2013 Book EnvironmentalLeadershipCapacit PDF

Takashi Mino
Keisuke Hanaki
Editors
Environmental
Leadership Capacity
Building in
Higher Education
Experience and Lessons from
Asian Program for Incubation of
Environmental Leaders
Environmental Leadership Capacity
Building in Higher Education
Takashi Mino • Keisuke Hanaki
Editors
Environmental Leadership
Capacity Building
in Higher Education
Experience and Lessons from Asian Program
for Incubation of Environmental Leaders
Editors
Takashi Mino Keisuke Hanaki
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences Department of Urban Engineering
The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering
Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan The University of Tokyo
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
ISBN 978-4-431-54339-8 ISBN 978-4-431-54340-4 (eBook)

DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54340-4
Springer Tokyo Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
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Preface
Sustainability is an important keyword in the design of future society, and the envi-
ronmental dimension is one of the most critical aspects of sustainability.
Environmental problems typically involve many stakeholders and have a complex
nature with many uncertainties. This makes it difficult to come up with a consensus
among the stakeholders in tackling these problems. In this decision-making process,
we need leaders. They should be able to see problems holistically, to understand the
sociocultural and human factors of the concerned community, and to propose a new
framework that may mitigate the existing problems and provide an alternative path
for a sustainable new paradigm. It is an essential duty for the whole society, espe-
cially for higher education institutions, to foster such leaders.
In recent decades, The University of Tokyo (UT) has been keen on the issue of
the environment and/or sustainability and has endeavored to establish new multidis-
ciplinary schemes that focus on these issues. An outcome of such efforts was the
launch of the Division of Environmental Studies in 1999, which aimed to solve
environmental problems through interdisciplinary collaboration among relevant
disciplines. In the same year, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and UT came together in the Alliance for
Global Sustainability (AGS) to discuss the possibility of organizing a summer pro-
gram on sustainability, which materialized the following summer as the Youth
Environmental Summit (later renamed Youth Encounter on Sustainability, YES).
UT brought this movement over to Asia and initiated another summer program
called the Intensive Program on Sustainability (IPoS) in 2004. YES and IPoS were
experimental projects to establish pedagogy and materials for sustainability educa-
tion at a higher education level by making use of the diversity of students as well as
that of instructors.
As a consequence of these educational challenges with a transdisciplinary nature,
a formal graduate program, the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS),
was established under the Division of Environmental Studies at UT in 2007. The
Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), an institution devel-
oped in UT in 2005 to coordinate and develop research collaboration on
v
vi Preface
sustainability among major Japanese universities, played a key role in the establish-
ment and development of GPSS and offered it strong support both financially and
academically. GPSS, initially started as a Master’s program, became a Ph.D. pro-
gram in 2009. In 2011, GPSS was awarded an exclusive educational project from
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Technology (MEXT), Japan, under
the scheme of “Program for Leading Graduate Schools” and is now in the process
of strengthening its Ph.D. components.
The Department of Urban Engineering (UE) was established in 1962 in the
Faculty of Engineering at UT with the aim of dealing with complex urban issues in
holistic ways and providing a strong practical basis for urban planning and environ-
mental technology/management. Over the past 50 years, UE has gained an excellent
reputation internationally and academically in relevant fields. One of the character-
istics of their curriculum is a strong emphasis on studio and/or laboratory work.
This enabled UE to develop diverse sets of teaching modules in case studies and
experiential learning. Another point is that UE has been accepting students from all
over the world since its early stages and has accumulated know-how in education
for international students. In 2012, UE was accepted for MEXT’s “Re-Inventing
Japan Project” and is currently working to develop a new international collaboration
scheme for student exchange.
The encounter of GPSS and UE brought about a unique educational challenge:
The Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL).
This book, consisting of eight chapters, is a summary of APIEL’s four years of
educational challenges. The structure of the book is as follows. The overall picture
of APIEL is in Chap. 1, which describes how APIEL was established with its aims
and core concepts. The objective of APIEL is to incubate an environmental leader
who can resolve complex problems.
The concepts of the environmental leader, reviewed through a discourse on lead-
ership, are defined in Chap. 2. The history of the development of environmental
education and leaders is also discussed in this chapter. Some personal experiences
from professional environmentalists are included as well.
In APIEL, future environmental leaders were incubated through compulsory
courses which consisted of lectures and field exercise. “Environmental Challenges
and Leadership in Asia” is one of the compulsory courses that was specially devel-
oped for APIEL. Detailed information about this course is given in Chap. 3.
Chapters 4–7 provide examples of APIEL’s field exercises, namely, the Thailand
Unit, the Oasis Unit, the GPRD Unit, and the Cambodia Unit, respectively. This series
of chapters showcases a variety of field exercises and different perspectives. These
field exercises were established by UT in collaboration with counterpart universities
in other countries. The approach for establishing the field exercises, characteristics,
lessons learned, and outcome of the field exercises is described in each chapter.
Finally, feedback from collaborating counterpart universities and alumni is
reflected in Chap. 8.
As can be seen from the above history and the book itself, a huge amount of time,
human resources, thought, and effort had been invested before APIEL started, and
Preface vii
they are being invested continuously even now to develop, operate, and improve the
educational scheme for environmental or sustainability education at the higher edu-
cation level. We believe that this book will be a truly valuable milestone for those
who are thinking of meeting the same kinds of educational challenges.
This book represents only a fraction of APIEL. More information and newsletters
are available at http://www.envleader.u-tokyo.ac.jp/index_e.html.
Tokyo, Japan Takashi Mino

Keisuke Hanaki
Acknowledgments
The Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL) started in the
year 2008 as a five-year project when it received “Strategic Funds for the Promotion
of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, Japan.” APIEL would never have been realized without this govern-
mental financial support, and we would like to express our gratitude for being given
this opportunity. APIEL thanks the two presidents of The University of Tokyo,
Hiroshi Komiyama and Junichi Hamada, who served as leaders of this project.
Our thanks and appreciation also go to the Coca-Cola Educational &
Environmental Foundation and to the Daiwa Securities Group Inc., who supported
APIEL by providing generous financial aid. They enabled us to develop our activi-
ties on a larger scale, especially for strengthening the networks among the young
professionals who participated in our education programs implemented inside and
outside Japan.
APIEL enjoyed the great privilege of working with a huge number of people and
organizations who supported us in various aspects of the establishment and imple-
mentation of our education program. Words are not adequate in offering our grati-
tude; nevertheless, APIEL would like to sincerely thank all those who were involved
in our education programs, including those whose names are not mentioned in this
acknowledgment.
APIEL would like to thank Springer Japan, Tokyo, for giving us this wonderful
opportunity to publish our achievement in this book. We also express our apprecia-
tion to Ms. Izumi Ikeda, APIEL, for her great coordinating and editorial work.
ix
Contents
1 Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders ................... 1

Tomohiro Akiyama, Keisuke Hanaki, and Takashi Mino
2 The Concept of Environmental Leader................................................... 19
Tomohiro Akiyama, Kyoungjin J. An, Hiroaki Furumai,
and Hiroyuki Katayama
3 APIEL Compulsory Course: Environmental Challenges
and Leadership in Asia ............................................................................. 41
Motoharu Onuki and Kyoungjin J. An
4 Leadership Development for Sustainable Urban Environmental
Management: Cases in Thailand ............................................................. 63
Tomomi Hoshiko and Tomohiro Akiyama
5 Environmental Leadership Education for Tackling Water
Environmental Issues in Arid Regions .................................................... 81
Tomohiro Akiyama and Jia Li
6 Environmental Leadership Development Based on Activity
Theory for Sustainable Urban Development in the Greater
Pearl River Delta, China .......................................................................... 93
Kyoungjin J. An
7 Environmental Leadership Development: A Cambodian Case ............ 109
Hironori Hamasaki and Hiroyuki Katayama
8 Resonance in the Asian Program for Incubation
of Environmental Leaders ........................................................................ 119
Neth Baromey, John Stuart Blakeney, Bayarlkham Byambaa,
Ki-Ho Kim, Mingguo Ma, Jatuwat Sangsanont, Sour Sethy,
Chettiyappan Visvanathan, Xin Li, and Yuan Qi
Erratum. .......................................................................................................... E1
Index. ............................................................................................................... 139
xi
Chapter 1
Asian Program for Incubation
of Environmental Leaders
Tomohiro Akiyama, Keisuke Hanaki, and Takashi Mino
Abstract This chapter outlines the features of the Asian Program for Incubation of
Environmental Leaders (APIEL), including its objectives, core concepts and cur-
riculum structure. APIEL is an educational program developed by The University of
Tokyo that aims to foster environmental leaders, who have wide knowledge base,
critical perspective, and a strong ethical stance. Those environmental leaders are
expected to contribute to building environment-friendly and sustainable societies in
the future in Asian countries. In addition, APIEL intends to create a collaborative
network of higher education institutions in Asia with a view to tackling environ-
mental issues by developing environmental leadership capacity.
Keywords Asia • Education • Environmental problem • Interdisciplinary

• Interregional • Leadership • Stakeholder
T. Akiyama ()
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences,
The University of Tokyo, Environmental Studies Building 334, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha,
Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
e-mail: [email protected]
K. Hanaki
Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo,
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
T. Mino
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo,
5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
T. Mino and K. Hanaki (eds.), Environmental Leadership Capacity 1

Building in Higher Education, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54340-4_1,
© The Author(s) 2013
2 T. Akiyama et al.
1.1 Introduction
The technological innovation and economic growth in the twentieth century have led
to significant improvement of human welfare; however, they also caused unprece-
dented environmental problems. These problems include not only local/regional envi-
ronmental pollution, but also global issues such as climate change, resource shortages,
the energy crisis, and the loss of biodiversity. Environmental problem is complex
because it relates not only to technical/physical issues but also social issues. In addition,
even if an environmental problem appears peculiar to a region, it is closely connected to
global issues. Thus, what is important to find solutions on current environmental
problems is to integrate the scientific knowledge with findings from other perspectives.
It is also important to develop human resources who hold a holistic view.
To foster environmental leadership in graduate students, the Asian Program for
Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL) was established in 2008 by The
University of Tokyo. This educational program offers a curriculum that develops
environmental leaders, who can make significant contributions to resolving global
environmental problems as well as regional/local environmental problems in the
twenty-first century.
APIEL is not a degree program but a certificate-awarding program originally
developed through collaboration between the Graduate Program in Sustainability
Science (GPSS) of the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences and the Department of
Urban Engineering (UE) of the Graduate School of Engineering. This collaboration
has given a unique strength to the curriculum because the former provides trans-
disciplinary approaches to APIEL, and the latter provides APIEL a solid academic
base of environmental technology and management. In this way, APIEL is able
to provide structured knowledge, practical skills, and experiences to students. APIEL
particularly focuses on the environmental problems in Asia because Asia is the most
populated region in the world and Asian countries at different stages of development
are facing the challenge to build a sustainable society with limited natural resources.
1.2 Core Concepts
1.2.1 Characteristics of APIEL
To resolve the complex problems mentioned above and to contribute to sustainable

development requires highly specialized leaders with wide knowledge, a critical
perspective, and a strong ethical sense. APIEL’s goal is to be an incubator for envi-
ronmental leaders who have the necessary practical skills. In particular, APIEL puts
emphasis on the following core concepts.
First, in the process of tackling environmental problems, it is important to recog-
nize both universality and locality. Scientific bases and core environmental tech-
nologies can be universally applied in many cases but, in practice, specific local
conditions must always be considered. Therefore, environmental leaders should be
1 Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders 3
able to identify the problems within the global context based on universal
knowledge, as well as understand and analyze the problems within the local
context. They must be able to think clearly about cultural and social factors, local
ecological and geographical characteristics, and interactions among the neigh-
boring regions/communities, and to propose environment-friendly solutions and
sustainable systems from a holistic point of view.
Second, respect for cultural and disciplinary diversity is a key concept of APIEL
because these are essential for developing an efficient partnership among the various
stakeholders. Collaboration among stakeholders is necessary to take on complex
environmental problems, and this collaboration can only be achieved by under-
standing the views of different cultures and disciplines. In the APIEL curriculum,
interactions among students, instructors, and stakeholders from varied cultural and
disciplinary backgrounds are crucial—both in the classroom and in the field.
Third, hands-on experience and experiential learning should be the key peda-
gogy in the curriculum. APIEL introduced field exercises that provide students with
opportunities to learn how environmental problems become complex and how dif-
ferent stakeholders are involved. Students learn how to deal with contradictions
around problems through real experience with environmental cases and exposure to
complex situations.
In addition, APIEL aims to create a resonant network of higher education institu-
tions in Asia dealing with environmental research and education. Partners were
identified during the development of the field exercises. As well, exchanges of
information and the transfer of key experiences in teaching are essential for all simi-
lar institutions as there are a limited number of models available for environmental
leadership education. The APIEL network should work as the platform for this type
of collaboration.
1.2.2 Environmental Leadership
APIEL is striving to develop human resources who are able to play major roles as
environmental leaders in various organizations in the world. APIEL expects envi-
ronmental leaders to:
1. Recognize global and regional/local environmental problems and propose solu-
tions to these problems using not only specialized professional knowledge and
skills, but also inter-disciplinary thinking and approaches.
2. Acquire a balanced understanding of the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking
of the natural sciences as well as the humanities and social sciences.
3. Refine the ability in the field to make judgments, take action, and work in part-
nerships to resolve real-world environmental problems.
4. Develop the communication and leadership skills necessary to raise topics for dis-
cussion and to negotiate issues in several international as well as local situations.
These leaders may in the future play a key role in decision-making processes
within different levels of society, including companies and NPOs, regional
4 T. Akiyama et al.
communities, specialist/professional groups, local and national governments and

various international organizations. They will be expected to lead society in an
environment-friendly and sustainable direction.
1.2.3 Resonance
Interactions among disciplines, stakeholders, and regions are essential for solutions
of environmental issues. These interactions should bring benefits to all sides. These
mutual positive influences can be called “resonance.” And this “resonance” is one
of the core concepts of APIEL.
Experiencing and learning from the various types of interaction are at the core of
the program. Forming heterogeneous student groups for classes and conducting
field studies with other universities helps to create resonance. Students from differ-
ent backgrounds, such as engineering and the social sciences, are intentionally
mixed together. Through this education program, the students learn to interact.
In addition, faculty members or institutions form a resonance among themselves.
An interaction resonance is also formed through alumni activities. The environmental
leaders from several countries incubated by this program go back to their home
countries, and then host the field study of younger students.
Forming an academic network among universities is an effective way to imple-
ment education for environmental leadership developments. Universities can
exchange students and faculty members as well as information on academic pro-
grams. Such a network in Asia can form a strong base for collaborative education and
research on Asian environmental issues. Interdisciplinary resonance, interregional
resonance and alumni resonance are enhanced through these exchanges (Fig. 1.1).
The detail information of each resonance will be explained in the later part.
1.2.3.1 Interdisciplinary Resonance
APIEL targets interdisciplinary resonance by providing an integrated, multidisci-

plinary curriculum as well as educational and research opportunities that promote
mutual understanding among individuals in environmental fields. Scientific disci-
plines have been developed, widened, and deepened especially since the Industrial
Revolution. Today, we need interaction among different disciplines. Environmental
leaders are supposed to understand each discipline and make “bridges” across them
to solve problems in the real world.
Figure 1.2 shows an example of disciplines involved in the occurrence and solu-
tion of environmental issues. Environmental deterioration appears as changes in
water, air, soil, and the global environment. The natural sciences observe, analyze,
and manage these changes. The impact of environmental change on health is a criti-
cal issue, and this is covered by the medical sciences. Many fields of engineering
contribute to solving pollution problems or climate change through technologies
such as wastewater treatment, energy-saving devices, or photovoltaic cells.
Agriculture is influenced by, and, on the other hand, causes environmental
Fig. 1.1 Concept of resonance in educational program for environmental leaders
Fig. 1.2 Interdisciplinary characteristics of environmental issues

6 T. Akiyama et al.
deterioration. Social sciences are also important to manage and control the environ-
ment. Environmental policy in the field of law and environmental economics in the
field of economics are the examples.
Though these disciplines are necessary to identify and analyze environmental
issues and propose solutions, their contribution is limited if each discipline is sepa-
rated. Interaction among these disciplines is essential. For example, the wrong tech-
nology could be selected if an engineer does not consider local social and economic
circumstances. On the other hand, the wrong technology can also be selected if the
decision-making team has no expert in engineering and just considers the cost.
There is a risk for official development assistance, where important funding nego-
tiations take place between governments, when the recipient nation demands an
expensive high-tech solution that requires experts to operate and maintain. The
assisting nation then tries to cut the budget without considering operating and main-
tenance costs. The outcome is that expensive technology and machines are intro-
duced but stop running within a short period. The role of technology experts who
understand the social circumstances is essential in such a case. The natural sciences
and engineering are superficially under a common discipline, but there are signifi-
cant differences in basic concepts and methodology. The ultimate objective of the
natural sciences is to find the truth; engineering is oriented to problem solving.
Understanding every aspect of these different disciplines is impossible for one
person. Instead, having the ability to interact with experts from different disciplines
is essential for environmental leaders. In other words, environmental leaders must
be coordinators among these different disciplines.
A holistic academic organization, such as a national academy, should play a
fundamental role in promoting interdisciplinary academic activity. For example, the
Science Council of Japan set up a committee on environmental science as a body
that cuts across three major groups: social sciences and the humanities, life and
medical sciences, and the natural sciences and engineering. However, real environ-
mental issues cannot wait until disciplines merge before finding a solution for envi-
ronmental issues. Therefore, for solving an individual issue without any delay, an
environmental leader can coordinate the disciplines.
1.2.3.2 Interregional Resonance
Environmental issues have commonalty and diversity among countries or regions.

The mechanisms of pollution or climate change are common among the regions.
However, the history, the causes, and control of these problems are local issues.
Effective technology for solutions is to some extent common, but the choice of
technology depends on local circumstances.
Even for global environmental issues, such as climate change, reducing green-
house gases depends on local conditions. The impact of climate change is a locally
dependent issue. Analyzing environmental issues requires an understanding of
environmental deterioration within the local context. Though data is gathered
through surveys, much more valuable and relevant information is obtained through
collaboration with local people, governments, or experts. The global environmental
issues cannot be solved by only region-specific efforts. This APIEL targets interre-
gional resonance by developing partnerships and forming networks with educa-
tional and research institutes throughout Asia.
1.2.3.3 Alumni Resonance
To solve real environmental problems, coordination and consensus among the

diverse stakeholders are also essential. Stakeholders include citizens, and people
from local governments, industry, and agriculture as well as others who are affected.
The influence on future generations should be considered during decision making,
though there is no representative for future generations. The coordination process
for reaching a consensus requires many steps and much time. However, this process
is essential for developing, implementing, and sustaining a solution. Otherwise, the
solution cannot work properly and will need to be changed.
The APIEL also targets resonance with alumni by promoting interaction and
information exchange and sharing among alumni. Alumni are expected to come back
to the APIEL as instructors or to help refine the program’s curriculum and design.
1.3 Curriculum Structure of APIEL
To foster students’ environmental leadership, APIEL established a compulsory

course called Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia, and a companion
field exercise course. In the former, students learn, in an interactive way, about envi-
ronmental leadership and various environmental problems in Asia. In the latter,
practical issues are examined with cooperative counterpart(s) in a region that has an
environmental problem. These courses are structured to develop students’ percep-
tion vis-á-vis environmental problems and to develop the skills required of environ-
mental leaders. In addition, elective courses are chosen from degree programs, so
that students can deepen both their professional knowledge and their skills. Research
for master’s and doctoral theses is also required and aims to propose new systems
from interdisciplinary perspectives based on a holistic understanding of environ-
mental issues.
1.3.1 Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia:

