUA Production Plant Factory

To achieve the above objective, ENSEARCH initiated the formation of the Environmental Professionals Register of Malaysia (EPRM). The EPRM is the first and only environmental professional body in Malaysia. It was officially launched on 31 July 1995 by YB Datuk Abu Bakar Daud, the then Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, with strong support from other professional bodies in the environmental field. The EPRM is governed by a Registry Committee and certifies environmental professionals in 4 major fields. They are:

• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Environmental Management System
• Environmental Auditing
• Environmental Technology

ENSEARCH, in collaboration with the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Malaysia (BCSDM), the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) are joint organisers of the premier national environmental award for business and industry in Malaysia - The Prime Minister's Hibiscus Award. The Award was first launched in 1996 as the "Hibiscus Award". It was upgraded to "The Prime Minister's Hibiscus Award", following the approval of the Hon. Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, in June 1998.

The Award is an opportunity to publicly recognise business and industry's environmental accomplishment and leadership, and serve to create environmental awareness among the business and industrial enterprises that have yet to demonstrate environmental stewardship. The specific objectives of the Award are to:

• Provide business and industry with the opportunity of an independent evaluation of their environmental commitment.
• Stimulate business and industry initiatives in assuming a proactive role in environmental protection.
• Recognise the achievements of exemplary participating organisations for other similar organisations to emulate.

ENSEARCH has been invited regularly by various government agencies to send representatives to their policy and working committees. The representatives provide scientific and technical input in the development of environmental policy and guidelines for our country. Currently, ENSEARCH has representatives in SIRIM's National Committee on Environmental Standards (NACES) and in its National Sub-Committees. It also has a representative working with the Construction Industry Development Board's (CIDB) Good Environmental Practices Committee, to develop policies and guidelines for good environmental management in the construction industry.

To achieve the above objective, ENSEARCH publishes the following publications:

• ENSEARCH BERITA - A bimonthly newsletter containing general interest news as well as the activities in ENSEARCH.
• ENSEARCH Yearbook - An annual Yearbook, which is now published in CD-Rom format, containing useful environmental-related information in Malaysia as well as providing the list of ENSEARCH's and EPRM members.
• In addition to the above, ENSEARCH also maintains a website (www.ensearch.org) where the latest information on ENSEARCH and its activities is updated regularly.

ENSEARCH has organised numerous conferences and workshops over the years. The following is a list of some of the conferences and workshops organised by ENSEARCH in recent years.

• 1999
• Enviro Malaysia 1999
• Groundwater Monitoring and Remediation Environmental Workshop
• First Malaysian Cleaner Production Conference 1999
• 2000
• POLMET 2000 Kuala Lumpur Conference and Exhibition
• 2001
• National Seminar on Environmental Management 2001 (EM 2001)
• IWA Conference on Water & Wastewater Management for Developing Countries 2001
• Asia Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Conference 2001
• 2002
• National Conference on Environmental Management 2002 (EM 2002)
• 2003
• ENSEARCH Forum on Solid & Non-Scheduled Waste Disposal
• 2004
• 5 th Asia Pacific Roundtable on Cleaner Production Regional Conference
• Waste Management 2004
• 2005
• National Conference and Exhibition on Sustainability, Malaysia (SM2005)
• Waste Management 2005

ENSEARCH has formed an Environmental Management Interest Group (EMIG) to promote awareness and implementation of environmental management, especially the implementation of the ISO14000 series of standards, by industrial organisations in the country. The objectives of the EMIG are as follows:

• To work with ENSEARCH's affiliate, the International Network for Environmental Management (INEM), to disseminate environmental management information.
• To work with outside bodies, such as SIRIM, CIDB, FMM, etc., to promote environmental management by the organisations in the pertinent industry groups.
• To organise activities to create awareness and disseminate environmental management-related information.

ENSEARCH has formed a Cleaner Production Interest Group (CPIG) to promote awareness and implementation of cleaner production methods and technologies by industrial organisations. The objectives of the CPIG are as follows:

• To work with ENSEARCH's international partners, such as the Colorado Environmental Business Alliance, to disseminate cleaner production-related information.
• To work with outside bodies, such as SIRIM, CIDB, FMM, etc., to promote cleaner production by the organisations in the pertinent industry groups.
• To organise activities to create awareness and disseminate cleaner production-related information.

ENSEARCH is the national affiliate of the following international environment-related organisations:

• International Network for Environmental Management (INEM), based in Germany
• International Water Association, based in UK*
• Water Environment Federation (WEF), based in USAIn addition to the above, ENSEARCH is also networked with the following organisations:
• US-Asia Environment Program (US-AEP)
• Danish Coorporation for Environment and Development (DANCED)
• Colorado Environmental Business Alliance (CEBA)