Understanding Environmental Leadership
APIEL established a compulsory course, Environmental Challenges and Leadership

in Asia, which is designed for students to acquire literacy and other skills required
of an environmental leaders using a hands-on approach so that they can contribute
to solving environmental issues or to build a sustainable society, which itself can
prevent environmental problems. Students learn about real-world environmental
problems in Asia from various perspectives, while considering the historical and
8 T. Akiyama et al.
cultural backgrounds. The course emphasizes group work and discussion, and
students learn communication and consensus-building skills through experience.
It leads to the award of two credits.
Over 15 lectures, this course examines the environmental problems that Asia is
experiencing and discusses how we can foster a growing society with finite resources
and space. At the same time, it helps develop the environmental leadership and
other skills needed for building a sustainable society by taking up case studies of
Asian environmental issues. One example: students are required to bring academic
articles and books that they feel are the most important for the construction of a
sustainable future. By sharing these reading materials, students become aware that
perceptions of a sustainable future can differ widely. In addition, discussions among
students help hone capabilities when developing cooperative relationships based on
mutual understanding. In a sense, students in this compulsory course learn how to
learn from others. The details of the compulsory course, Environmental Challenges
and Leadership in Asia, are outlined in Chap. 3.
1.3.2 Field Exercises: Developing Essential Skills

for Environmental Field Sites
APIEL has a strong focus on field exercises. The field exercises take place several
times each year in cooperation with collaborating partners in Asia in loc.tions where
there are environmental problems. A small number of students and faculty members
form a group (a unit) and carry out hands-on exercise. Each field exercise setting is
intended to broaden the perspectives of students and to cultivate an on-the-ground
ability to identify and resolve problems in several ways, including pre-visit study
and preparation, fieldwork, on-site experiments, discussions with stakeholders from
many backgrounds including local educational institutions or governmental offi-
cials, a final presentation and report writing to solidify the vision and develop prac-
tical skills. Participants stay in the field for 1–2 weeks, with students receiving
financial support for travel expenses. Overseas and domestic exercises lead to the
award of two credits and one credit, respectively.
Tables 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 provide a list of the field exercises implemented to
date. All field exercises have the following characteristics; they are (1) interdisci-
plinary in nature, (2) involvement of a number of different stakeholders, (3) foster-
ing student initiatives, and (4) featuring practical issues that lack a prepared solution.
Although the field study takes place over a relatively short period, it is possible for
students to examine real-world environmental issues on-site and discuss them with
the stakeholders. This interaction is made possible through the participation of local
governmental agencies and companies and through the cooperation of collaborating
universities/research institutions. Furthermore, this educational program is designed
to ensure the diversity of participants (i.e., to avoid an overconcentration of Japanese
graduates). This design feature then pushes students to improve their ability to com-
municate with people from other cultural backgrounds.
Table 1.1 List of APIEL’s field exercise units (updated version of Akiyama et al. [1]): academic year 2009
Overseas field exercise Domestic field exercise
Unit title Intensive Program Zhangye unit Bangkok unit Thailand unit Chiang Rai unit Greater Pearl River Eco-Industrial Nissan-IPoS Internship
on Sustainability Delta (GPRD) unit Cluster at Japan
(IPoS) International
Cooperation
Agency (JICA)
Theme Food, Energy Water-related Urban development Sustainable Transboundary Environmental Eco-Industrial Sustainable mobility Sewage works
and Water issues in and agriculture-related solid waste environmental LeadershipDevelopment Cluster with zero engineering
arid region issues in suburban management issues in GPRD, China emission vehicles and Stormwater
Bangkok in Asian Drainage
developing Technology
countries
Place Rayong Province, Zhangye, Bangkok, Thailand Nonthaburi Golden Triangle, Hong Kong and Asian Development Yokosuka City, JICA (Tokyo)
Thailand Gansu Province, Province and Chiang Rai, Guangzhou, China Bank Institute Kanagawa Prefecture
China Bangkok, Thailand (ADBI) (Tokyo)
Thailand
Period Aug. 1–12, 2009 Aug. 6–15, 2009 Sep. 14–23, 2009 Oct. 21–30, 2009 Dec. 19–30, 2009 Feb. 25–Mar. 7, 2010 Oct. 2009–Jan. 2010 Dec. 7–14, 2009 Nov. to Dec.
2009
Collaborator(s) 1. Asian Institute 1. Cold & Arid Regions 1. Chulalongkorn 1. AIT, 1. Mae Fah 1. The Hong Kong 1. ADBI 1. AIT etc. 1. JICA,
of Technology Environment & Univ. (CU) 2. Kasetsart Luang Univ. Univ. of Science & 2. Sewerage
(AIT) etc. Engineering Research Univ. (KU) (MFLU) Technology (HKUST), Business
Institute, Chinese Academy 2. Sun Yat-sen Univ. Management
of Sciences (CAREERI), (SYSU) Centre
2. Zhangye Water
Authority
Teaching staff(s) Univ. of Tokyo (UT) UT (4); CAREERI (2) UT (1); CU (2); UT (5); AIT (1); UT (3); MFLU UT (5); HKUST (1); UT (1) UT (7); AIT (2) UT (1)
(3); AIT (2) Wakayama U (1) KU (1) (2) SYSU (1)
Students’ 1 Ethiopian 1 Indonesian 1 Columbian 1 Filipino 1 Indonesian 1 Irish 1 Portuguese 1 Ethiopian 1 Brazilian
nationality
2 Japanese 1 Thai 1 Filipino 1 Bolivian 1 Cambodian 1 Swiss 2 Japanese 1 Chinese
N.B. 23 participants 1 Chinese 2 Japanese 3 Japanese 2 Sri Lankan 1 Bangladeshi N.B. 24 participants 1 Japanese
from 14 countries/ 2 Japanese 3 Japanese 1 Portuguese from 15 countries/
regions, 2 Chinese regions, 11
11 universities universities
10
Unit title Oasis unit Hue unit GPRD unit Coca-Cola Young Internship in the Tokyo Fringe unit Nissan-IPoS Green Energy unit
Environmental project on Low
Leaders Summit Carbon Green
Asia
Theme Sustainable Flood and History Sustainable urban Corporate Social Low-carbon Urban Sustainable Sustainable energy
integrated watershed in world heritage regeneration and Responsibility society Scenario development and cities & mobility supply
management in cold Hue city relocation of in Asia agriculture-related in 2050
and arid region industrial regions issues in suburban
in GPRD, China Tokyo
Place Zhangye, Gansu Hue, Vietnam Hong Kong and Kuriyama Town, ADBI (Tokyo) Kashiwa, Chiba Hayama town, Kashiwazaki, Niigata &
Province & Ejina, Guangzhou, China Hokkaido & Nerima, Kanagawa Ueno, Gunma
Inner Mongolia, Kokubunji, Prefecture
China Hachioji, Tokyo
Period Aug. 10–23, 2010 Aug. 11–19, 2010 Feb. 21–28, 2011 Aug. 19–23, 2010 Nov. 2010 Sep. 5–12, 2010 Dec. 4–13, 2010 Feb. 21–23, 2011
to Feb. 2011
Collaborator(s) 1. CAREERI, 1. Hue Univ. 1. HKUST, 1. All counterparts 1. ADBI 1. CU 1. AIT etc. 1. Tokyo Electric Power
2. Zhangye Water 2. SYSU of the overseas field Company,
Authority, exercise units in 2. Korea Environmental
3. Alashan SEE academic year 2009 Policy and
Ecological & 2010, Administration (KEPA)
Association, 2. Hokkaido Univ. Society,
4. Wusuronggui (HU), 3. Prince of Songkla
Village & Jirigalangtu 3. NPO Kuriyama, Univ. (PSU),
Village, Ejina 4. Sumitomo 4. Kashiwazaki City
Chemical Company
Limited
T. Akiyama et al.
1
Teaching staff(s) UT (5); CAREERI UT (4); Hue UT (4); HKUST (1); UT (4) UT (2) UT (1); CU (2); UT (7); AIT (2) UT (5); KEPA (1); PSU
(3); Univ. of Niigata Univ (1) SYSU (1) Wakayama U (1) (1); UNP (1)
Pref. (UNP) (1)
Students’ 1 Ethiopian 1 Dominican 1 Ethiopian 1 Irish 1 Mongolian 1 Cambodian 1 Australian 1 Irish
nationality 1 Bhutanese 1 Bangladeshi 1 Australian 1 Indonesian 1 Filipino 1 Dominican 3 Indian
1 French 2 Filipino 1 Filipino 1 Ethiopian 2 Japanese 1 Chinese 1 Indonesian
1 Vietnamese 1 Korean 1 Vietnamese 1 Cambodian 1 Japanese 1 Cambodian
1 Mongolian 1 Chinese 1 Malagasy 1 Thai N.B. 28 1 Thai
1 Chinese 4 Japanese 2 Chinese 1 Bangladeshi participants from 1 Dominican
17 countries/
2 Japanese 2 Japanese 2 Filipino 1 Nepali
regions, 10
1 Bolivian universities 1 Bahraini
1 Portuguese 1 Bhutanese
2 Japanese 1 Vietnamese
1 Jamaican
1 Chinese
1 Japanese
Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders
11
Unit title IPoS Oasis unit Thailand unit Cambodia unit GPRD unit Ohtsuchi unit Minamata unit Nissan-IPoS Coca-Cola Young
Environmental
Leaders Summit
Theme Sustainable Water-related Sustainable Sustainable Sustainable urban Reconstruction Sustainable Technology & Corporate Social
livelihoods through issues in arid Urban Water Development of development toward of 3.11 Great stakeholder Society - case of Responsibility
integrative practices region Use and Cambodia Green City: GPRD, Earthquake management for energy &
with emphasis on Management China water transportation in
Food, Water and in Bangkok environment Kashiwanoha
Sanitation in a
peri-urban
community
Place Rayong Province, Zhangye, Gansu Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Hong Kong and Ohtsuchi Town Kumamoto City Kashiwa City, Kuriyama Town,
Thailand Province, China Thailand Siem Reap, Guangzhou, China and Kamaishi and Minamata Chiba Prefecture Hokkaido
Cambodia City, Iwate City, Kumamoto
Prefecture Prefecture
Period Aug. 1–12, 2011 Aug. 27–Sep. 7, Aug. 18–28, Sep. 2–14, 2011 Feb. 15–25, 2012 11 times of Jan. 4–8, 2012 Dec. 5–12, 2011 Feb. 27–Mar. 3,
2011 2011 3–4 day 2012
fieldwork
Collaborator(s) 1. AIT etc. 1. CAREERI, 1. AIT, 1. Royal University 1. HKUST, 1. Ohtsuchi town 1. Kyushu 1. AIT etc. 1. All
2. Zhangye Water 2. KU of Phnom Penh 2. SYSU, 2. Coastal Univ., counterparts of
Authority (RUPP), 3. SNU, Regional 2. Kumamoto the overseas field
2. Seoul National 4. Univ. of Hong Development Univ., exercise units in
University (SNU), Kong (UHK), Bureau of Iwate 3. Univ. of academic year
3. JICA, 5. Hong Kong Green Prefecture Kitakyushu, 2011,
4. Korea Building Council 4. Univ. of 2. HU,
International (HKGBC) Tsukuba 3. Yokohama
Cooperation 6. Guanzhou Urban National Univ.
Agency (KOICA) Land Administration (YNU),
Bureau (GULAB) 4. JICA
Teaching UT (9); AIT (2) UT (3); Public UT (5); AIT UT (4); RUPP (2); UT (5); HKUST (2); UT (9) UT (4); Kyushu UT (5) UT (6), HU (2),
staff(s) Works Research (1); KU (1) SNU (2) SYSU (3); SNU (2); U (3); YNU (1), JICA
Inst. (1); CAREERI UHK (1); HKGBC Kumamoto U (1)
(3); UNP (1) (1); GULAB (1) (4)
Students’ 1 Chinese 1 Brazilian 2 Chinese 1 Chinese 1 Bangladeshi 2 Chinese 1 Chinese 1 Chinese 1 American
nationality 2 Japanese 2 Cambodian 1 Indian 1 Indian 1 Chinese 7 Japanese 1 Japanese 2 Japanese 2 Cambodian
N.B. 22 participants 1 Korean 1 Nepalese 4 Japanese 1 Indian 1 Mongolia 1 Indian N.B. 18 8 Chinese
from 10 countries/ 1 Japanese 1 Nepalese 2 Japanese 1 Sri Lankan 1 Nepalese participants from 2 Indian
regions, 9 9 countries/
1 Sri Lankan 1 Korean 3 Japanese
universities regions, 8
universities 2 Korean
3 Nepalese
1 Mongolia
2 Myanmar
1 Sri Lankan
3 Thai
2 Vietnamese
Unit title IPoS Oasis unit Thailand unit Cambodia unit GPRD unit Bangladesh unit Nissan-IPoS Minamata unit Coca-Cola Young
Environmental
Leaders Summit
Theme Livelihood strategies Water-related Sustainable Urban Sustainable Sustainable urban Risk assessment Climate Change & Role of scientists, Corporate Social
for adaptation to climate issues in arid Water Management: Development development in through food and Society—case of policy makers and Responsibility
change region special focus on in Cambodia GPRD, China water in rural energy issues in citizens: Case of
flood management community in Kashiwanoha long lasting
Bangladesh Minamata Disease
Place Nakornnayok and Zhangye, Gansu Bangkok & Phnom Penh Hong Kong and Dhaka, Kashiwa City, Minamata City, Kuriyama Town,
Pathum Thani, Thailand Province, China Ayutthaya, Thailand and Siem Reap, Guangzhou, China Manikganji & Chiba Prefecture Kumamoto Hokkaido
Cambodia Comilla, Prefecture
Bangladesh
Period Jul. 28–Aug. 8, 2012 Aug. 4–16, 2012 Aug. 19–27, 2012 Aug. 4–14, 2012 Feb. 21–Mar. 3, Mar. 1–10, 2013 Dec. 10–16, 2012 Nov. 21–25, 2012 Feb. 17–23, 2013
2013
Collaborator(s) 1. AIT etc. 1. CAREERI, 1. AIT 1. RUPP, 1. HKUST, 1. Dhaka AIT etc. 1. Kyushu Univ., 1. All counterparts
2. Zhangye 2. SNU, 2. SYSU, University of 2. Kumamoto of the overseas
Water Authority, 3. JICA, 3. SNU, Engineering & Univ., field exercise units
3. Sophia Univ. 4. KOICA 4. UHK, Technology 3. Univ. of in academic year
5. Chinese Univ. of (DUET) Kitakyushu, 2012,
Hong Kong 4. Univ. of 2. HU
(CUHK), Tsukuba
6. HKGBC
7. GULAB
Teaching UT (7); AIT (6); UT (3); UT (5); AIT (2) UT (4); RUPP UT (5); HKUST (2); UT; DUET UT (4); AIT (4); UT; Kyushu U; UT (4)
staff(s) Phranakhon Rajabhat U CAREERI (3); (2); SNU (2) SYSU (3); SNU (2); Srinakharinwirot U of Tsukuba;
(1); Srinakharinwirot U Sophia U (1); UHK (1); CUHK U (1); Chiangmai Kumamoto U;
(1); Thammasat U (1) UNP (1) (1); HKGBC (1); U (1) U of Kita-kyushu
GULAB (1)
Students’ 1 Chinese 1 American 1 Brazilian 1 Cambodian 1 Bahraini 1 Chinese 1 Chinese 2 Chinese TBD
nationality 1 Sri Lankan 1 Bangladeshi 2 Filipino 1 Indonesian 1 Colombian 1 French 1 Sri Lankan 1 Colombian
1 Japanese 3 Chinese 3 Japanese 1 Japanese 1 Indonesian 1 Japanese N.B. 19 1 Filipino
N.B. 21 participants 1 French 1 Korean 1 Korean 2 Japanese participants from 1 French
from 16 countries/ 15 countries/
1 Japanese 1 Sri Lankan 1 Swiss 1 Jordanian 1 Ghanaian
regions, 8 universities regions, 8
1 Korean 1 Thai 1 Swedish 1 Malagasy universities 1 Indonesian
1 Japanese
1 Korean
1 Thai
16 T. Akiyama et al.
APIEL also organized activities that have horizontal links with different field
exercise units, including joint presentation meetings that involve a variety of
field exercise units, the Coca-Cola Young Environmental Leaders Summit Unit
(Tables 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4), as well as student sessions in workshops and inter-
national symposia that help deepen discussions with domestic and international
experts. Through these joint activities, it is possible for participants to share not
only the lessons learned from their own fieldwork, but also to learn other
approaches to several types of environmental issues. Teaching staff, in particular,
join most final presentation meetings, participate in field exercise units, and
further develop their own educational skills. In this way, APIEL is also directing
its energies into developing new educational methods that will nurture a more
comprehensive range of human resources. The details of compulsory field exer-
cises are covered in Chaps. 4–7 (Thailand Unit, Oasis Unit, GPRD Unit, and
Cambodia Unit).
1.3.3 Elective Courses: Enabling Interdisciplinary and

Specialized Approaches
APIEL offers a group of elective courses based on the specialty of GPSS and UE.
This has the advantages of both the interdisciplinary approach toward sustainability
science provided by GPSS and the specialized knowledge of environmental engi-
neering provided by UE. Students learn about a broad range of environmental issues
in Asia regardless of their major field of study. All APIEL elective courses are
offered in English. Although each course is single-discipline oriented, the overall
selection of a group of courses takes interdisciplinary elements into account. To
date, the following courses have been offered by GPSS and UE:
1.3.3.1 Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS)
Sustainability Perspectives in Environmental Issues; Strategies for Global

Sustainability; Introduction to Natural Environmental Studies; Residential
Environment; Environmental Economics, Environmental Business; Business and
Finance for Sustainable Development; Innovation and Sustainability; Environ-
mental Sustainability; Urban Sustainability in Relation to the Water Sector;
Sustainable Health and Environment; Sustainability Education; Frontier of
Sustainability Science; Environmental Sustainability, Concepts and Methodologies
of Sustainability Science; Planning and Design and for Sustainability; Advanced
Concepts and Methodologies of Sustainability Science; Management and Policy
Studies of Sustainability; Sustainability of Resources; Planning and Design for
Sustainability.
1.3.3.2 Department of Urban Engineering (UE)
Management of Global and Urban Environments; Water Environment Technology;

Urban Water Systems; Fundamentals of Water Pollution Control; Solid Waste
Management; Environmental Risk Management; Hazardous Waste Management;
Regional Planning; Urban Development Policy and Planning; Urban Transport
Policy; Urban Transport Planning and Analysis; Environmental Sanitation in
Developing Countries; Urban Planning in Developing Countries; Advanced Water
Quality Engineering; Advanced Wastewater Engineering; Systems and Tools toward
the Recycle-based Society; Advanced course in Health-related Water Microbiology.
1.4 Requirements for Completing the Program
Figure 1.3 shows the requirements for completion of the program. Students satisfy-
ing the completion requirements for APIEL are presented with The University of
Tokyo Certificate of Completion for Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental
Leaders. Requirements for completing the program are (1) to complete the APIEL’s
compulsory course of “Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia” (earning
Subjects/Courses Newly Established under APIEL
Compulsory Subjects “Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia” 2 credits
Deepens understanding of Asian environmental issues and provides students with the
elements of environmental leadership needed to influence society
At least 10 credits
Compulsory Elective Courses “Field Exercise” Min. 2 credits, max. 4 credits
In partnership with collaborating partners in Asian nations/regions, students are

dispached to Asian field sites to tackle real-world problems on-site.
Subjects/Courses under Degree Programs
Elective Courses
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Department of Urban Engineering,

Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GPSS) Graduate School of Engineering (UE)
Theses
Require inter-disciplinary research in support of the proposal of a new system
Fig. 1.3 Requirements for completing the program

two credits) and compulsory elective courses from the field exercises (minimum
two credits, maximum four credits), (2) to earn at least ten credits in total from
compulsory courses, compulsory elective courses, and other elective courses, and
(3) to complete a postgraduate degree program either in GPSS or UE.
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduc-
tion in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
Reference
1. Akiyama T, Li J, Onuki M (2012) Integral leadership education for sustainable development.

J Integral Theory Pract 7:72–86
Chapter 2
The Concept of Environmental Leader
Tomohiro Akiyama, Kyoungjin J. An, Hiroaki Furumai,

and Hiroyuki Katayama*
Abstract Leadership has shifted focus from the individual to the group or institute.
Efforts to link leadership and the natural environment have already begun and the
necessity for environmental leadership has never been higher than ever in the era of
complex and evident environmental and social problems, such as climate change,
global conflict, limited resources, an overwhelming amount information, etc. There is
no single solution for environmental problems that can solve the conflicts of diversified
community relations. Therefore, environmental leadership development is a priority
element for improving the deteriorating environment. However, the current education
system, especially in Asia, lacking in providing a holistic view of environmental issues,
as well as inter- or trans-disciplinary and cross-cultural approaches, or a balance
between the environmental, economic and social dimensions, using hands-on experience.
*All the authors contributed equally to the article and are listed alphabetically.
T. Akiyama (*)
K.J. An
Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL), Department of Urban
Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo,
H. Furumai
Research Center for Water Environment Technology, Graduate School of Engineering,
The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
H. Katayama
Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering,

In response, APIEL strives to fill this gap by improving education for environmental
leadership with sustainability issues in mind. This chapter will review the concept of the
environmental leader through a discourse on leadership. As well, it will introduce the
authors’ experiences in fostering environmental leader by establishing and implement-
ing environmental leadership education over the past four years. The discourse on envi-
ronmental leadership illustrates how environmental leaders have been educated to cope
with emerging environmental issues. The concepts of transformational/transformative-,
eco-, collective, green, and communicative leadership provide a map to understand the
evolution of the theory and practice of environmental leadership education.
Keywords Discourse on leadership • Environmental issues • Environmental

leadership • Leadership experience
2.1 Discourse on Environmental Leadership1
What is so different about environmental leadership from leadership in other areas? To

answer this question, this chapter begins with the fact that very little research has been
done on the issue of environmental leadership, although a comprehensive review of the
literature on leadership itself uncovers focuses on business, political, and public leader-
ship. Books on business leadership typically contain neither a substantive analysis of the
psychology of future orientation nor a sense of the larger systemic constraints on future
activities that must be taken into account by leaders [1]. For instance, the idea of a leader
for the future contains little reflection on the larger systemic constraint on future activity,
including climate change, as Heifetz [2] put it, “our focus on the production of wealth
rather than coexistence with nature has led us to neglect fragile factors in our ecosys-
tem.” However, recently, scholarly textbooks on leadership have addressed the impor-
tance of the natural environment as a significant context for leadership, or as an
“emerging issue” of interest [3], and Heifetz [2]’s theory of adaptive leadership provides
an important starting point for thinking about environmental leadership.
2.1.1 History of Environmental Education and the Need

for Environmental Leaders
Environmental education has traditionally focused on how to foster changes in individu-

als that are associated with pro-environmental actions and behaviors [4]. As Table 2.1
shows, environmental education has developed over the past 50 years from the perspec-
tives of natural resource management or the management of environmental organiza-
tions. Few researchers have placed the relationship between leadership and the natural
environment at center stage and examined it from diverse viewpoints [5].
1
This section is written by one of the authors, Kyoungjin J. An from Department of Urban
Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
2 The Concept of Environmental Leader 21
Table 2.1 History and trend of environmental education (adapted from Palmer [6])
Environmental education: key events on Key trends in environmental education and
a development timeline leadership development
1948 The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
conference; first use of the term
environmental education
1949 Founding of IUCN
1960s 1968 The United Nations Educational, Nature study
↓ Scientific and Cultural Organization Learning about plants, animals and physical
(UNESCO) Biosphere Conference, systems
Paris Fieldwork
Led by an “expert” with a particular academic
focus: biology, geography, etc.
1970s 1972 UN Conference on the Human Outdoor/adventure education
↓ Environment, Stockholm Increasing use of the natural environment for
1975 Founding of the United Nations first-hand experience
Environment Programme (UNEP) Field studies centers
and Institute for European Growth of field and environmental/outdoor
Environmental Policy (IEEP) education for developing awareness
UNESCO/UNEP International through practical activity and investigation
Workshop on Environmental Conservation education
Education, Belgrade Teaching about conservation issues
1977 UNESCO First Inter- Urban studies
Governmental Conference on Study of the built environment, street work
Environmental Education, Tbilisi
1980s 1980 World Conservation Strategy Global education
↓ (IUCN, UNEP, World Wildlife Fund A wider vision of environmental issues
(WWF)) Development education
1987 UNESCO/UNEP Educational Environmental education has a political
Congress on Environmental dimension
Education and Training, Moscow Value education
World Commission on Environment and Clarifying values through personal experience
Development—Our Common Action research
Future—The Brundtland Report Community problem solving, student-led
problem solving involving fieldwork
1990s 1990 Publication of Caring for the Empowerment
↓ Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Communication, capacity building, problem
Living (IUCN et al.) solving and action, aimed at the resolution
1992 UN Conference on Environment of socio-environmental problems
and Development –“The Earth Education for a sustainable future
Summit” Participatory action, relevant approaches to
changing behaviors and resolving
ecological problems
2000s Community
Students, teachers, NGOs, and politicians
working together to identify and resolve
socio-ecological problems
A comprehensive list of readings and reports on environmental education touches

on every aspect of sustainability as we learned from Table 2.1, but the link with
leadership angle is left unexplored till the early 1990s. Gunderson et al. [7] provide
insights into leaders and managers trying to solve natural resource and other envi-
ronmental problems. Without mentioning leadership, Moser and Dilling [8] provide
a comprehensive look at the communication challenges presented by climate
change. In the twenty-first century, environmental education is turning toward a
community of partners so that students, teachers, NGOs, and politicians can work
together to identify and resolve socio-ecological problems. In order to make these
fundamental changes, leadership is pivotal for driving the change. As well,
leadership capacity is needed across a broad range of stakeholder groups, including
politicians, city officials, and emergent leaders in the public and private sector, also
researchers, educators, communities, and individual citizens [9].
Today, the challenge for fostering leaders is how higher education policy and
provisions can be reoriented or retrofitted in a way that is organizationally practi-
cable, academically acceptable, and educationally sound. Higher educational insti-
tutions have a crucial role to play. Therefore, when we say reorienting higher
education, the tasks we have to observe are how the existing knowledge on envi-
ronmental education and sustainability can be extended as well as establishing the
role that the higher educational institutions can play. There must be a balance in
society between investing for sharing existing scientific knowledge and further
extension of that knowledge. Our strong emphasis on leadership pedagogy reflects
our belief that under the present circumstances it is more important to extend basic
knowledge of how the world works for the common good than for a few specialists
to master further details of their special disciplines. As described in Chap. 1,
APIEL was born through such reoriented environmental education at The
University of Tokyo. However, Asian universities have been relatively slow or dis-
tant from the global movements of networking in environmental education and
leadership development. In addition, participatory leadership programs in higher
education in Asia have been weak so far while various international environmental
leadership programs have been launched by the United Nations Environment
Programme and/or universities in Europe and North America.
2.1.2 Evolution of Environmental Leadership Over Time

and Space
Leadership in this chapter entails environmental concerns and takes place in two
dimensions: space and time. The type of leadership—transactional leadership
shown by the Western industrial paradigm of the past few 100 years—premised on
using resources regardless of social and environmental concerns is no longer desir-
able in a world that recognizes universal human rights and sustainable development.
The contemporary view of leadership can be defined as a process of influence that
occurs within the context of relationships between leaders and followers, and
involves establishing vision, aligning resources, and providing inspiration to achieve
Fig. 2.1 Discourse on leadership. Adopted from Western [13]
mutual interest. Although, there are many leadership theories, none are universally
accepted in environmental leadership. However, transformational leadership has
often been featured strongly in studies of environmental leaders [10] and this theory
is helpful in understanding and explaining the behaviors of environmental leaders.
For instance, Burns [11] defines leadership as transformational leaders inducing
followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations of
both leaders and followers. Greenleaf [12]’s servant leader is more explicitly vision-
ary than the transforming leader, in that leaders must also have a prophetic vision of
the future state into which followers are being led. Collective leadership that
includes cultural and social perspectives to deal with complex environmental issues
is addressed in following Sect. 2.2. We depend on leaders to respond to time and
place in a situation of diminishing natural resources and growing environmental
degradation. Figure 2.1 illustrates the discourse on leadership and how environmen-
tal leadership has evolved spatially and over time in response to needs [13].
2.1.3 Becoming an Environmental Leader
Norman L. Christensen Jr. has written his perspective on environmental leadership

in the foreword to the book Environmental Leadership Equals Essential Leadership
[14]. He states that there are four ingredients for environmental leadership: bound-
aries, priorities, uncertainties, and action [14]. Among the most interesting and
daunting characteristics of environmental issues is addressed: the extent to which
they permeate virtually all boundaries. For instance, decisions to cut or not cut a
forest in one region have an effect on the nature of forest management in other
regions, and the solutions to such environmental problems demands
communication, understanding, and collaboration among diverse disciplines and

traditions. Berry and Gordon [5] argue convincingly that the antidote to the bound-
ary problem is problem-oriented, systems-based thinking. Effective environmental
leaders assess the extent of a challenge by the spatial and temporal scale of a physi-
cal or biological process, as well as its cultural, social, and institutional elements,
rather than trying to destroy or redefine boundaries. Environmental challenges
appear to be limitless, while the resources used to meet these challenges are limited.
Therefore, leaders must be able to set clear priorities among the needs and demands.
Uncertainty is a major challenge for leaders in many circumstances, but most espe-
cially in those related to an environment of ignorance, variability and complexity. If
leaders are certain beforehand, they can lead more effectively, but the truth is that
environmental leaders must constantly act in the context of uncertainty and change.
The connection between leadership and action is described as change. Successful
leadership depends on a clearly stated vision and goals as well as models that con-
nect the action that drives change.
Berry and Gordon [5] stated that leadership, at least in terms of environmental
leadership, is not yet sufficiently congruent with any theory for it to provide a reliable
basis for thought and action. In this view, experience, observation, and individual
thinking must substitute for a theory as the basis for teaching. For classroom educa-
tion, they included four elements: (1) a vision on the characteristics of leaders, which
is produced from the practice of thinking ahead using all available data, and testing
predictions and insights, and thus it becomes learnable and teachable; (2) leadership
skills, such as ethics and personal values, communication, management, conflict
assessment and resolution, influencing legislation and policy, and fundraising; (3) an
observation of leaders themselves, knowing that effective environmental leadership
very much depends on the context, e.g., organizational culture, geographic location,
variability in the natural environment, etc.; and (4) the construction of leadership pre-
scriptions for real organizations and real situations, which includes the current status,
challenges and problems, as well as options for the solutions, and indicators to moni-
tor and assess the solutions. The traditional model of a hierarchical leader with strong
authority was replaced by the leader who worked in a participatory team environment
where goals were created in a collaborative and shared decision-making process.
Environmental leaders who promote environmental sustainability infuse
their desire to protect the natural environment into their decision-making and
action processes [15]. Although the traditional focus of environmental leaders
has been on individual development, today it involves two levels of influence:
individual and institutional. So, in this regard, leadership can be found as both
individual and group-based change. This leadership skill is more likely to be
successful if leaders understand how to influence interrelated processes at all
levels. However, the process of converting one individual at a time is slow and
is unlikely to accomplish major change quickly, unless there are highly visible
indicators of progress in the form of policies, programs, and budgets. Therefore,
leadership development is a process of creating change agents in society, which
is a complex psychological and social process. Describing the change pro-
cess for individuals participating in environmental leadership development
programs may be as complex and challenging as describing the change process

in future transformational leaders. Leadership development programs that aim
to build this transformational leadership capacity are rare in an Asian context.
This chapter then argues that building leadership capacity within higher
academia is a way educators can work to affect desirable behavioral change
and advance sustainable environmental management practices. The following
sections (2.2–2.4) will introduce other author’s concepts of environmental
leaders from their experience applied to APIEL as educators in higher academia.
As such, collective leadership, institutional leadership and strong leadership
under disaster management are introduced.
2.2 Exercising Collective Leadership to Find Solutions

for Global Environmental Issues2
This section outlines the author’s experience of conducting research in the Heihe
River basin in northwestern China. From this and other experiences, it is apparent
that the complexity of environmental problems requires collective leadership that
includes cultural and social perspectives. One possible definition for collective lead-
ership, following Akiyama et al. [16], is also included.
2.2.1 Introduction
It is widely acknowledged that environmental problems are the problems of complexity.

One of the dimensions of complexity arises from conflicts of the vested interests of the
various stakeholders. However, how do you balance the interests of stakeholders with
sustainable development that includes environmental concerns? Following the author’s
own experiences in the Heihe River basin in northwestern China, he feels that collective
leadership might be a key in reaching a consensus among stakeholders that ultimately
leads to the shared visions/goals for solving global environmental problems. The author
will outline some of his experiences through participating in an interdisciplinary research
project called Historical Evolution of the Adaptability in an Oasis Region to Water
Resource Changes, carried out from academic year 2001 to 2006.3
This section is based on the integral framework for environmental leadership
education proposed in Akiyama et al. [16]. Figure 2.2 shows the framework that was
2
This section is based on the personal experiences of one of the authors, Tomohiro Akiyama from
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University
of Tokyo, Japan.
3
Further information about the project can be found at their website (http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/
rihn_e/project/H-01.html).
Fig. 2.2 Four-quadrant model of integral leadership education for sustainable development [16]
developed by modifying Integral Approach of Wilber [17, 18].4 The upper quadrant
in Fig. 2.2a shows the components of education programs, while Fig. 2.2b presents
components of environmental leadership inherent in students. In this framework,
collective leadership is considered to incorporate both cultural leadership and social
leadership within leadership theory.5 This section considers that collective leader-
ship is the key to building general environmental leadership skills.
2.2.2 Experiences in the Heihe River Basin
Water is essential for life. However, water environmental problems, including the
drying up of rivers/lakes, declining groundwater tables, vegetation degradation, and
desertification, are intensifying in many regions. The Heihe River basin in north-
western China is a good illustration of these problems on the scale of a river basin.
The Heihe River is the second largest inland river in China. Its basin area covers
about 130,000 km2, and it is 821 km long. Roughly speaking, this river flows through
three administrative provinces in China: the upper reaches are in Qinghai Province,
the middle reaches are in Gansu Province, and the lower reaches are in the Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region. In the river basin, people rely on glacier meltwater
and precipitation from the mountainous areas in the upper reaches. Over the past
2,000 years, the Han and Mongolian people have lived in the middle reaches (oasis
region) and lower reaches (desert region), respectively [20–22].6 Due to these geo-
graphical differences, the Han mostly practiced settled farming, while the
Mongolians were nomadic pastoralists (herdsmen). Throughout their history, the
people living in the middle reaches and the people living in the lower reaches had
continual conflicts over water. The conflict has dramatically worsened since the
1950s. The people living in the middle reaches, benefiting from technological
improvements to dig deep wells with electric pumps, have been able to reclaim and
irrigate large areas of farmland on the fringes of the oasis. Those lands do not have
direct access to river water, so in the past, people were not able to grow crops there.
However, given access to groundwater, the people have been expanding the area of
irrigated farmland; their use of water intake for irrigation, as a consequence, has
4
Wilber [17, 18] proposed an integrated method called the all-quadrants, all-levels (AQAL) model,
which is gaining attention in the education field as an effective way of teaching and designing cur-
ricula [19]. Wilber [17, 18]’s integrated methodology features a four-quadrant framework which
contends that reality is composed of holons. All holons have both an objective exterior expression
and a subjective interior experience. At the same time, all holons are both individuals and members
of a collective. These two distinctions between the exterior and interior, and the individual and
collective, give rise to four aspects of reality, or four ways of knowing, represented by the quad-
rants. Although the four quadrants are ontologically distinct, Wilber [17, 18] suggests that there is
an interwoven, intimate correspondence between all four quadrants.
5
In the literature, there are many definitions of collective leadership.
6
More ethnic groups live in the river basin. Han and Mongolian people are simply the majority
groups in the middle and lower reaches, respectively.
Fig. 2.3 A river disappearing

into the desert, lower reaches
of the Heihe River basin
(January 2002)
Fig. 2.4 Wells buried by sand (June 2002)
increased. As a result, the water intake in the middle reaches has increased substan-
tially, while the river discharge to the lower reaches has declined (Figs. 2.3 and 2.4).
The author visited the Heihe River basin for the first time in 2001. That summer,
as a graduate student majoring in hydrology, he joined a research project that was
investigating the water balance of the river basin. He was in charge of the study of
the lower reaches. For the research, the author travelled the desert to find Mongolian
nomadic households and to investigate their wells. Though a total stranger, he was
welcomed warmly with tea and wine. He sometimes spent nights in their yurts, and
was served fresh goat meat, which was the best treat in the region. The hospitality
was impressive. Every time he returns to the region, the author tries to visit the same
Fig. 2.5 Mongolian teaching Mandarin to his granddaughter (May 2004)
families. However, reunions with old friends have become difficult in recent years.
Many families are not living on their pasture land anymore. This is not because they
are moving seasonally, instead it is more related to the implementation of a govern-
ment policy for environmental conservation (Fig. 2.5).
Environmental degradation in the Heihe River basin, mostly in the lower reaches,
has attracted a lot of attention in China since the late 1990s. The two terminal lakes of
the Heihe River have dried up, in 1961 and 1992, respectively. Due to mass media
reports, the area around the dry lakes is believed to be the origin of sandstorms in north-
ern China. As a result, the Chinese government promulgated the Integrated Water
Resources Management Plan of the Heihe River basin in 2001. In the lower reaches,
the detailed plan was implemented in 2002 to help in the recovery of the environment.
The detailed plan includes putting fences around 20,000 ha of riparian forest, establish-
ing 2,700 ha of farmland for growing fodder, digging 110 wells with electric pumps,
and relocating 1,500 nomads from grasslands. The logic behind the policy for the lower
reaches was that the nomadic style of raising livestock was the fundamental reason for
the environmental degradation. Therefore, to promote “economically efficient” live-
stock raising, the government created incentives for nomads to raise animals in shel-
ters. The government built houses with livestock shelters close to the center of the
town, and provided subsidies to the nomads who moved into them. The wells and
reclaimed farmland were dedicated to raising livestock in fixed locations.
Were these policies effective for environmental conservation? Mongolian nomads
in the lower reaches generally do not think so. They said that although the government
required the middle reaches to release a certain amount of water to the lower reaches
every year, they only released water after irrigation period in the middle reaches. The
nomads also said that now the grasslands cannot recover, and the water release simply
brings a flood over a short period. In addition, the water was diverted to the terminal
lakes through man-made concrete channels, so riparian vegetation cannot get enough
water. Meanwhile, grassland without livestock is facing other problems, such as an
overpopulation of mice.
These policies, which ignored the indigenous Mongolian culture and their exper-
tise in raising livestock, in turn upset the balance of ecological systems in the lower
reaches. On the other hand, in the middle reaches, the government restricted the
intake of river water. However, no-one paid much attention to groundwater manage-
ment. Han farmers, living in the middle reaches, simply changed from river water
irrigation to groundwater irrigation. As a consequence, declining groundwater dis-
charge into the river resulted in less river discharge in winter (non-irrigation period)
in the lower reaches because of the complex interaction of the systems [23]. In
short, the results from our research project clearly showed that the environmental
degradation was caused by farmland expansion in the middle reaches, instead of the
overpopulation of livestock in the lower reaches [24–28].
The key environmental problems in the Heihe River basin are how to effectively
distribute water between the middle and lower reaches and how to support the different
styles of subsistence as well as the natural environment. As we have learned, nomadic
pastoralism, as an adaption to the spatial distribution and the temporal variability of arid
regions, exists across the Mongolian steppes and Eurasia. It disperses the burden on the
environment through movement across the grasslands. On the contrary, settled farming
requires more water. The fodder growing promoted by the government actually created
a new need for water, or in other words, a burden on the environment.
2.2.3 Collective Leadership for Finding Solutions

for Environmental Problems: A Personal View
In recent years, environmental issues are attracting substantial attention from

academics, policymakers, businesspeople, and the general public. However, policy-
makers and their think tanks and academic institutions are often outsiders who do
not have an adequate understanding of indigenous cultures and other information
about the target regions. Thus, the ideal image drawn by policymakers and research-
ers may not reflect the needs of local people. Advanced technologies may not be a
good match for the real circumstances in target regions. Good intentions to solve
environmental issues, as a result, can cause disagreement, or even conflicts.
In the Heihe River basin, the author strongly feels the need to build effective com-
munications between the middle and the lower reaches—the Han farmers and the
Mongolian nomads—as well as communications between policymakers and local
people. Consensus building through discussions and mutual understanding might be
the first step in solving this problem. In Fig. 2.6, the author’s Mongolian friend, born
in the lower reaches, and a Han friend, born in the upper reaches, are shown enjoying
a party together after a day of hard work. The Han friend, due to his diligence and
kindness, was called Jaahandai by the local Mongolian people, a word often used to
describe something small but lovely. This nickname shows their hospitality and
Fig. 2.6 Party after a workday (September 2004)
friendship towards the young man. Going back to the start of this section, the author
believes that collective leadership incorporating cultural and social perspectives is
one of the keys to solving current global environmental problems.
2.3 Required and Expected Abilities and Skills

for Environmental Leaders in Asia7
2.3.1 Environmental Problems and the Need for Environmental

Leaders in Asia
With an increasing population and rapid economic growth in Asia, the demand for
food and water resources has expanded. In addition, environmental pollution and
health hazards are also becoming more pronounced. Therefore, there is an urgent need
to deal with these problems. Without solutions to environmental problems in Asia, we
might face a serious situation for sustainability on a global scale, as shown in Fig. 2.7.
However, human resources are required to resolve the issues of poverty, urban-
ization and industrialization, as well as environment problems. Therefore, the devel-
opment of people who can contribute to the solution of emerging environmental
problems is urgently needed in Asia. As well as responding to these problems, it is
7
This section is based on the personal experiences of one of the authors, Hiroaki Furumai from
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Fig. 2.7 Need of environmental leaders in Asia (http://www.env.go.jp/press/press.php?serial=9516)
necessary to realize a low-carbon, recycling-based society, one in harmony with

nature from a long-term perspective. Toward the creation of a sustainable society, it
is essential to have people who can internalize environmental protection and conser-
vation into today’s society.
It has been recognized that people are a part of nature in Asia. In addition,
environmental ethics and wisdom from traditional philosophies of “Enough is as
good as a feast” have been handed down over the generations. Recently, we have
tended to forget the historical accumulated wisdom, while we put more weight on
economic growth and efficiency. We have to re-recognize the importance of envi-
ronmental ethics and wisdom. In addition, leaders with a long-term perspective are
required to achieve a sustainable development in Asia.
2.3.2 Essential Elements of Environmental Leaders
Committee on the Vision for Developing Environmental Leaders in Higher

Education towards Achieving a Sustainable Asia, the Ministry of Environment,
Japan, reported/discussed the key concept/component/element of environmental
leaders. They proposed that environmental leaders are required to have “strong
motivation,” “expertise” and “leadership,” as shown in Fig. 2.8.
Strong motivation should be based on a clear understanding of the urgency of the
current state of sustainability and action. Willingness to act for environmental pro-
tection is expected of environmental leaders. Environmental ethics and the ability to
assess long-term and short-term needs are closely related to the strong motivation
of environmental leaders. At the same time, motivation and willingness should be
supported by the ability to understand the relationships among the environmental,
economic and social dimensions. The value of the environment has not been well
recognized in the current socio-economic system. Therefore, it is necessary to deal
with trade-offs among these three dimensions.
Fig. 2.8 Three key elements of environmental leaders (http://www.env.go.jp/press/press.

php?serial=9516)
Expertise is also required for environmental leaders. It is useful to summarize

the abilities and knowledge that are required to deal with environmental issues as
an expert. The author had an experience to discuss the required knowledge and
abilities of environmental engineers as a committee member for Japan Accreditation
Board for Engineering Education (JABEE). Table 2.2 lists the key criteria for
expertise to be acquired by university graduates. These abilities and knowledge are
essential for dealing with environmental issues and to identify problems so that
possible solutions can be proposed. The integration of knowledge and technologies
especially is one of the most key components to reach proposals for solutions and
for effective decision making.
Leadership is a special key element for leaders having expertise. Environmental
leaders are expected to transfer their knowledge, information and technology
for solving environmental problems. They need several leadership abilities,
including the ability to:
– Capture the multi-faceted holistic environment, economic, social aspects
– Organize a novel perspective on environmental protection
– Collaborate with stakeholders by listening to their opinions and helping to
address their interests
– Reach a collective decision using consensus building.
2.3.3 Education Experience During APIEL Thailand Unit 2012
In August 2012, APIEL organized a field exercise unit with the theme on
“Sustainable Urban Water Management: special focus on flood management in
Bangkok (Thailand Unit 2012)”. During the unit, teaching staff tried to provide a
Table 2.2 JABEE criteria for expertise in the field of environmental engineering
1. Ability to understand and appropriately address the fundamental principles of environmental
management, conservation, improvement, remediation and reduction of environmental load
2. Ability to observe, acknowledge and analyze phenomena relating to the environment
3. Knowledge and abilities of applied mathematics and at least two subjects from natural
sciences, mainly focusing on physics, chemistry, biology and geology
4. Ability to plan and execute surveys or experiments, to accurately analyze and examine the
acquired data, and to explain the results
5. Ability to identify environmental issues, to set agendas, and to propose possible solutions by
integrating knowledge and technologies
holistic view of environmental issues, inter- or trans-disciplinary and cross-cultural

approaches, as well as a balance between the environmental, economic and social
dimensions needed to deal with complex water management issues under flood
conditions. Water management is one of the most critical environmental issues,
globally and locally. Tropical regions especially often have vulnerable water
resources, floods, and limited access to safe water. Thus, the unit focused on the
flooding in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, in 2011.
Participants looked into the flood risk not only through the “lens” of climate
change but also socio-economic change. Discussion extended to water quality and
quantity with respect to water security and health risk management during floods.
Lectures were given to students (on flood scenarios, impact, and control) to provide
them with basic knowledge and information on flood issues and their management.
Technical visits were arranged to learn from different stakeholders, including
Rojana Industrial Park which was damaged by the flood, Royal Irrigation
Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and the World Bank. Students
learned about flooding and management policies from different stakeholders, deep-
ening their understanding through roundtable discussions. In addition, interviews
with citizens covering water access and management during floods were also
arranged through assistance from governmental officials.
To achieve the goals of the course, group working time was reserved for students
to have in-depth discussions and to making proposals. Three working groups were
organized with different themes selected by the students: flood management and
land use (Group 1), access to basic human needs in case of flood (Group 2), and
disease prevention after floods (Group 3). During the group work, students were
expected to make proposals for dealing with their theme.
For example, Group 3 focused on the challenging issues of providing basic pub-
lic health needs for disease prevention. They learned to (1) identify the problems of
accessing basic human needs immediately after the 2011 Thailand flood, (2) ana-
lyze how early flood warnings and flood awareness influenced access and (3) pro-
pose possible measures to minimize problems of accessing basic human requirements
in future emergencies. They conducted an in-home questionnaire survey and street
intercept in Ayutthaya Province, which had been severely affected by the flooding.
The questionnaire had two main parts: accessibility of targeted public health needs
including early warning and flood awareness.
The Thailand Unit was successfully conducted in collaboration with the Asian
Institute of Technology (AIT). Students from UT and AIT were mixed to form
groups to tackle their own tasks in the field. The outcomes of the three groups were
presented as posters in the 10th International Symposium on Southeast Asian Water
Environment held in Vietnam in November 2012.
This type of APIEL field exercise should be designed to provide structured
knowledge, as well as the practical skills and experiences that are needed for foster-
ing young professionals with strong motivations to meet environmental challenges.
Through the education experience of the Thailand Unit 2012, faculty members also
learned how to better organize the course program and how to stimulate student
discussions during group work. For example, faculty members in many cases, made
appropriate comments and suggestions on students work according to their back-
ground and knowledge; on the other hand, faculty members observed the obstacles
and struggling among students group work from time to time.
During the group work and presentation meetings, some students showed a marked
improvement in integrating information and knowledge and coordinating different
opinions through good communications with other students. They had acquired the
high level of skills needed to explain their ideas clearly and logically while using
good examples. This demonstrates to us that collaborative work with sufficient
discussion time in a working group environment provides the essential opportunity to
strengthen and expand the abilities that are required for environmental leaders.
2.4 Strong Leadership in a Task Force After the Tsunami8
2.4.1 Background
A massive tsunami hit the coast of northeastern Japan following the Great East
Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. This was a tragic disaster for Japan, and
many Japanese volunteered to help people in the devastated area. As a professional
in environmental engineering, the author had serious concerns over the water envi-
ronment in the area a few weeks after this tragic event. Although critical problems
such as food, medical care etc. were being dealt with by various organizations
including volunteer groups, water environment issues remained unsettled and drew
less attention as they seemed to be less urgent.
The earthquake had a profound impact on the Japanese people, and the scientific
community was no exception. The first emergency recommendation regarding the
response to the Great East Japan Earthquake was published by the Science
Council of Japan on March 25, 2011. The Japan Society on Water Environment
8
This section is based on the personal experiences of one of the authors, Hiroyuki Katayama from
Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Fig. 2.9 Wall at wastewater treatment plant collapsed by tsunami
Fig. 2.10 Sample collection at wastewater treatment plant hit by tsunami
(JSWE) also responded and formed a task team. The task team, together with the
Tohoku (northeastern Japan) area branch of JSWE, proposed two fields for study
groups to work on. These are called the Study Group on Health-Related Water
Microbiology (HRWM) and the Study Group on Wetlands and Coastal Areas.
The author is a secretary of the HRWM study group, and was appointed as a core
researcher to lead the Study group. This is a rare situation for a researcher, since this
activity is not only related to research but is also closely associated with social
problems.
2.4.2 Key to Success: Integration of Multi-Stakeholders
Our research team from the Department of Urban Engineering, UT had been con-
ducting onsite field surveys in foreign countries, including collecting samples and
analyzing microbial water quality, as well as simple water quality parameters. This
experience was a great help for organizing field surveys in Tohoku, where no ade-
quate experimental facility was available at the time. For the field surveys, a virus
concentration method was developed and applied to a large volume of water and
then modified for application outside the laboratory. Many things had to be done
quickly for the field survey, and teamwork was especially important. However, stu-
dents on a research team should have independent research themes, and most of
them had independent scopes of research.
The culture in our research team includes the practice of “on-the-sampling train-
ing.” For a water quality survey, new graduate students help with surveillance, while
senior laboratory staffs instruct and advise them. Unlike lectures at the university,
this advice contains unwritten knowledge about the area of the surveillance.
Experience outside the laboratory also allows the students’ eyes to be wide open to
the real situation and gives them the opportunity to view their own research from a
wider perspective. The senior members experienced this training before, and they
are transferring their experience to the new students. Through day-by-day work in
this laboratory culture, mutual trust was developed among the team members; the
team is now always ready to receive a request of surveillance.
Communication is also an important factor. Advice from a wide range of people
was gathered by senior professors from different universities in the JSWE head-
quarters, helping to further improve communications with stakeholders. Stakeholder
groups included the local wastewater departments, and the local fisheries depart-
ments and fishermen’s cooperatives in Miyagi Prefecture who all responded posi-
tively to our involvement. With strong support from these stakeholders, our proposal
was submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
(MLIT), and to the Ministry of Environment. The two ministries agreed to give us
funds for research and surveillance of the wastewater system and the coastal area
that receives discharge from the sewer systems.
2.4.3 Key to Success: Application of Scientific Knowledge
The first step was to select a target site for the field survey. Ishinomaki City was
selected for the following three reasons: a lot of people remained producing waste-
water, commercial fishing had restarted, and the wastewater treatment plant was not
yet functioning. The task team set our target as affordable treatment, which can be
applied in the rehabilitation stage before the full recovery of the treatment plants.
The MLIT, in charge of sewer systems, insisted on adding chlorine to the
untreated wastewater to meet the coliform standard for effluent. However, this pol-
icy does not work for microbial water safety because chlorine is not effective against
all pathogens, including viruses and protozoa. The task team pointed out the weak
point in that policy, and tried to find alternate ways to achieve a relatively safe water
environment.
Our concept was that given the urgent situation the treatment would not be per-
fect, but should be affordable. Usually wastewater is treated biologically over a rela-
tively long retention time, but in this unusual case physicochemical treatment might
be better able to achieve microbially safe water in a short time. Instead, the target
among the water quality parameters should be narrowed down only to pathogen
control, which is more urgent and important under the circumstances in a disaster
area (Actually, on some occasions, nutrient or organic loading is not always harmful
to the environment, but pathogens have to be removed in any case).
Our experience was useful in searching for an appropriate treatment for storm
water combined with untreated wastewater, which is discharged into open bodies of
water when the sewer overflows due to an overabundance of rainwater. A combina-
tion of coagulation-sedimentation and ultraviolet disinfection was tested and found
to be the most effective method for producing relatively safe water.
Polysulfuric ferrite, a waste byproduct from the iron and steel industry, was
selected as the coagulant. It was also used as an anti-odor agent for municipal waste-
water. Polysulfuric ferrite is used for organic wastewater treatment in the food
industry, among others. The proposed method successfully removed suspended sol-
ids and turbidity from the influent, and achieved a good amount of bacterial and
viral removal when used together with ultraviolet light disinfection. This result was
presented at a wastewater works conference.
Our method was not applied in reality in Ishinomaki City because it requires
waste sludge management after the coagulation and sedimentation. The sludge
management system was restored almost at the same time as the other water
treatment facilities, and the wastewater treatment plants selected a biological
treatment. The method the task team developed will be used in the future or in
other recovery areas in the Tohoku region. The sampling campaign for water
quality in the coastal area is still contributing to future water quality management
plans from the viewpoint of microbial water safety. During the course of the
project, much support was given to us by senior professors, stakeholders, and
laboratory staff. Overall the author experienced a strong leadership applied under
such a tragic disaster by integration of multi-stakeholders and application of sci-
entific Knowledge.
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Chapter 3
APIEL Compulsory Course: Environmental
Challenges and Leadership in Asia
Motoharu Onuki and Kyoungjin J. An
Abstract APIEL compulsory course, Environmental Challenges and Leadership in

Asia (ECLA) discuss the human sustainability on earth by looking into the critical
environmental issues in Asia and defines Environmental Leadership along with the
environmental literacy and skills which are highly required in developing a sustainable
society. Since many countries in Asia are densely populated and undergoing various
development stages, Asia stands as the core region when considering our future
global sustainability.
The feature of this course is the combination of lectures and case studies
including interactive dialogues between teachers and students, group discussion
and presentation in the classroom. Case studies were provided to understand
discourses on industrialization (Minamata disease case), globalization (China’s
air pollution case) and recent urbanization (Korea’s reclamation case). Students
experientially learn communication, facilitation, and leadership skills by resolv-
ing tension between students from different academic fields. Therefore, this
course provides platform for the field exercises where students can practice what
they learn in the class.
Keywords China’s environmental problems • Global environmental problems

• Industrial pollution problems • Leadership education • Minamata disease • Urban
environmental problems
M. Onuki
The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
K.J. An (*)
Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL),
The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

42 M. Onuki and K.J. An
3.1 Introduction
Asia is showing increasing signs of demographic fatigue in its quest to provide for all
the needs and wants of its exploding population. Of the world’s more than six billion
people, approximately 3.5 billion live in Asia. Two Asian countries combined—China
and India—account for more than one-third of the global population; each of these
nations has for more than one billion people. Environmental degradation has been one
of the most visible manifestations of this evolving struggle. However, in most Asian
countries, environmental activism or leadership is a fairly recent phenomenon. For
example, in China, the government by the mid-1990s had started to tolerate environ-
mental activism, as long as it focused on solving specific problems rather than criticiz-
ing government policies and decisions. Two prime indicators of environmental
legislation and enforcement agencies were introduced in the ECLA class (see Fig. 3.1)
to illustrate Asia’s institutional level of environmental leadership and reform.
Japan was the first country in Asia to become industrialized and to face serious
environmental disasters such as Minamata disease, so it was the first Asian country
to pass basic environmental laws (1967) and to establish a ministry of the environ-
ment (1971) as shown in Fig. 3.1. Singapore established its own environmental
ministry 1 year later (1972), with China and Malaysia following in 1974. Since
then, the second wave of environment ministries in Asia occurred in the late 1980s
and early 1990s. In most Asian countries, basic environmental legislation lagged
behind the introduction of environment ministries.
Asia is the fastest-growing region measured by population growth as well
economic development (though countries are at different stages), thus Asian econ-
omies provide many hints to our students to deal with evolving environmental
Fig. 3.1 Establishment of environmental governance, 1967–2000 (Source: UNEP-RRCAP, 2003)

3 APIEL Compulsory Course: Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia 43
issues associated with a wide range of development and the required leadership
skills. Therefore, this course aims to review environmental issues in Asia from
the history to up to date; to tackle such problems with the key of sustainably and
finally to foster future environmental leaders highly required in developing a
sustainable society.
The rest of this chapter consist of three sub chapter as follows: first, Sect. 3.2 describes
featured ECLA’s education methods in the class mainly though creating a vision, inter-
viewing environmental leaders and debate. Second, Sect. 3.3 provides details material
used for three case studies developed for ECLA. Authors carefully selected prominent
case studies from discourses on industrialization in 1960s with a typical example of an
industrial pollution problem that Japan has experienced (Minamata disease case); glo-
balization (China’s air pollution case) with climate change; and recent urbanization in
great needs of public participation with Korea’s Cheonggyecheon Restoration case in
2000s. Third and finally, we discuss and summarize main features of the compulsory
course followed by overall discussion and conclusion.
3.2 Education Methods in ECLA
Course syllabus was developed and modified each year over the past 4 years in order
to meet objectives of the course as shown in Fig. 3.2.
The following section describes the details about featured ECLA’s education
methods in the class mainly though creating a vision, interviewing environmental
leaders and debate.
3.2.1 Creating a Vision Through Group Discussion
During the very first ECLA class, the authors asked students to choose one
environmental project from his or her own country and write an action plan for
a funding proposal to the World Bank. About 40 students met and formed 7
groups: 5 from Department of Urban Engineering (UE) and 2 from Graduate
Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS), The University of Tokyo. They then
negotiated to decide on only one project. In doing this, the students were required
to identify the real-world problems and create a vision through collaboration
with various stakeholders in each locality. Proposals from UE and GPSS stu-
dents are summarized in Table 3.1 and are categorized into ten emergent envi-
ronmental issues in Asia taught by the author based on a review of the literature
and authors’ experiences.
As we can see from the table, students address the issue of population growth
associated with poverty and land use, agriculture, forest, water, and energy. However,
biodiversity, air quality, global warming, and environmental activity have not been
tackled. The teachers another concern is that in the midst of competing demands,
44
Fig. 3.2 Course syllabus

M. Onuki and K.J. An
Table 3.1 Emergent environmental issues in Asia and Students’ interest in the environment
(ECLA class of 2012)
Author (from Hillstrom and Hillstrom [1]) UE students GPSS students
Population and land use Poverty issue: education,
Food security, consumerism, urbanization training skills in India
and migration, and land Sustainable regional
management, etc. rehabilitation in the
Tohoku region in Japan
(land use)
Biodiversity
Land conversion and fragmentation
Alien species by trade, in potted plants
and shipment of crops
Overharvesting and the trade in
Asian wildlife
Park, preserves, and protected areas
Conservation of biodiversity
National parks, wildlife sanctuaries,
and nature reserves
Forests Forest conserva-
Sustainability of forest, agriculture and other tion: Indonesia
systems based on ecosystem dynamics Activity:
People became more knowledgeable about eco-tourism
the limits of the earth because of natural
systems
Sustainability became a very old idea and
social goal
Agriculture Promotion of sustainable Promotion of
Continual increase in the world’s demand agricultural use and organic farming
for food management by in China: solve
Attempts to slow human population growth education and training problems of
in order to reduce future food demand in Vietnam nitrate
Intensification of agricultural production (less fertilizer) groundwater
Increased use of pesticides and herbicides, contamination
decreased soil quality, conversion of forest
and wetlands to agriculture, damage to
watersheds from runoff, and the
deterioration of rural communities
Freshwater Water issue: implementation
Rehabilitation of major rivers ruined by of end-of-pipe
decades of heavy pollution technology for
Acutely vulnerable to weather-related industry wastewater
disasters treatment in the
Industrialized countries (e.g., Japan, Philippines
Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan)
clearly have fewer problems providing
access to safe water, while in developing
country access to safe drinking water is
often a luxury, sometimes only available
to the affluent
(continued)
Table 3.1 (continued)

Author (from Hillstrom and Hillstrom [1]) UE students GPSS students
Ocean and coastal areas
Population surges bring marine pollution
Japan is another nation that has launched
vigorous ocean protection programs,
yet during the1960s and early 1970s the
country’s coastal waters were extremely
fouled with toxins and other waste, such
as the tragic situation at Minamata Bay
Energy and transportation Sustainable resource
Limited energy source from coal, oil, management in Japan
and natural gas
Alternative energy, such as hydro
and nuclear power
Renewable energy
Transportation
Air quality and the atmosphere
Fossil fuel consumption in the energy,
transportation, and industry sectors
Environmentally destructive mining
practices, and slash-and-burn
deforestation
Doubling of per capita commercial energy
use in most regions of Asia between
1975 and 1995, a period when
industrialized countries were
making marked strides in improving
their energy use
Environmental activism
In most Asian nations, environmental
activism is a fairly recent phenomenon
Global environmental citizenship in
the 1990s, particularly in the period
leading up to the Kyoto Climate
Change Conference (1997)
the priorities are for easy or low cost tasks. In other words, we have limited leader-
ship capacity to tackle these pressing issues. Leaders need to provide a vision and
solutions at this stage, though many of the problems seem formidable. However,
this exercise allowed future leaders (the students) to practice setting clear priorities
from among the competing needs and demands.
3.2.2 Interview Environmental Leaders
Gordon and Berry [2] stressed the difference between environmental leadership
from other types of leadership. The Central premise is that the difference of the
environmental leadership is based on the unique characteristics environmental

problems that require long time to solution, complexity and uncertainty, emotion-
ally charged situations, an incomplete and scattered science base, and the necessity
for integration.
This section discusses the relationship between leadership and environment
issues to be solved by conducting survey and interview students in class. The
authors reviewed successful examples of environmental leaders in Asia with stu-
dents and used survey questions for young leader’s perspectives on environmen-
tal leader. The survey questions are used to discuss how students see today’s
environmental leaders: included important social trends or conditions affecting
today’s environmental leaders, major barriers facing today’s leaders, how leaders
emerge in their individual organizations, and the five characteristic the students
think are most important for today’s leader. Based on this subjective analysis,
more objective statements about leadership were written. The results are summa-
rized in Table 3.2.
Most of the respondents agreed with statements 2 and 4: “Men and women often
have different environmental leadership skills and styles” and “Different people
lead in the organization at different times.” These responses showed that future
environmental leaders clearly realize the complexity of environmental issues, and
that what are required of them are flexibility and the ability to work with different
people at different times. In other words, for the development of a sustainable
future, education or training in an organization should be multifaceted. Gordon and
Berry also explained that leaders perceive leadership as a function diffused through-
out an organization, not the sole property of a leader based on his/her position or
title, but rather every member of an organization must be prepared to lead when his/
her turn or time comes. More interestingly, the respondents agreed more positively
with statement 7 “Leaders today are more process, rather than product, oriented”
and also with statement 12 “Leadership today is more difficult than in the past.”
This is in line with the reason why APIEL puts a high value on communication
among the stakeholders to reach a consensus and promote a clear vision: APIEL
emphasizes the development of “process and participation” leaders rather than
“command and control” leaders.
The most controversial survey results were those for statement 9 “Command
and control leadership is still necessary at times for environmental leadership”
and statement 10 “Environmental leaders cannot lead without authority.” Half of
the respondents seem to agree with these statements. This suggests that participa-
tory, collective leadership in this context is not yet mature and requires time and
energy. The respondents acknowledged that control leadership is still required to
drive change.
Finally, the results for statement 11 verified our strong belief that leadership
skills and styles can be learned, and among these skills, the communication skill is
an important key factor for leadership development. The following section describes
how in-class teaching helps to develop communication and debating skills, using a
case study: China’s challenge for climate change.
48
Table 3.2 Student response to survey on environmental leadership (ECLA class of 2011, 33 respondents)
Strongly Strongly %
agree Agree % Agree Neither Disagree disagree Disagree Total
1. In most organizations, environmental leadership needs 3 12 45.5 6 9 3 36.4 33
to be attributed to one identifiable person
2. Men and women often have different environmental 3 18 63.6 6 6 0 18.2 33
leadership skills and styles
3. The problem with today’s environmental leadership is 4 8 37.5 11 7 2 28.1 32
that no one is accountable
4. Within an organization, different people will lead at 8 16 72.7 8 1 0 3.0 33
different times
5. Important environmental leadership skills usually stay 2 13 45.5 4 10 4 42.4 33
constant regardless of the situation
6. In general, we have less evident environmental leadership 0 3 9.1 8 19 3 66.7 33
today than in the past
7. Leaders today are more process, rather than product, oriented 2 15 51.5 11 4 1 15.2 33
8. Environmental leadership is basically different than other 10 13 69.7 1 9 0 27.3 33
kinds of leadership (e.g., leadership in business or the military)
9. “Command and control” leadership is still necessary at 5 13 54.5 12 4 1 15.2 33
times for environmental leadership
10. Environmental leaders cannot lead without authority 6 11 53.1 6 8 1 28.1 32
11. Environmental leadership skills can be learned 8 23 93.9 2 0 0 0.0 33
12. Environmental leadership today is more difficult 13 11 72.7 6 3 0 9.1 33
than in the past
Percentage value were indicated in italic
M. Onuki and K.J. An
3.2.3 Communication Practice Trough Debates
3.2.3.1 Global Communication
Most APIEL students agree with the idea that communication, listening, and
interpersonal skills are the most important leadership characteristics. Global com-
munication for climate change made a breakthrough following the Kyoto Protocol
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: countries were
urged to take a proactive stance and mitigate their CO2 production according to
their economic growth. The first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 focused on biodi-
versity, global warming, and forest initiatives. In 2002, the second Global Summit
on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) set out to resolve the conflict created by
the needs of rich and poor countries and their impacts on the global economy [3].
The environment is no longer an isolated issue; it is at the heart of our global
future. By 1995, countries realized that emission reduction provisions from the
Rio convention were inadequate. Two years later, the Kyoto Protocol legally
bound developed countries to emission reduction targets. The Kyoto Protocol’s
first commitment period started in 2008 and ends in 2012. One of the greatest
global concerns is China’s growing contribution to climate change. (China is the
second largest contributor to climate change.) China has signed the Kyoto Protocol
and has initiated some projects—with EU members—under the protocol. After
4 years of negotiations, the question of what happens beyond 2020 was also
answered at Durban. The decision on the green climate fund extension of the
Kyoto Protocol comes into effect by 2020. These include reduction pledges for
2020 and the goal of keeping global warming below 2 °C. There will be a joint
implementation by China, India, and the US.
Learning from this global communication, the difficulty becomes apparent when
countries, who would all benefit from addressing climate change, accept a global
legal framework. However, China’s goal to generate 10% of their power from
renewable sources by 2010 was unlikely to have a significant impact on its contribu-
tion to climate change.
3.2.3.2 Communication Practice in Class
ECLA students—from UE and GPSS—communicated using debates on whether

China has to play a leadership role on climate change. There are some special
terms used in the debates. The opinion in a debate is called a resolution. The
debate team that agrees with the resolution is called the affirmative team. The team
that disagrees with the resolution is the negative team. The people in charge of
evaluating the debate are called judges. The author has been a moderator at these
debates. Interestingly, after discussion among the students, the ECLA class was
divided into negative (UE) and affirmative (GPSS) teams. In the debates, the goal
has been to persuade the judge and the audience that their opinion is the most
compelling. To persuade the judge and the audience, the speaker should have
strong arguments, which means tough reasoning, factual support, and refutations
as well as a strong manner, which includes gestures, eye contact, posture, voice,
and the use of humor.
Throughout the debating exercise, scientific evidence supporting their reason-
ing should be clear and easy to understand. In the rebuttal, each team explains
where their points stand, and where the points of the other team fall, from the
social and economic perspectives. Overall, we try not to lose our senses of humor.
In addition, the students are able to practice listening to understand what each
speaker is saying, as well as good teamwork, and expressing their own points
while refuting the other team.
3.3 Materials Used for Case Studies in ECLA
This sub chapter introduces material used for three case studies in detail. As illus-
trated in Fig. 3.3, based on provided material, students analyze the fact and inter-
acted with teacher to build leadership capacity through and through.
Fig. 3.3 Material used for case studies in ECLA

3.3.1 Minamata Disease and Japan’s Experience

with Industrial Pollution
For Japan, industrial pollution originates as environmental problems. Why they

happened and how they were overcome give us several lessons for preventing new
pollution problems from occurring in Japan or in other parts of the world.
Minamata disease is a typical example of an industrial pollution problem that
Japan has experienced. Minamata disease, a disease of the central nervous system,
is caused by eating fish and shellfish contaminated with methyl mercury com-
pounds. These compounds were discharged into the sea at the Shin Nihon Chisso
(hereafter Chisso) plant in Minamata. The compounds accumulated in the marine
life [4]. Since it was one of the first severe industrial or environmental pollution
problems in Japanese history, limited knowledge and lessons were available at that
time. It took a long time to understand and overcome what was occurring. Minamata
disease is one of the largest and longest-lasting pollution problems in Japan, and
the Minamata disease issue represents nearly all aspects of pollution problems. For
these reasons, this Mianamta case provides an essential case study for fostering
environmental leaders.
The objective of this case study is to learn the following aspects of environmental
pollution: (1) environmental pollution ultimately harms people, and protecting the
environment is critical, (2) economic growth and human health/rights, (3) discrimi-
nation, the social divide, and environmental justice (4) science, technology, and
society, (5) environmental science and environmental engineering, (6) environ-
mental economics, and (7) post-modern and risk issues. This list shows that the
issues surrounding Minamata disease are ongoing. It also touches on the most
advanced issues related to the environment and sustainability.
3.3.1.1 Environmental Pollution Ultimately Harms People and Protecting

the Environment Is Critical
The first step of this case study is to understand the tragic consequences of Minamata
disease. Through this step, students learn how a polluted environment ultimately
harms people and that protecting the environment is essential. The tragic experi-
ences of the victims include not only the disease itself but also how other people
treated them.
In Minamata today, several of the victims are registered as storytellers and
opportunities to listen to their stories are organized. Many elementary or junior high
schools are taking advantage of this storytelling for their social study courses.
Storytelling is also used during training courses at universities and companies.
ECLA also shows a video of the storytellers and has students read books, such as
Kugai Jodo (Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow) written by Ishimure [5] to help them
understand the victims’ experiences.
3.3.1.2 Economic Growth and Human Health/Rights:

Chisso’s Irresponsibility
One of the reasons why Minamata disease was so widely spread was Chisso’s
irresponsibility. Chisso conducted an experiment called the “cat number 400
experiment” to reveal the cause of the disease by themselves. In this experiment, a
cat that had been given food to which factory effluent had been added showed
clear symptoms of Minamata disease. This result demonstrated that Chisso’s
discharge was the causative substance in the environment. It indisputably showed
Chisso’s responsibility for the disease, even though the pollutant had not yet
been identified as methyl mercury. However, the results of the experiment were not
published. Chisso placed the highest priorities on earning a profit. In order to
continue operating the plant, Chisso buried the results of the experiment. Moreover,
when Kumamoto University pointed out that methyl mercury was causing the
disease, Chisso raised questions. It is obvious that Chisso was putting profits before
people and ignoring human rights. The most important point here is to let students
think about what they might have done if they had been a researcher or engineer
inside Chisso.
3.3.1.3 Economic Growth and Human Health/Rights: Citizens’ Awareness
We also have to remember that many Minamata citizens supported Chisso, because
Minamata was heavily dependent on Chisso for tax revenue. Without Chisso,
Minamata would have been a small local village in western Japan. Some citizens
considered Minamata disease as someone else’s problem or even as an annoyance.
Others thought that a certain amount of “pollution” must be acceptable in exchange
for prosperity in Minamata. Moreover, to people living in Tokyo, Minamata disease
was an issue occurring far away from them and was not their concern. Many story-
tellers mention that Minamata disease is a disease of the modern age where people
want too much convenience and too much prosperity based on industry and
technology.
3.3.1.4 Discrimination, the Social Divide, and Environmental Justice
Most of the patients identified in the early stages were fishermen and their families.
Since fishermen in Minamata originally came from the Amakusa Islands (on the
other side of the Shiranui Sea), they were considered outsiders and were lower
down in the social hierarchy. This is another reason why the patients faced discrimi-
nation. Harada [6] and Ui [7] have denied that industrial pollution created “aban-
doned” victims. Instead, they argue that industrial pollution problems occur where
there are weak people and industrial pollution hits them. Note: today, Minamata
City has been trying to re-develop community relations under the concept of
moyainaoshi or re-connecting [4].
3.3.1.5 Science, Technology, and Society
Chisso’s irresponsible attitude has been discussed in the previous section. If the
result of the cat number 400 experiments had been published in 1959, countermea-
sures for Minamata disease would have been taken and the number of victims would
have been completely different. However, another factor, from the perspective of
“science, technology and society”, has also been pointed out.
When Kumamoto University was concluding that methyl mercury as a causative
substance, Chisso raised counterarguments:
1. Why was it not until 1954 that Minamata disease suddenly occurred, although
Chisso has been operating since 1932?
2. Why did Minamata disease occur only in Minamata although many acetaldehyde
factories had been using the same chemical process?
Once counterarguments are raised, scientists usually try to respond. In spite of a
government order forcing Chisso to submit wastewater samples, scientist tried to
answer these questions one by one, although what was urgently needed was only to
prove that factory effluent was causing the disease.
In the field of science, there are many unsolved problems, and scientists are
always doing research. However, government and citizens expect scientists to
come up with a 100% complete answer. If even 1% remains unsolved, govern-
ments often wait. They use the fact that arguments are still continuing as a reason
why they aren’t taking any measures for the relief of victims. This relationship
between the scientific community and government has been called the “resonance
of scientists and government” by Sugiyama [8], and Harada [6] mentioned that the
unsolved 1% should not be used as an excuse for corporations or governments to
avoid accepting responsibility. Ui mentioned that there is no neutral standpoint
with industrial pollution [7].
3.3.1.6 Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering
The “resonance of scientists and government” was pointed out in the previous
section. Relief for victims should start even if some issues remain. At the time, the
cat number 400 experiments were enough evidence to start relief measures.
However, scientific study is still necessary, especially for preventing the same mis-
takes from occurring in the future; scientific study must continue.
The two questions raised by Chisso were finally answered by Nishimura and
Okamoto [9] more than 40 years later. They revealed the chemical reaction path-
ways, determined the kinetic parameters of methyl mercury production under sev-
eral conditions, and finally determined that switching the oxidant from permanganate
to nitric acid in 1951 was the cause of the sudden increase of methyl mercury dis-
charge. This was the answer to question 1 (above). However, using nitric acid as an
oxidant was the normal practice in acetaldehyde production, which didn’t cause any
problem in other factories or companies in Japan. Nishimura finally found that the
high concentration of chlorine ions at the Chisso factory was the key difference.
When chlorine ion concentrations are low, during the normal process (using nitric
acid as an oxidant) only tiny amounts of methyl mercury are produced, but when the
chlorine ion concentration is high, methyl mercury is vaporized and easily dis-
charged to the outside. That was the answer to question 2 [9]. Even though it took
40 years to answers these questions, they are still important examples of environ-
mental scientific research, and worth studying.
3.3.1.7 Environmental Economics
Once the environment is polluted, it takes a long time and a huge cost for recovery.
When pollution diseases and victims appear, it is nearly impossible to recover from the
damage, and compensation can be enormous. From the viewpoint of environmental
economics, the cost for preventive measures, including wastewater treatment and devel-
oping production processes that don’t discharge wastewater, is cheaper than the cost of
compensation and recovery of the environment [10]. The quality of the environment
started to dramatically improve once this fact was widely recognized by industry, and
after environmental regulations were established. This is the Japanese government’s
message to other countries, especially those who are currently developing rapidly.
It is important to remember that for establishing the legal framework for
compensation and for developing environmental regulations we had to see vic-
tims suffering from the disease and being discriminated against, as well as hav-
ing to experience lawsuits. How to reach the point of realizing that prevention is
cheaper than compensation without these bitter experiences is the most impor-
tant point in the class.
3.3.1.8 Post-Modern Issues: Health Risks and Low-Level Exposure
As discussed above, most Japanese people consider the Minamata disease issue
solved and finished, and that it is full of lessons to be learned. However, the
Minamata disease issue has not yet been finalized. Since 1968, when the Japanese
government officially declared that Minamata disease was an industrial pollution
problem caused by Chisso and Chisso agreed to compensation payments, many
patients have been applying to be certified as victims so that they can be paid.
However, many of these claims were rejected or were left pending. This is because
the criteria for Minamata disease certification have been based on exhibiting the
symptoms of Hunter-Russell syndrome. Hunter-Russell syndrome was discovered
after methyl mercury poisoning was found in British factory workers who were
producing disinfectants for seeds. It is characterized by five symptoms: numbness
and pain in the extremities, dysarthria, ataxia, auditory disorders, and concentric
constriction of the visual field. However, Minamata disease was caused by methyl
mercury poisoning following the consumption of fish and shellfish contaminated by
environmental pollution. The levels of contamination and pollution varied; there-
fore the way in which each symptom appeared also varied. This is why the criteria
for official certification are considered to be too strict. Sufferers who did not have
acute symptoms—perhaps only one or two symptoms (sensory disorder, numbness,
etc.)—were left uncertified as victims.
Since several thousand applications were rejected or left pending in the 1990s, the
Japanese government decided in 1995 to relieve these “uncertified” patients by pay-
ing their medical expenses and lump-sum amounts. Patient support groups are
requesting large-scale medical checkups and revised criteria for official certification
of Minamata disease. However, the Japanese government decided to review uncerti-
fied patients using different criteria instead of changing the official legal criteria. For
political, social, and economic reasons, the criteria for diagnosing Minamata disease
are not well defined and detailed scientific knowledge on the minimum level of
Minamata disease (or methyl mercury poisoning) is still not available. More scientific
data and large-scale medical checkups are necessary to understand the overall picture
of Minamata disease as well as the entire mechanism for environmental pollution
caused by the methyl mercury discharged by Chisso. Why hasn’t this been done? Of
course, the extent of suffering of “uncertified” Minamata disease patients is generally
smaller than typical acute Minamata disease patients found in 1950s and 1960s.
Nonetheless, when we try to definitively answer this question, we may well face
renewed discussions similar to those outlined above. This is why the authors think the
Minamata disease issue has not yet been put to rest and is still an example of one of
the hottest topics in environmental issues: health risks and low-level exposure.
3.3.2 China’s Air Pollution Case Over Last Three Decades
3.3.2.1 China’s Economic Growth
Over the last three decades, why has China’s environment been drawing so much
worldwide attention, along with its rapid economic growth? The rise of China as an
economic power is one of the most remarkable stories of the latter half of the twen-
tieth century. There were annual growth rates of from 8% to 12% of GDP, and by
the end of 2011 China had become the second largest economy, after the United
States. However, the progression was different from other developed countries. For
instance, Japan progressed through the stages of industrialization, urbanization,
and globalization over a much different time span. But China’s economy boomed
in the face of a raging wind of concurrent industrialization, urbanization and glo-
balization. In China, industrialization depends heavily on intensive energy and
resource use, urbanization is not based on a sustainable model, and globalization,
through exporting many goods and absorbing manufacturing from other countries,
has led people to derisively call China the “world’s factory.” At the same time, this
growth has occurred without much consideration for the environment. Growth has
placed tremendous pressure on China’s environment. Building on centuries of
environmental degradation and pollution, the very rapid industrialization of the last
quarter century has contributed to some of the highest rates of air and water pollu-
tion in the world, as well as severe land degradation, and a range of other emerging
resource challenges; among them all, the most visible of China’s environmental
challenges is air pollution [11].
3.3.2.2 China′s Air Pollution
China’s air pollution is due to an overwhelming reliance on coal for energy produc-
tion. China relies on coal for approximately 70% of its energy, consuming about
1.96 billion tons in 2004. The carbon dioxide emission rate reached 1.6 GtC (giga-
tons of carbon or 1015 g carbon) per year in 2006 [12], and China has become the
world’s largest emitter of sulfur dioxide. Moreover, by 2020, transportation experts
anticipate that China will have at least 110–160 million cars on its roads. Today,
China is attempting to push forward with renewable energy and with alternative
fuels, such as compressed natural gas.
3.3.3 Korea’s Cheonggyecheon Restoration Case Through

Community Participation
On July 17, 2009, 5 years after the completion of the Cheonggyecheon project, the
New York Times reported that the restoration was part of an expanding environmen-
tal effort in cities around the world to “daylight” rivers and streams by “peeling
back pavement” that was built to bolster commerce and serve automobile traffic
decades earlier [13].
3.3.3.1 History of Cheonggyecheon and Leader′s Attitude
In Korean, Cheonggyecheon means “clean water stream” and this area of Seoul
once had deep significance for the people living there. It runs through the city cen-
ter. Seoul was chosen as the capital of Korea more than 600 years ago, and was
positioned among four mountains: ones to the east, west, north, and south.
Cheonggyecheon provided a cultural space and shelter before it was covered over
with a road. For a long time, Cheonggyecheon was both a flood control channel
and a place to wash laundry. However, by the 1940s, the stream had begun to fill up
with sewage and trash, and it became a slum area after the Korean War. Since 1958,
the stream was gradually covered over with a concrete road for two main reasons:
filthy water (and an unsafe environment that made people lose interest in the area)
Table 3.3 History of Cheonggyecheon

Leaders’ attitude to
Stream status waterway control
1400s–1500s Natural and artificial stream People’s interest
1600s Stream sustaining the city life; abandoned Scholar’s interest
to natural control
1700s Dredging, controlled stream Strong leadership
from king
1800s Less controlled stream
1960s Unsanitary sewer and slum Less interest
1970s–1980s Highway for industrialization Development oriented
1900s–2000s Old market selling everything; declining traffic,
population and environmental contamination
and pressure from rapid economic development in the 1960s that required more
roads and an easing of traffic congestion. That is why, in 1968, the Cheonggye
Elevated Highway was constructed over Cheonggyecheon. Table 3.3 summarizes
the history of Cheonggyecheon from two aspects: streams status and leaders’ atti-
tude to its control.
3.3.3.2 Paradigm Change for Urban Development
There has been a paradigm change and a new vision for this area of Seoul. In 2003,
after about 40 years of neglecting Cheonggyecheon, the restoration project was
begun following the introduction of environmentally sound and sustainable devel-
opment (ESSD) with the key idea of urban development sustainability. The para-
digm of urban planning is shifting from a growth-oriented or quantitative growth
model—by expanding urban spaces based on transport requirements, large-scale
investment, development effect, facilities development and strategic point develop-
ment—to a growth management or qualitative growth model based on humanism
and naturalism, pedestrian requirements, quality of life improvement, benefit/man-
agement, developing “soft” programs, and a network system.
The project was led by the City of Seoul, especially by the mayor, Lee Myung-
bak (the President of Republic of Korea later), who showed a clear vision. More
than 70% of the citizens supported the restoration. The vision was to create an
environment-friendly city space with an emphasis on nature and people, solving the
safety problem related to covered structures, recovering the 600-year-old capital
city’s historic and cultural significance, promoting balanced regional development,
and providing a “hands-on eco experience” to millions of citizen [14].
3.3.3.3 Implementation of Cheonggyecheon and Public Participation
This restoration project had wide-ranging public participation. The master plan
included dismantling the elevated highway and the structures covering the stream,
moving some structures to other places, and building the infrastructure to help
restore the stream, including a sewage system, roads, bridges, landscaping, and
lighting [15]. During the development process, the general public, specialists, and
interest groups formed a citizens’ committee and offered their opinions. On the
other hand, those opposed criticized the government-led restoration project, and
coalesced around main three groups [16]: (1) The first to step forward were aca-
demic groups such as the Environmental Sociology Association, the Korea
Planners Association and the Environmental Impact Assessment Society. They
organized a series of academic debates that disclosed the theoretical and practical
drawbacks associated with the civil engineering-focused restoration, such as insuf-
ficient ecological considerations, undemocratic procedures, excessive commercial
re-development of the surroundings and an unsustainable water flow. (2) There
was a strong public and NGO coalition movement, organized by a citizens’ coali-
tion, against what was regarded as an undemocratic, anti-environmental and politi-
cally manipulated restoration. (3) The last opposing force was made up of more
than 60,000 merchants along Cheonggye Road—employing 800,000 workers—
plus a large number of illegal street vendors. Most shopkeepers were worried
about the loss of business during the construction period. The merchants were
vehemently opposed to the restoration plan, so they joined the street vendors in
sometime violent demonstrations that threatened the project. The merchant group
was not only the most recalcitrant but also the most important partner from whom
Mayor Lee needed to gain consent in order to carry out the project as planned.
Unlike other opposition groups, however, the merchant group’s major concern was
to safeguard and maximize their private interests, but the group was too frag-
mented to be effective.
It is most desirable for a stream to receive water from its upper reaches.
However, the arguable fact still is that Cheonggyecheon requires additional flow
from the Han River to maintain a certain depth throughout the year. This is likely
to continue until advanced technology is in place to treat environmental hormones,
smell, and the foaming of wastewater, as well as a change in people’s perceptions
for reusing wastewater.
3.3.3.4 Leadership
Leadership and some measures were necessary to persuade the opposition groups.
The City of Seoul took some measures to ease traffic congestion. To gauge the opin-
ions of merchants on the impact of the restoration project on their business, the City
of Seoul held public hearings and gave presentations for each commercial block.
These steps helped to win over the Cheonggyecheon Residents and Merchants
Council and the Cheonggyecheon Merchants Association. Seoul also conducted
more than 4,000 interviews with merchants before the start of the demolition work.
Based on the opinions collected, measures were devised to address complaints
related to inconvenience to businesses. Additional measures were devised for stimu-
lating business activity that considered the unique character of the Cheonggyecheon
commercial district, which is made up of several business quarters with widely
varying interests. In response to academics and NGOs, the Cheonggyecheon

Restoration Project helped to restore the long-forgotten history and culture of Seoul.
Traditional cultural activities were revived, such as “bridge stepping” on Supyogyo
Bridge (when people go out onto the bridge to look at the full moon) and a lantern
festival. In addition, the local bridges were restored, and fundamental safety prob-
lems were resolved for the Cheonggye Elevated Highway and some of the structures
covering the stream.
3.3.3.5 After Cheonggyecheon Restoration
The impact and economic cost/benefit were also assessed. There was the most contro-
versy over the 24-h runoff of 120,000 tons of water from the Han River. This required
pumping and large amounts of energy that contribute to environmental problems, such
as the greenhouse effect. The most significant change, however, was that millions of
visitors went to the restored district. Cultural events have been held almost every day on
the Cheonggye Plaza, located at the starting point of the waterway. The plaza has now
become the most attractive cultural civic space in central Seoul and visitors are highly
satisfied with their experience, as the author stated in the New York Times article.
The Cheonggyecheon restoration is known as the most successful recent example
of public policy in Korea. Yet, at the same time, it is still at the center of a controversy
because of the evaluation of its character [15]. Cheonggyecheon’s restoration has
helped to improve downtown Seoul and it is possible to view the project as part of the
“ecological modernization” of Seoul [16]. This project was led by the strong political
ambition of its initiator. According to the Seoul Development Institute, a prominent
partner in this project, willingness to pay 103,309 won per household per year
(8,609 won/month) or 356.2 billion won/year in Seoul was measured after this suc-
cessful project. This implies that Cheonggyecheon’s restoration inspired different
thoughts about the quality of life and the willingness to sacrifice for the public good.
Citizens are now willing to pay for non-economic value and public benefit. Thus, the
social cost: construction + congestion (loss by traffic load) + waterway maintenance
over social benefit: savings of repair costs (no highway maintenance) + environmental
benefit (willingness to pay) was measured as Benefit over Cost (B/C) = 1.85 [17].
3.4 Features of the Compulsory Course
3.4.1 Diversity
One of unique features of the ECLA class is the student’s interdisciplinary from
either engineering/technology (the Department of Urban Engineering, UE) or sus-
tainability science (the Graduate Program of Sustainability Science, GPSS), as well
cultural diversity from all over the world (though the majority of the students are
Asian). Students struggle with such diversity during group work, but often mutual
benefit is greater and led to desirable outcome.
3.4.2 Interactive Dialogues Between Teachers and Students
Considering the speed of Asia’s economic and population growth and the diversity
of students, education methods in ECLA was modified from traditional type of
information delivery to transmit needed information throughout the process of find-
ing and understanding. Developing effective skills and style for environmental
leaders drew the image of environmental leaders through an interview and survey to
metaphor the image of leaders, and exercised the creating a vision through consen-
sus building and setting the priorities among vision, in the class. Inclusion, or listen-
ing using all available skills and ideas were emphasized in the classroom as well.
For example, debate over China’s air pollution and climate change; stakeholder
analysis of Minamata disease; comparison between Minamata disease and another
Japanese experience of Fukushima Daiichi (Nuclear Power plant) aids students to
develop the leadership capacity.
Education methods in ECLA showed how we explored the possibilities and
requirements for addressing trends in environmental leadership in market-oriented,
industrialized, and industrializing economies in Asia during the past several decades,
and practiced essential leadership skills prior to APIEL’s field exercise.
3.4.3 Case Studies
The author communicated with students to discuss the evidence for improvement
(or deterioration) in environmental quality by case studies, and the lessons learned
from them. Materials used for three case studies were chosen : (1) Minamata dis-
ease, a typical example of an industrial pollution problem that Japan has experi-
enced, deal with industrialization in 1960s in Japan and many of Asia country in
recent years; (2) China’s air pollution case over last three decades, due to an over-
whelming reliance on coal for energy production and its effect to climate change
associated with current globalization; and (3) Korea’s Cheonggyecheon Restoration
case to understand recent urbanization in 1990s, and address the importance of pub-
lic participation. Overall, communication between the authors (teachers) and stu-
dents “about,” “in,” and “for” the environment based on case studies enables us to
see how students can increase their capacity to play the role of future leaders.
3.5 Discussion and Conclusion
This series of ECLA lectures provides environmental issues and leadership lessons
learned from history, as well as discourses on industrialization, recent urbanization,
and globalization. As such, the Minamata disease issue can be viewed from many
perspectives. Stakeholders, including professionals (scientists, policymakers, as
well as government and company officials) and citizens each have their roles and
responsibilities. It is important for environmental leaders in many stakeholder

groups to understand these other points of view. In addition, the lessons learned are
not only the ones from the past, but also from some of the ongoing problems that are
directly linked with modern life.
The authors reviewed the issues to be addressed to educate students to under-
stand and to build leadership skills, as well as the attributes and ethics associated
with the complex challenges that we are facing as we prepare for a sustainable
future. The lectures include interactive dialogues between teachers and students,
and students among themselves, to criticize, understand, persuade, and learn
throughout the journey. The authors put emphasize such practices prior to APIEL’s
field exercise. Because arriving at consensuses vision is always time consuming and
a first barrier students have to go through and division of role at field work is of
importance.
Therefore, these classes are the “seed” for the field exercises where students can
practice what they learn in the class. Reflection of this education method in ECLA
on each field excises will be introduced in the part two. The vivid stories of the field
exercises will be outlined in Chaps. 4–7 in the second part of this book.
References
1. Hillstrom K, Hillstrom LC (2003) Asia: a continental overview of environmental issues.

The World’s Environments Series. ABC/CLIO, Santa Barbara
2. Gordon JC, Berry JK (2006) Environmental leadership equals essential leadership. Yale
University, New Haven & London
3. Sonnenfeld DA, Mol APJ (2006) Environmental reform in Asia: comparisons, challenges, next
steps. J Environ Dev Volume 15(2):112–137
4. Minamata City (2007) Minamata disease. Its history and lessons. Minamata City Planning
Division, Kumamoto
5. Ishimure M (1990) Paradise in the sea of sorrow: our Minamata disease. Livial Monnet, trans.
Yamaguchi Publishing House, Kyoto (First published in Japanese as Kugai Jodo: Waga
Minamata-byo by Kodansha, Tokyo 1972)
6. Harada M (2004) Minamata disease Tshushima S and George ST. trans. Kumamoto Nichinichi
Shimbun Culture and Information Center, Kumamoto (First published in Japanese as
Minamata-byo by Iwanami Shoten Publishers, Tokyo 1972)
7. Ui J (1992) Minamata disease. In: Ui J (ed) Industrial pollution in Japan. United Nations
University Press, Tokyo
8. Sugiyama S (2005) Minamatabyou jirei ni okeru gyousei to kagakusya to media no sougo
sayou. In: Fujigaki Y (ed) Case analysis and theoretical concepts for science and technology
studies. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo (in Japanese)
9. Nishimura H, Okamoto T (2001) Science of Minamata disease (Minamatabyo no kagaku).
Nihon Hyoron Sha, Tokyo (in Japanese)
10. Pollution in Japan—Our Tragic Experiences, Study Group for Global Environment and
Economics, Ministry of Environment (2006) Annual report on the environment in Japan 2006
11. Economy EC (2006) China’s Environmental Challenge Asia Studies Council on Foreign
Relations, Testimony Before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Hearing on Major Challenges Facing the Chinese Leadership
12. Zeng N, Ding Y, Pan J, Wang H, Gregg J (2008) Climate change—the Chinese challenge.
SCIENCE 319:730–731
13. New York Times (2009) Peeling back pavement to expose Watery Havens, 17 July 2009
14. Shin JH, Lee IK (2006) Cheonggyecheon restoration in Seoul, Korea. Proc Inst Civil Eng-
Civil Eng 159(4):162–170
15. Cho MR (2010) The politics of urban nature restoration—the case of Cheonggyecheon
restoration in Seoul. Korea IDPR 32(2):2010. doi:10.3828/idpr.2010.05
16. Cho MR (2006) Developmental politics and green progress. Environment and Life, Seoul (in
Korean)
17. Seoul Development Institute (2005) A study on the basic plan of Cheonggyecheon place
marketing strategy. Seoul Development Institute, Seoul
Chapter 4
Leadership Development for Sustainable
Urban Environmental Management:
Cases in Thailand
Tomomi Hoshiko and Tomohiro Akiyama
Abstract This chapter explores future challenges to improve the design and
implementation of the Thailand Unit by examining two cases of the unit conducted
in 2009 and 2011. The unit covers two important issues of urban environmental
management: Solid waste management and urban water use and management.
Development, implementation, results and review processes of the unit are shown
by comparing both cases. To examine educational effects of the unit in terms of its
academic contents, group work results are shown. To improve the unit design and
implementation, questionnaire survey results for the involved faculty members are
shown, where the strengths and weakness are clearly indicated. To review the effects
of the unit participation on leadership development in individual students, their
feedback comments are shown and serve as proof of the unit’s achievements.
Keywords Fieldwork • Group work • Leadership development • Solid waste

• Thailand • Urban environmental management • Urban water
T. Hoshiko (*)
Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo,
T. Akiyama

64 T. Hoshiko and T. Akiyama
4.1 Introduction
Asian developing countries have recently been facing serious urban environmental
problems. This is the case especially with large cities undergoing rapid development.
Thailand is not an exception and consequently, urban environmental management is
a highly important issue. The Thailand Unit is established to foster students’ environ-
mental leadership by examining sustainable urban environmental management. The
unit dealt with three important issues of urban environmental management: (1) solid
waste management (SWM), (2) urban water use and management, and (3) urban
flood management in 2009, 2011 and 2012, respectively.1 Today, disaster-related
issues are also becoming increasingly important for sustainability and environmen-
tal leadership projects. In fact, the unit held in 2012 focused on the flooding in
Bangkok in 2011, which was introduced in the earlier Sect. 2.3.3.
This chapter explores future challenges to improve the design and implementation
of the Thailand Unit by examining two cases of the unit conducted in 2009 and 2011
in collaboration with Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Kasetsart University
(KU). The remainder of this chapter is organized to show how the two cases of the
unit were developed, how the programs were implemented year by year, and how
the educational effects were examined, as well as review of environmental leadership
development in students.
4.2 Development of the Thailand Unit
In this section, background of the unit themes and characteristics of the unit design
are described. We compared two different cases of the unit focusing on the core
concepts, program content development and educational methods.
4.2.1 Themes of the Unit
The purpose of the unit was to develop in students, as future environmental leaders,
a diverse, balanced and integrated understanding of environmental issues. The unit
was designed to provide students with holistic and multifaceted information on the
unit theme through a comprehensive series of lectures, fieldwork to experience
real-world local environmental problems and intensive group discussion which
encourages students to share different views, practice consensus building and
improve their communication skills. By doing so, the unit tried to enable students to
broaden their perspectives and develop on-the-ground competency to identify and
resolve environmental problems.
1
In 2010, implementation of the field exercise unit was cancelled and postponed until 2011 due to
concern over political unrest in Thailand.
4 Leadership Development for Sustainable Urban Environmental Management 65
Backgrounds of the two unit themes of urban environmental management are as

follows: Management of solid waste involves several direct and indirect issues. A
complex problem by nature, SWM takes priority in the agenda of programs on envi-
ronmental education. While theories on SWM are taught at different levels, a course
offering a systemic view is uncommon [1]. The first field exercise “Sustainable Solid
Waste Management in Asian Developing Countries (2009)” was structured with the
aim of providing hands-on experience in solving real-world waste management prob-
lems. A field case in Nonthaburi Province was the highlight of the program. Nonthaburi
Province is adjacent to Bangkok and its urban population has been growing accompa-
nying the economic growth and expansion of transportation infrastructure in Bangkok.
Although the solid waste has not been collected from Bangkok, the amount of waste
has been increasing in the province and there are several environmental problems such
as an inefficient system of waste collection, leachate from the landfill, etc.
The second field exercise “Sustainable Urban Water Use and Management in
Bangkok (2011)” was structured within the context of a tropical region and the
multi-sector dimensions of the issues. Water resource management is a critical issue
under both regional and local conditions and especially in tropical regions, it is
vulnerable and access to safe water is limited. The focus was centered on Bangkok,
where several complex management problems and challenges exist, such as increas-
ing demand of water, an inefficient supply system, and administrative as well as
social aspects including economic feasibility of expansion or upgrading of the infra-
structure and management system. Both themes were approached by a blend of
components of theory, practice, fieldwork and discussion, which is the unique style
of the APIEL field exercise.
4.2.2 Concepts and Group Work Task of the Unit
To develop the unit (program), faculty members shared ideas about educational
approaches and possible contents and agreed on the following concept in 2009: To
develop leadership in students, the most important is for the students to “find” or
“identify” issues and problems in the field through discussion among themselves.
Namely, we took a “project finding” approach from a real-world experience. Thus,
we decided to first bring students to field sites after introductory lectures on basic
aspects of the theme, and then lead them in group discussions on the issues actually
witnessed in the field. Then there were more lectures and related fieldwork that
helped students set and analyze specific tasks of their group work projects, followed
by intensive group work to prepare the final presentations.
In 2011, emphasis was made on proposal development for sustainable urban
water use and management as well as sustainability indicator analysis to help develop
the proposal plan using a scientific approach. Sufficient information on the current
important issues of urban water use and management were provided through lectures
and field activities. Based on that, students set a future vision and are required to
search an effective approach to realize the vision. Namely, we took an “approach
Table 4.1 Group work task

(a) Year 2009
Approach Project finding
Instruction “Based on your own interests, and using the preliminary assignments,
lectures and fieldwork during the field program, find a problem to be
solved and set concrete objectives for the group work theme. Each
group has to frame the work structure to be accomplished by the end of
the field exercise, then present conclusions, solutions, and proposals.”
(b) Year 2011
Approach Approach finding
Instruction 1. Invent sustainability indicators for sustainable urban water use and
management
2. Apply the indicators to measure and evaluate the current situation in
Bangkok
3. Find problems in the current situation using the evaluations
4. Based on the analysis, come up with solutions for improvement and
develop plans for sustainable urban water use and management for the
year 2030 in Bangkok
finding” strategy during the proposal on a development plan for 2030. We expected
students to have a clearer image to act as environmental leaders in their actual future.
For group work, students were divided into three groups looking for a good
balance of the three universities to share their different backgrounds. In line with the
project finding approach in 2009, they are instructed to set their own tasks following
instructions as shown in Table 4.1a. They are also advised that it is important to
frame the group projects with multiple stakeholders and multi-disciplinary solu-
tions in minds.
In 2011, based on the approach finding strategy, students are instructed to develop
future plans with scientific and practical approaches that they must find by them-
selves. Table 4.1b shows the instruction steps. Starting with sustainability indicator
analysis to evaluate the current situation of Bangkok, the target year of the proposal
plan was set at 2030, a time when we expect the students to be actively contributing
to the society as environmental leaders. The results of the group work will be shown
in the following results Sect. 4.3.1.
In order to obtain achievements from the unit in terms of academic contents, it
was also considered valuable for the students to experience an international confer-
ence in the region to present their group work outcomes. In the initial phase of
APIEL’s educational program development, the Department of Urban Engineering
(UE) of the University of Tokyo (UT) had a clear idea that it is important for our
field-oriented education to effectively use existing academic networks and resources
in Southeast Asia. These networks had been already established when organizing
the International Symposium on Southeast Asian Water Environment (SEAWE),
which has been successfully run by the department every year since 2003. Therefore,
the unit programs were developed to be held in conjunction with the SEAWE.
4.2.3 Content Development of the Unit
Figure 4.1 shows the program contents developed for the unit 2009. The lecture part
was arranged to cover components of technology, management, and policy, as well
as introduction/fundamentals and looking ahead (at first and fourth stages in
Fig. 4.1). We also invited outside experts and policymakers as lecturers. This struc-
ture was prepared to cover important issues of solid waste management in a multi-
dimensional and comprehensive way.
Field activities in 2009 were arranged at Sainoi landfill site in Nonthaburi, a
waste transfer station, a composting plant, and a medical waste incinerator in
Bangkok, an E-waste recycling center at Suan Kaew temple, and a used electric
appliance trading market. At the Sainoi landfill site, for example, students can learn
about a leachate problem which pollutes surrounding water environments, green-
house gas (GHG) emission issue and its possible recovery, appropriate application
of landfill technology, problems around waste-picker and informal sector involve-
ment, etc. Seeing the real-world local problems, some of which should be solved in
a local governance context, and considering that some are influenced by a regional
interaction, while others should be considered in a global context, student groups
come up with their own projects to undertake.
In 2011, in order to prepare comprehensive information on the program theme, we
drew a conceptual framework of the issues of urban water use and management as
shown in Fig. 4.2. Important aspects were considered to be water quantity, quality,
governance and technology. For the quantity aspect, the introductory lecture covered
interactive water demand from three sectors—urban, industry and agriculture, and a
field visit to an irrigation project also covered an agricultural water issue. Promotion
of 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) for water resources was introduced in a lecture and
also a field activity was arranged to observe a wastewater reuse application in a real
case. Regarding the quality aspect, field survey on Chao Phraya River water and canal
water quality sampling was planned. As for the governance aspect, Thai policies and
administration were covered in lectures by local and national government officers,
and international governance issues were also covered in another lecture within the
tropical region context. Technology aspect was also covered by lectures and various
advanced technologies from cases of Tokyo and Singapore were introduced. In addi-
tion, climate change impact issues and NGO involvement in water pollution control
and economic instruments were incorporated for the analysis of future perspectives.
4.2.4 Educational Methods
Methods of the analysis of educational effects, unit design and leadership

development are as follows:
1. In order to examine the educational effects of the field exercise unit in terms of
its academic contents, topics of students’ group work projects were collected
68
Fig. 4.1 Structure of the lectures of Thailand Unit in 2009

T. Hoshiko and T. Akiyama
Fig. 4.2 Conceptual framework of the issues of urban water use and management
from the two cases in 2009 and 2011, which employed two different approaches
to the group work.
2. In order to improve the unit design and implementation, questionnaire surveys of
involved faculty members were conducted to ask strengths and weaknesses.
3. Effects of the unit participation on leadership development in students were
examined through feedback comments from the students themselves.
4.3 Implementation of the Thailand Unit
Factual information on the unit implementation is presented in this subsection,

including participants’ background as well as the field program schedules.
4.3.1 Participants
Participants of the unit in 2009 were six students from UT, six AIT students, and five
KU students. In 2011, five UT students, five AIT students, and five KU students par-
ticipated. Their genders and nationality are shown in Table 4.2.
Academic backgrounds of participants were different in 2009 and 2011. In 2009,
the students from Thai counterpart were only from the discipline of environmental
engineering. To further diversify the group, in 2011; Thai local counterparts
expanded their student backgrounds to come from all the disciplines in AIT and
Table 4.2 Student participants

UT AIT KU
(a) Year 2009
Number of 6 6 5
participants
Gender 4 male, 2 female 3 male, 3 female 1 male, 4 female
Nationality 4 Japanese, 1 Filipino, 2 Pakistani, 2 Nepali, 5 Thai
1 Bolivian 1 German, 1 Thai
(b) Year 2011
Number of 5 5 5
participants
Gender 4 male, 1 female 2 male, 3 female 2 male, 3 female
Nationality 1 Japanese, 2 Chinese, 1 Chinese, 1 Nepali, 5 Thai
1 Indian, 1 Nepali 1 American, 1 Thai,
1 Sri Lankan
from other departments in addition to the Department of Environmental Engineering

at KU, which was actually effective in the process of the proposal development in
the group work from wider views.
4.3.2 Program Schedule of the Unit
4.3.2.1 Thailand Unit 2009
In 2009, prior to the field program, preliminary assignments were given to the stu-
dents as follows: a literature review and an exercise on lifecycle assessment (LCA)
of solid waste management to learn an analytical tool. One group actually applied
this tool for their group project based on this preliminary assignment.
Figure 4.3 shows the program schedule in the field of the Thailand Unit in 2009.
The program contained ten lectures, three classroom exercises, four fieldwork
trips—Fig. 4.4 shows scenes of the field activities—and group work at the students’
initiative almost every day, followed by the symposium and presentations. This
unit was held in conjunction with the 7th SEAWE, October 28–30, 2009, at AIT,
where student posters were presented on the outcomes of the field exercise. After
the field program, summary reports were submitted and wrap-up presentations
were given at UT.
In 2011, prior to the field program, students were given preliminary assignments as
follows: a literature review and proposal development exercise for water problems
in Asian countries.
The program schedule in the field of the Thailand Unit in 2011 is shown in
Fig. 4.5. It included eight lectures, two classroom exercises, and two full days of
4
Leadership Development for Sustainable Urban Environmental Management
71
Fig. 4.3 Program schedule in the field in 2009. Yellow, blue, green and orange colors indicate time slots for the lecture, classroom exercise, fieldwork and group
work, respectively
Fig. 4.4 Scenes of field activities in 2009. (a) Interview survey at the recycling market. (b) Waste
transfer station. (c) Leachate test at the Sainoi landfill site. (d) Sainoi landfill site
fieldwork and group work at the students’ initiative almost every day. Figure 4.6
shows scenes of group work and on-the-field activities. Since the symposium pre-
sentation on the group work outcomes was separate from the field program schedule
this time, the schedule was less packed than that in 2009, and we were able to give
the students more time for discussion. After the program in the field, summary
reports were submitted and wrap-up presentations were conducted at UT. Afterward,
the outcomes of the group work were presented as posters in the 9th SEAWE held
in Bangkok on December 1–3, 2011.
4.4 Results and Reviews of the Thailand Unit
4.4.1 Group Work Results
To examine the educational effects of the unit programs in terms of their academic
contents, the group work results are presented in this subsection. Details are sum-
marized in Table 4.3 for the case in 2009 and in Table 4.4 for the case in 2011.
4
Leadership Development for Sustainable Urban Environmental Management
73
Fig. 4.5 Program schedule in the field in 2011. Yellow, blue, green and orange colors indicate time slots for the lecture, classroom exercise, fieldwork and group
work, respectively
Fig. 4.6 Scenes of field activities and group work in 2011. (a) Water sampling of Chao Phraya
River. (b) Brainstorming session. (c) Agricultural field visit. (d) Water quality measurement of
Chao Phraya River
In 2009, group work was conducted based on the project finding approach, which
involved intensive discussions on topic finding and consensus building under strict
time limits. Because of this approach, more than one student commented afterward
that consensus building at the initial phase was one of the most difficult and time-
consuming parts, since each person had different ideas and would not easily be per-
suaded to change them. There were also language barriers, and students encountered
different attitudes, dependent on culture and communication style. One student also
said that she understood that with limited resources the real situation and problems so
complex that it becomes difficult to prioritize the problems. From the presented
results, however, it was pointed out that the given group work tasks were sufficiently
met and solutions for the addressed problems were clearly proposed. Thus, consensus
was made, language barriers were not fatal, and prioritization of the problems was
achieved. Furthermore, it was revealed that field visits with support of comprehensive
lectures were very good materials, in combination with the project finding approach,
to learn practical issues and to do training on problem solving in the context of a team.
These results were presented in the 7th SEAWE. It was incorporated at the end
of the field program schedule, which was the cause of strict time limits for the stu-
dents to complete their projects. The presentations were successfully done through
Table 4.3 Group work results (2009)

Group 1 Title: Sustainable E-waste management in developing countries—
economic benefits and health risks [2]
Abstract: Focusing on the health issue of solid waste, proper E-waste management systems in
developing countries were discussed. The objectives were to propose a safe E-waste recycling
system at the local level with lower risk for workers and the environment, especially using case
studies in China and Thailand, and to show their advantages and disadvantages. Health risks
and environmental impact in China and successful E-waste management at the Suan Kaew
temple in Nonthaburi were reviewed. E-waste recycling creates job opportunities in developing
countries, saves resources, and at the same time gives the underprivileged access to electric and
electronic equipment. However, most people there work under poor conditions due to a lack of
awareness and understanding of occupational health regulations. The institutionalization of
E-waste management, including training on health risks and guidelines for adequate working
conditions, can help overcome the negative impact.
Group 2 Title: Sustainable vision for SWM in Bangkok [3]

Abstract: Through the field visits, problems were identified in improper waste management in each
unit operation resulting unsanitary conditions and low quality of life (QOL). The objective was
to develop a vision for sustainable SWM aiming at overall improvement of the whole manage-
ment system in Bangkok through intensive discussion on how to achieve the vision at this
transition stage—from the current situation towards the goal. According to the analysis of
waste flow in Bangkok, it turned out that there is strong potential to improve all the steps of
SWM. Big problems include an ineffective infrastructure and lack of awareness and knowledge
by workers and householders. Cooperation with the public and private sectors is also needed.
Furthermore, the “informal sector” has great potential to do recycling in more effective ways
as a business. We know that a developing country can’t change quickly and that this requires
step-by-step improvements. So, we will rethink the current system, improve existing facilities,
try to reorganize the whole system and arrive at a future vision. Involving local people makes
the system more practical in real society. We have to consider not only the management and
technical problems but also the social systems. This should be the most effective way for
proper, integrated SWM.
Group 3 Title: GHG emission reduction potential in a solid waste disposal

site—a case study of the Sainoi landfill [4]
Abstract: Reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from the landfill was the main challenge.
The objectives were to estimate baseline GHG emissions from the landfill site and to estimate
emission reduction by considering three scenarios: flaring, generating electricity from captured
biogas, and incineration using a LCA approach. The findings were that CH4 accounts for 84%
of all of the GHG emissions. Recovery of CH4 would have a large effect on GHG reduction
(75%). Therefore, methane gas collection is an important factor [technique]. CH4 flaring would
reduce GHG emissions by 22%. The GHG emission potential for electricity generation in
Thailand is larger than Japan. Therefore Thailand has more incentive to use landfill gas to
generate electricity compared with Japan. Incineration can reduce up to 75% of GHG emis-
sions. If incineration is introduced, it emits a greater amount of N2O, so technology for reduc-
ing N2O emissions is also important. If we used a factor in Thailand especially for CH4
emissions from landfills, the result would be altered. In such a case, incentives for introducing
CH4 collection or incineration systems would be large. Based on the LCA analysis results, a
scenario for the recovery and use of landfill gas for generating electricity had the largest emis-
sion reduction potential.
Table 4.4 Group work results (2011)

Group 1 Title: A framework for analysis of wastewater management system in Bangkok
metropolitan area using sustainability indicators [5]
Abstract: In order to deal with wastewater, safeguard public health, and protect the natural environment in
a sustainable way, a framework for analysis of the management system using sustainability indicators
is needed to evaluate and improve the current system. The wastewater management system mainly
includes wastewater collection and treatment. Sustainability indicators were used to consider the envi-
ronmental, economic and social factors—employing the Drivers–Pressure–State–Impact–Response
(DPSIR) methodology—for the seven existing wastewater treatment plants and the entire wastewater
management system in Bangkok. Among the three factors (above), only the investment item in the
economic factors was positive. The other items were evaluated as negative and far from satisfactory
for sustainable operation. The current bad water quality is also threatening public health and natural
sustainability. Finding problems is easier than solving them. Both Bangkok’s government and its citi-
zens face big challenges: How to improve people’s awareness to change their own lifestyle; how to
sustain and manage the wastewater treatment plants; how to design treated water reuse plans; how to
improve treatment technology with less energy (less money); how to popularize and deepen sustain-
able education; and how to create more job opportunities and improve personal incomes together with
the increasing need for higher living standards and the needs of the surrounding environment.
Group 2 Title: Challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable urban water use
and management in Bangkok 2030: proposal for sustainability indicators [6]
Abstract: The goal is to define sustainability indicators for urban water use. Managing the quanti-
fication of that sustainability using multidimensional indicators is a complicated issue. In
Bangkok, annual water demand is growing at 8 %. At the same time, the quantity of wastewater
has been increasing at a much faster rate. Currently only about 50 % (at a maximum) of the
total wastewater is treated in Bangkok. As well, there are other problems that urgently require
improvement, such as a fresh water shortage, and flooding and deterioration of water quality in
the dry season. Not only technical issues but also socio-cultural issues must be considered in
greater detail. Public acceptance of reusing reclaimed water is a major concern, no matter how
good the quality. Effective communication among all the stakeholders—mainly from the gov-
ernment, public, industrial, and economic sectors—is crucial in setting up sustainable urban
water use and management. Based on a review of these current problems, the following sugges-
tions were made: a commitment at the policy level for sustainable urban water use and manage-
ment, improvements in wastewater collection, promotion of energy and water-saving
technologies, and the promotion of using reclaimed water.
Group 3 Title: Improving Quality of Life (QOL) for Bangkok’s citizen through
sustainable water use and management [7]
Abstract: Bangkok is one of the urban and economic mega-centers in Asia. But the prosperity of
Bangkok comes with urban hurdles, especially infrastructure and environmental weaknesses.
The increasing gap between supply and demand is posing a greater threat and the city is pres-
ently facing multiple threats to its water environment, including deteriorating water quality
(ground and surface water), water accessibility, wastewater management, water governance,
saltwater intrusion, etc. Discussions were held that identified indicators, grouped into three
categories; water and wastewater management, integrated water management, and governance.
Discussions were also held to find the correlation between urban poverty and water environ-
ment, and to find out the influence of the degrading water environment on the quality of life
(QOL) of Bangkok’s citizens. Taking QOL as the representative indicator, the objective of the
proposal development was to improve QOL for Bangkok’s citizens by creating a mechanism
for sustainable water use and management. The physical, social, and environmental dimen-
sions of QOL were investigated, and the final outcome was formulated with both short-term
and long-term holistic recommendations towards 2030 for the categories of water and waste-
water management, as well as integrated water management and governance.
their efforts. The connection between the contents of the unit program and the group
work topics are as follows: Group 1 picked a topic from the field visit to the E-waste
recycling activity at Suan Kaew temple, and addressed the related health issues in
their project. Group 2 took a hint from the field visit to the waste transfer station in
Bangkok, where they observed several improper waste management practices and
addressed the need for a vision for sustainable SWM. Group 3 took the example of
Sainoi Landfill site in Nonthaburi and addressed GHG emission reduction issues by
applying technological scenario analysis using a LCA approach.
In 2011, group work was conducted based on the “approach finding” strategy for the
proposal development. Given sufficient information on the unit theme and relatively
less pressure of time restrictions, students were able to spend time on discussions
about the sustainability indicator analysis and on the proposal development. Because
the importance of the scientific approach for the proposal development was empha-
sized, students worked hard to collect comprehensive information by themselves
and to find a logical approach to develop a proposal plan for their vision for 2030.
In other words, this approach helped students develop practical leadership based on
wider knowledge and expertise about the concerning issues, instead of having only
idealistic but vague images for the future.
Table 4.4 shows details of the group work outcomes, which were presented in the
9th SEAWE, more than 3 months after the unit implementation. The logical
approaches taken by the student groups are explained as follows: Group 1 employed
an approach of system thinking and framework analysis to systematically explain
their plans for the sustainable urban water use and management towards 2030.
Group 2 focused on sustainability indicator development to show their visions for
the 2030 qualitatively and quantitatively. Group 3 highlighted QOL as one of the
most important indicators and proposal plans were presented to improve the QOL
of Bangkok citizens.
4.4.2 Reviews of the Unit
To evaluate the program design and unit performance, feedbacks from the involved
faculty members are shown, clearly indicating strengths and weaknesses or points
for improvement in Table 4.5. There was a common strength of the unit design for
both cases in that the unit was conducted by a nontraditional style of teaching with
a blend of theory, practice, fieldwork and discussion. Two different approaches of
the group work were also evaluated as strengths, as they work effectively to achieve
the group work task. Overall, the first case in 2009 had more weaknesses and the
second case in 2011 had more strengths, which indicates significant improvements
in the unit design and implementation as the faculty’s experience and teaching
capacity increased.
Table 4.5 Summary of the review on the two cases

Year 2009 Year 2011
Strengths – Nontraditional style of teaching – Nontraditional style of teaching
with a blend of the theory, practice, with a blend of the theory, practice,
fieldwork and discussion. fieldwork and discussion.
– “Project finding” approach was – “Approach finding” strategy was
effective in seeing a real-world effective in developing realistic
problem with a critical eye and in leadership based on wider
practicing consensus building. knowledge and expertise about
– Group work outcomes were a concerning issue.
presented at the SEAWE and all the – Improvement of the several
participants could attend the SEAWE, weaknesses pointed out in 2009,
because it was incorporated in the including better information
field program. distribution, longer Q&A time in the
lectures, which enhanced interaction
between the lectures and students,
less pressure of time limitation on
students for group project
completion, sufficient time for
discussion and for the preparation for
SEAWE presentation.
– Group work outcomes were
presented at the SEAWE.
Weaknesses – Need for better information/course – More time should be allocated for
materials distribution for students field activities
– Need for better course management, – More demands on Japanese students
e.g., more interaction between from the Thai counterparts
lecturers and students and among
students
– Work load was a little too heavy for
the students
– Despite the good opportunity to
coordinate with the symposium,
there was a need for enough time
between the field program and the
symposium presentation for better
development of academic results
4.4.3 Environmental Leadership Development in Students
To examine the effects of the unit on the leadership development in individual stu-
dents, their feedback comments are summarized in Table 4.6. From the comments,
it is observed that the unit had a large impact on their attitude toward leadership
development. The impact varied from one student to the other. Setting the clear
short-term goal to encourage SEAWE conference presentations on the results of the
field exercise was also effective to boost their motivation and ability to produce
concrete outcomes as well as for high-level academic communication.
During the group work projects, many students showed frustration, becoming
aware of their current limitations to solve real-world problems and a need for
Table 4.6 Summary of feedback comments on the leadership development

Year 2009
“Specific knowledge by itself doesn’t change the situation. Knowledge, vision, and communication
skills are all needed to solve real-world problems.”
“The group dilemma is a microcosm of what is happening in the real world. Policymakers spend
too much time debating what should be done, leaving little time for how it will be done.
Building consensus, therefore, is a skill that an environmental leader should possess in order to
get things done.”
“There is an inconsistency in waste segregation in Thailand, which is not unique to the country.
The Thai government promotes segregation at the source. However, waste collectors just mixed
the waste. It is therefore necessary for environmental leaders to conduct training and education
for workers and the public so that they will better able to understand and share the same goal
as management.”
“For environmental leadership development, it is necessary to have a healthy attitude and enthusi-
asm to try to understand other technologies, cultures, and points of view.”
Year 2011
“Things that worked effectively for leadership skill improvement were visualization of your con-
cept, your attitude to initiate for the progress, such as action plan formulation and promotion
of mutual understandings.”
“In each group, from time to time, some naturally leading people were observed, who were
equipped with the power to convince other group members and set clear steps first and head for
a consensus on the framework building of the topic. In such an environment, humanity was
important for inclusion of all the members.”
“Through the experience of the field exercise, the leadership and solution process was thought out
and organized to be like the following:
Learn the problem → Visualize the concept and theme → Develop a clear vision → Discuss with
team of experts and various stakeholders → Develop a consensus → Reach out to the masses for
their feedback → Modify the outcome using the feedback from the masses → Implementation.”
“Even when consensus building was difficult among group members, patience, the ability to listen
to others, an analytical mind and tenacity were there with everyone to convey their thoughts
and listen to others for the best possible outcome. Many of the essential leadership skills
seemed to be already in place with the participants but in a sporadic fashion. The success of the
program was that it was able to gather the sporadic skills in a constructive way and helped
everyone to augment their skills and overcome their deficiencies.”
improving their knowledge and communication skills, such as better consensus

building, facilitation and English skills, etc. Nonetheless, the frustration itself
should be considered one of achievements. They experienced the complexity of
real-world environmental issues and tried to approach them in new ways, which
would have improved diverse, balanced and integrated understanding. This is what
we had aimed as the most important purpose of the leadership program, and in that
sense, the Thailand Unit’s educational challenge bore fruit.
4.5 Concluding Remarks
This chapter showed how the Thailand Unit was developed and implemented year
by year, by comparing the two cases on sustainable solid waste management in 2009
and sustainable urban water use and management in 2011. Successful group work
results were shown, which verified educational effects of the unit in terms of
academic contents. In 2009, project finding approach was taken and it contributed
to improvement of consensus building skills, while in 2011, approach finding strategy
was taken and it contributed to improvement of logical approaches for the proposal
development. Unit design and implementation performance were also evaluated
using feedback from the faculty members. According to this evaluation, significant
improvement was observed in the second year including sufficient time for group
discussion at the students’ initiative. Students’ feedback comments also showed
that the unit had a large impact in environmental leadership development. The pur-
pose of the unit was certainly met, which aimed at achieving diverse, balanced and
integrated understanding on environmental issues in students as future leaders, by
the educational challenge of the unit and through the students’ own great efforts.
Acknowledgments The author would like to deeply thank Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan from
the Environmental Engineering and Management, School of Environment, Resources and
Development, AIT and Dr. Chart Chiemchaisri from the Department of Environmental Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering, KU for their cooperation and strong support for the Thailand Unit. Last
but not least, the unit was successfully conducted by the initiative and representation by Prof.
Hiroaki Furumai from the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited
References
1. Visvanathan C (2009) Course material of APIEL Nonthaburi unit 2009

2. Sano S, Takahashi Y, Chitapornpan S, Theepharaksapan S, Nawaz R, Clausen A (2009)
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AIT, Thailand, 28–30 October 2009
3. Sensai P, Muenmee S, Rukapan W, Aoki E, Bellido JCV, Zeshan S (2009) Sustainable vision
for solid waste management in Bangkok. Poster presentation at the 7th international sympo-
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4. Baloch AA, Ferrer J, Takahashi N, Naroiet P, Shakya S (2009) GHG emission reduction potential
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Chapter 5
Environmental Leadership Education
for Tackling Water Environmental Issues
in Arid Regions
Tomohiro Akiyama and Jia Li
Abstract This chapter introduces one of the APIEL field exercises, the Oasis Unit,
which is conducted in northwestern China. To equip the students with a wide knowl-
edge base and practical skills, this unit is strongly field-oriented and applies in its
course design the Integral Approach proposed by Ken Wilber. The approach pro-
vides a trans-/cross-disciplinary framework for identifying environmental problems
of complexity, as well as bringing together methodologies from different fields and
leadership qualities. After four years of implementation, the approach is considered
successful in educational program design for environmental leadership and for pro-
moting the leadership development of participants.
Keywords Environmental leadership education • Field exercise • Integral Approach

• The Heihe River basin
5.1 Introduction
The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, initiated

in 2005, aims to develop and implement educational programs that focus on the
three pillars of sustainability, i.e., environment, economy, and society. APIEL
This chapter is an updated version of Akiyama et al. [25].

T. Akiyama (*)
The University of Tokyo, Environmental Studies Building 334,
5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
J. Li
Faculty of International Studies and Regional Development, University of Niigata Prefecture,
Ebigase 471, Higashi-ku, Niigata, Niigata 950-8680, Japan

82 T. Akiyama and J. Li
was established in line with the Japanese government’s initiative to promote

sustainability education in higher education institutions and to nurture environ-
mental leaders. Since the concept of sustainability and present-day environmen-
tal problems are featured by the complexity of issues, APIEL has paid
considerable attention to trans-disciplinary and/or cross-disciplinary education.
In particular, APIEL focuses on fostering student leadership through on-site cur-
riculum development.
At the core of the on-site curriculum, there is a course entitled as “Field
Exercise” built for the purpose of practical learning. To guarantee the diversity of
education methodologies and educational effects, APIEL’s field exercise units can
be roughly classified as either field-oriented or structure-oriented. In either case,
the course consists roughly of four parts: preliminary learning; on-site learning;
after-the-fact learning; and joint tasks (report preparation and presentations).
Field-oriented exercises develop environmental leadership through group-based
work led by students that relates to preliminary studies, planning of research activ-
ities in the field, implementation of field surveys, and the completion of solution
proposals. Akiyama et al. [1] mentioned that, field-oriented exercise fosters envi-
ronmental leadership mainly through the execution of field surveys, while the
structure-oriented exercise fosters environmental leadership mainly through a
series of educator-structured programs (i.e., in-class lectures, discussions, and
short field trips).
This chapter will provide a detailed description of one of the field-oriented
exercises, the Oasis Unit, which has been conducted in the Heihe River basin in
arid northwestern China. The Oasis Unit especially emphasizes on the multiplic-
ity of sustainability education and necessity for a holistic view to understand the
various dimensions of environmental issues. The unit, therefore, makes the effort
to apply the Integral Approach proposed by the American philosopher Ken Wilber
into the practice of environmental leadership education. In this chapter, we pro-
vide an introduction to this approach, followed by its benefits for integrating aca-
demic disciplines, as well as the organizational resources and the perspectives of
stakeholders used for finding solutions to environmental issues. This chapter con-
cludes by identifying future challenges of field-oriented environmental leadership
education.
5.2 Integral Approach: A Simplified Introduction
The Integral Approach aims to incorporate multiple perspectives from around the
world instead of focusing on specific objects and/or specific systems of objects.
Given the complexity of reality, the Integral Approach cuts across fields and
brings together existing methodologies into a trans-/cross-disciplinary frame-
work. According to Wilber [2, 3] all phenomena in the world can be categorized
into four groups using a four quadrant framework. These quadrants are four ways
of viewing the same occurrence in the reality from four different perspectives.
5 Environmental Leadership Education for Tackling Water Environmental Issues… 83
They are located in the interior and exterior of both individuals and collectives.
The exterior aspects are found on the right-hand side, with physical and behav-
ioral aspects in the upper right quadrant and social systemic aspects in the lower
right quadrant. The interior aspects are found on the left-hand side, with inten-
tional, personal, and psychological aspects in the upper left quadrant and cultural
aspects (collective values) in the lower left quadrant. Although the four quadrants
are ontologically distinct, there is nevertheless an interwoven, intimate correspon-
dence among them.
Wilber’s Integral Approach has received substantial attention and has been
applied to a variety of fields, in both academia and practice. In particular, it is
gaining attention around the world from researchers and practitioners in the field of
sustainability/environment. We apply this approach because, first, it provides a
holistic framework encompassing a wide knowledge base in the social, economic,
cultural, and natural sciences, and second, it leads to the successful implementation
of an environmental leadership education program by providing a comprehensible
structure for educational curriculum design.
In the academic world of sustainability/environment, we especially draw on the
following studies: Esbjorn-Hargens and Zimmerman [4], Eddy [5], Kayane et al.
[6], Kayane [7, 8], Esbjorn-Hargens [9], Voros [10], and Floyd and Zubevich [11].
Among these, Kayane et al. [6] and Kayane [7, 8] are the pioneering studies that
applied the approach to water environment issues. They analyzed the water environ-
ment and related changes in Lijiang City, China and Tsuwano Town, Shimane
Prefecture, Japan. They argued that, first, the natural environment, especially water,
is a common element related to all quadrants, and second, that the current environ-
mental problems are often consequences induced by the abnormal development
(evolution) of the lower right quadrant, i.e., rapid technological innovation in the
twentieth century. We mention their works because the main topic of the Oasis Unit
is water scarcity and water resources management in arid regions. The framework
outlined in Kayane et al. [6] and Kayane [7, 8] was further developed in Akiyama
et al. [12]. Figure 5.1 is a simplified version of Akiyama et al. [12]’s four quadrant
framework related to water environmental issues.
Our framework allocates perspectives on water environmental issues into four
associated quadrants. It draws on the conventional concept of sustainability/
environment studies, with its emphasis on empirical research methods (quantita-
tive and scientific), as well as alternative concepts, to encompass inter-subjective
and subjective modes of inquiry (qualitative, hermeneutic, and introspective).
The benefit of this framework, although requiring further research, is profound.
On the one hand, it offers a common foundation for people to view various per-
spectives on the complexity of water environmental issues. In other words, it
incorporates knowledge and methodologies from multiple disciplines. At the
practical level, as far as we know, Wilber’s Integral Approach has previously
been applied to the fields of international development and education. In the field
of international development, several international development organizations
and non-governmental organizations, including UNDP (a global leadership
development program around HIV/AIDS), are increasingly seeing the
Individual
Upper Left Quadrant Upper Right Quadrant
Subjective: Personal, Intentional Objective: Physical, Behavioral
Water creed (water omnipresence etc.) Hydrological process

Personal values (perceptions) Quantity & quality of water
Water facilities
Water-use technology
Interior Exterior
Culture nurtured in the adaption to water Water use & water management
environment systems
Shared worldview Ways of production
Policies and implementation
processes
Lower Left Quadrant Lower Right Quadrant

Inter-Subjective: Cultural Inter-Objective: Social, Systemic
Collective
Fig. 5.1 An integral framework for water environmental issues
advantages of adopting the approach to their projects [13]. At the local level, this
approach has also been used in community development projects such as the one
in the San Juan del Gozo community in El Salvador [14]. In the field of educa-
tion, the approach has also proved useful for curriculum development: see, for
example, Gidleya and Hampson [15], Lloyd [16] and Akiyama et al. [1]. Drawing
upon these practices, we designed the field exercise following the four quadrant
framework presented in Fig. 5.2.
In Fig. 5.2, “I” (or “we”) refer to the participant(s) in the field exercise. This
framework helps us to design a field exercise. First, it requires the field exercise
design to foster self-development through personal learning as well as group work,
collaboration and communication with the different stakeholders. Second, it
requires the field exercise design to lead to the common conclusions of all partici-
pants, as well as to accommodate their individual views. Therefore, the field exercise
should provide enough time and resources for the participants to reach a consensus
and to set clear shared goals from the beginning, while also allowing for individual
points of view.
Individual
Upper Left Quadrant Upper Right Quadrant
What I experience? What I do?

Personal values and vision; personal Personal action (practice of personal
commitment; self-development values and vision); personal skills
Interior Exterior
What We experience? What we do?

Shared values and vision; interpersonal Decision-making processes, collective
dynamics; team learning action (practice of shared values and
vision); comprehensive solutions and
information dissemination

Inter-Subjective: Cultural Inter-Objective: Social, Systemic
Collective
Fig. 5.2 An integral framework for environmental leadership education
5.3 Applying Integral Approach to Environmental

Leadership Education
5.3.1 Oasis Unit in Northwestern Arid China
The Heihe River basin in arid northwestern China is an excellent area for fieldwork
participants to consider how sustainable development could be achieved in dryland
regions under severe water resources constraints. APIEL chose this river basin
specifically as a target area for field exercise for the following two reasons.
First, sustainable development in dryland regions is an inevitable, current world
challenge. It is associated with water security as well as food security around the
world. Today, irrigated agricultural land makes up less than one-fifth of the total
cultivated area in the world but produces about two-fifths of the world’s food [17].
Irrigation farming, to a great extent, contributed to the increase in food production
in the twentieth century and continues to support large numbers in an increasing
population. However, food production relying on the “irrigation miracle” gives
significant impacts on water resources. Agricultural water use, including irrigation,

accounts for about 70% of global water withdrawals [18]. In dryland regions, large-
scale development of irrigation farming induces dramatic increase of water demand.
Consequently, it often results in stoppage of river flows, dry-up of lakes, decline of
groundwater table and other related ecosystem degradation.
Second, the Heihe River basin, the second largest inland river in China, provides
many topics for the study of sustainable development in dryland regions. In the
Oasis Unit, we highlight several of these: watershed management, water-saving
policies (decision-making processes, implementation and assessment), as well as
environmental degradation and recovery.
In the Heihe River basin, historically, people living in the middle reaches and the
ones living in the lower reaches had different ways of production. People living in
the middle reaches adopted irrigation farming (settled culture); while the people
living in the lower reaches adopted nomadic husbandry. Since the 1950s, intensive
agricultural practices in the middle reaches have resulted in a dramatic degradation
of the environment in the lower reaches. Conflicts over water use between the peo-
ple living in the middle reaches and those living in the lower reaches date back at
least 200 years ago [19–21]. However, these conflicts have never been as fierce as
today. The intensive exploitation of water resources in the middle reaches has
largely declined the amount of water flows to the lower reaches. By 2002, more than
30 tributaries of the Heihe River basin had dried up. In the lower reaches, two ter-
minal lakes dried up in 1961 and 1992, respectively. Riparian vegetation degraded.
Salinization and desertification intensified. The desertification in the lower reaches
has attracted substantial attention nationwide and is thought to be the origin of dust
storms in the spring.
In recent years, a range of environmental conservation activities has been carried
out in the river basin, particularly Zhangye, a city in the middle reaches. The main
purpose of environmental conservation activities is to preserve the environment in
the lower reaches. At the core of those activities is the Integrated Water Resources
Management Plan of the Heihe River Basin promulgated by the Chinese State
Council in 2001. This plan states that “when the river discharge from the upper
reaches amounts to 1.58 billion m3/a, Zhangye City, located in the middle reaches
of the Heihe River basin, has to increase discharge of 0.225 billion m3/a to the
lower reaches, which means 0.95 billion m3/a should be released to the lower
reaches” [22]. In other words, the central government requires the city of Zhangye
to reduce water consumption by administrative order. Since 2001, Zhangye has
been repeatedly selected as an experimental site for pilot programs of water resource
management. In particular, in early 2002, the Ministry of Water Resources of China
initiated an experimental project for establishing a water-saving society in the mid-
dle reaches at Zhangye. The project was set to save water and increase water use
efficiency mainly in two ways: (1) by building concrete irrigation channels using
government funds; (2) by introducing market mechanism. The policies include
introduction of meters to charge for irrigation water based on the amount used, and
the introduction of water use rights system with tradable water quotas. At the same
time, in Ejina in the lower reaches, a relocation policy has been implemented
because overgrazing was considered one reason for environmental degradation.
5.3.2 Making the Field Exercise Unit Integral
Applying Integral Approach to environmental leadership education is an evolving

process that is far from completion. There are external constraints, such as those on
human resources, finance and time that prevent the ideal development of a program.
In addition, the students, who have come through a relatively narrow education
system, do not always know how to respond to a new, holistic way of learning.
Therefore, when we design the Oasis Unit, we focus on an integral knowledge base
as well as integral practices.
Table 5.1 presents a brief description of the Oasis Unit. Started in 2009, it takes
place once a year. With integral thinking as the general framework for program
design, we extended the content of the field exercise (from 2009 to 2012) to incor-
porate more perspectives related to environmental issues, and provided more expe-
riences for students to develop practical skills. The field exercise is jointly organized
by APIEL, The University of Tokyo, and Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and
Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Students who join the field exercise are from both institutes. They come from dif-
ferent countries and major in several academic fields. To provide the students multi-
disciplinary knowledge and multiple views about local environmental problems,
faculty members from different academic fields as well as local stakeholders were
involved in the different stages of the fieldwork. We have established close relation-
ships with CAREERI and the local water authority to move beyond the limits of
universities as well as to let students know that they are tackling real-world prob-
lems. The students are required to make policy recommendations and deliver this
information to the local water authority. In addition, in 2011 and 2012, the collabo-
ration was strengthened by working with several other institutions from both Japan
and China. We hold international symposia in Japan and in China to build a plat-
form for students to hear fresh voices from academia beyond faculty members,
government officials, and businesspeople.
Figure 5.3 is an overview of the organizational framework used in our field
exercise. Note that students are the leading players. We simply created the space for
students to see real-world environmental problems and to realize their own develop-
ment. In Fig. 5.3, environmental issues (Issues addressed) are the research topics
covered by the students; methodologies are those adopted by the students; compe-
tencies are the capabilities and/or skills that students are expected to develop
through participating in the field exercise.
Problem-solving based learning is the core concept of the course design. It
reveals related issues, brings together the necessary research methodologies, and
consequently improves participants’ competence to become environmental leaders
in the future. The main objective of the field exercise is to enhance the students’
practical skills through solving specific environmental problems in the real world.
Issues in each quadrant have different perspectives for the same environmental
problem: sustainable development of the Heihe River basin, which is facing severe
water shortages. The issues are interwoven. To provide comprehensive solutions
88
Table 5.1 Description of the field exercise unit in the Heihe River Basin
2009 2010 2011 2012
Place(s) Zhangye, Gansu Middle and lower reaches Zhangye, Gansu Province Zhangye, Gansu Province
Province of the Heihe River
basin (Zhangye, Gansu
Province, and Ejina,
Inner Mongolia)
Duration 9 days (August 7–15) 14 days (August 10–23) 13 days (August 27 13 days (August 4–16)
–September 7)
Collaborating CAREERI CAREERI CAREERI CAREERI; Sophia University
institution(s)
Students 9 students from 4 16 students from 7 10 students from 6 countries 12 students from 6 countries
countries countries
Major subjects of Sustainability science, Sustainability science, Sustainability science, urban Sustainability science, urban engineering,
students urban engineering, urban engineering, engineering, geography geography, global environmental
geography geography studies
Academic specialties Seven faculty members: water environmental engineering, hydrology, geology, limnology, geography, economics, and sustainability
of faculty members science
Stakeholders Researchers (local and foreign); local government officials (water management authority); local farmers
Activities (1) Lectures; (2) site visits; (3) discussions and communications with stakeholders; (4) quantitative and qualitative analyses;
(5) group work; (6) results reporting (group-based)
Follow-up activities – – International symposium jointly International symposium jointly held
held with GelK of with the Water Management
Kumamoto University and Authority, GPSS-GLI of The
EDL of University of University of Tokyo, GelK of
Tsukuba Kumamoto University and EDL
of University of Tsukuba
Required outcome Unique proposals for local policymakers on solutions to water-related issues in the Heihe River basin
Note: GPSS-GLI Graduate Program in Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative; GelK International Joint Education Program for Groundwater
Environmental Leaders; EDL Environmental Diplomatic Leader Program
T. Akiyama and J. Li
Upper Left Quadrant Individual Upper Right Quadrant

Issues addressed: Personal awareness of environmental issues (water Issues addressed: Water-saving technologies (plastic sheeting, drip
scarcity, establishing a water-saving culture, wetland degradation and irrigation); irrigation facilities (dams, headworks, wells, irrigation
vegetation degradation); personal attitude towards environmental channels, technological aspect); quantity & quality of water; changes in
preservation (construction of conservation parks) water balance
Methodologies: Interviews with key informants (local residents) Methodologies: Experiments; modeling; interviews with key informants
(local researchers, government offcials); site visits
Competencies: Finding personal vision; capacity to engage in self- Competencies: Technical skills for independent research; facilitating
reflection and introspection; increased self-awareness and emotional communication, negotiating, and decision making
intelligence; increasing self-esteem; self-confidence and accountability
Interior Exterior
Issues addressed: Public awareness of environmental issues (water Issues addressed: Water use & water management system (irrigation dis-
scarcity, establishing a water-saving culture, wetland degradation and tricts, irrigation network, water users' association, water use rights, tradable
vegetation degradation); public attitude towards environmental water quotas, water pricing); irrigation farming (crop selection); nomadic
preservation (construction of conservation parks); disappearance of husbandry; environmental policies & implementation processes (release to
nomadic culture lower reaches, introduction of water meters, introduction of new water use
& water management system, relocation policy, wetland conservation)
Methodologies: Questionnaires; interviews with key informants (local Methodologies: In-house & on-site lectures provided by local researchers
residents); collective visioning; group work (group discussions & group and government experts; interviews with key informants (local researchers,
meetings, collaborative survey) government officers, farmers, agricultural enterprises, nomads); group work
(group discussions & meetings, collaborative survey); group-wide report
writing; presentation meeting of research results to local policy makers
Competencies: Creating shared vision; valuing different perspectives; Competencies: Problem solving; building a network with resource persons;
communication, listening, and interpersonal skills; observing and under- inclusion, listening and using all available ideas and skills; proactive
standing the dynamics of different stakeholders; building trust information dissemination; bringing local voices into decision making

Inter-Subjective: Cultural Collective Inter-Objective: Social, Systemic
Fig. 5.3 Integral organizational framework for the field exercise unit
for multiple issues, different methodologies from diverse fields are required.
Although they cut across quadrants, natural science methods, including experi-
ments and quantitative modeling, are mostly required to tackle the issues in the
upper right quadrant. For the lower right quadrant, social science methods are
mostly required. In the case of two left-side quadrants, humanity-based, hermeneu-
tic methods are mostly required. Problem-based learning is the core concept of the
course design. It brings up related issues and brings together the necessary research
methodologies.
The competencies identified in Fig. 5.3 were not intentionally selected by us.
They developed naturally in the process of participating in fieldwork, especially
through group work. Team-based activities require the students to listen to, under-
stand, and assimilate different ideas while contributing to groups from their respec-
tive fields and perspectives. Students need to find common research interests and
decide on common research topics, as well as adapt to change, and finally to solve
the problems. In addition, competencies spill over quadrants. For example, good
communication skills may foster students’ understanding of the varied concerns of
the stakeholders, to create a shared vision, and to integrate methodologies and fields
to find comprehensive solutions.
5.4 Experiences and Lessons Learned from the Oasis Unit
After four years, participants in the Oasis Unit generally consider that the unit has
increased their understanding of the multiple dimensions of environmental issues
and helped to improve their leadership skills/competencies. An et al. [23] reports
the results of a questionnaire survey directed at Oasis Unit participants. The key
points from this survey and students’ comments after they joined the Oasis Unit are
included as follows.
The questionnaire in An et al. [23] was adopted and modified from Gordon and
Berry [24] to examine the educational effects of the Oasis Unit. The questionnaire
was designed to monitor the students’ way of thinking about environmental leader-
ship, skill acquisition, pedagogy etc., before and after their participation of the field
exercise. The questionnaire contains eight statements that reflect the most common
current ideas about leadership. The respondents were asked to choose from five dif-
ferent points on a scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The
results revealed obvious changes in awareness before and after the students partici-
pating in Oasis Unit. The Oasis Unit participants identified the participatory, open
model and visible leadership through “field exercise.” In addition, most of the Oasis
Unit participants put more emphasis on the importance of leadership education devel-
opment through practical experience. Oasis Unit participants tend to disagree with
the statement that “leadership skills are inborn and intuitive.” However, they also
tend to have a higher awareness about the difficulties of developing environmental
leaders. They seem to realize that participatory leadership requires time and resources
which in turn requires a consensus among the stakeholders to achieve time-bound
goals. This is presumably because in a field-oriented course, most of the students
have their first experience of working with people from different cultural and aca-
demic backgrounds. In many cases, there is also a language barrier, which often hin-
ders their ability to express their own ideas and to reach agreements with each other.
In general, former participants were satisfied with the content provided by the
Oasis Unit. They think that a field-oriented environmental leadership course pro-
motes positive cross-cultural interactions among students and faculty members.
Many of them also mention that the involvement of local stakeholders and faculty
members from different academic fields provides a comprehensive, balanced under-
standing of environmental issues. The students feel that their leadership skills were
developed throughout the unit.
However, the Oasis Unit also has some clear shortcomings. The main problem is
how to limit the amount of knowledge conveyed in advance by faculty members as
well as a guarantee of the depth of the understanding of students. During the past
four years, since we have put an emphasis on student initiatives and consensus build-
ing, the faculty members have been trying to limit the contents of pre-survey lectures
to relevant fundamental knowledge. The students are required to find specific
research questions and make detailed survey plans by themselves. Often, they start
to realize after departure that their research proposals do not reflect local realities.
The students sometimes need to make major adjustments to research proposals after
departure. As a result, they often have to spend lots of time on discussions and the
final survey appears to lack the depth and scope due to time constraints.
5.5 Concluding Remarks
The complexity of current environmental problems is triggering mounting concerns

about the integration of academic fields to find solutions for sustainability of human
future. There arises the need to equip students with a wide range of knowledge base
and practical skills in terms of social, economic, cultural and physical dimensions
of environmental issues. Undoubtedly, in the absence of established models, it is a
challenge to move toward a holistic view for educational programs. In this chapter,
we introduced a framework developed from Ken Wilber’s four quadrant approach.
This framework was built upon the core concept of problem-based learning. It has
been adopted by one field-oriented course for environmental leadership develop-
ment: the Oasis Unit, initiated by APIEL, The University of Tokyo. After four years
of implementation, we have found that program participants were enthusiastic about
and satisfied with the course. Therefore, we conclude that the use of the Integral
Approach is effective for not only understanding complex environmental issues, but
also the development and management of environmental leadership education pro-
grams. However, at the practical level, we also see difficulties with maintaining the
depth/effectiveness of course content as well as a guarantee for students to use their
initiative and to develop leadership skills within a limited time.
Acknowledgments A number of people have been part of the discussions for developing the field
exercise unit conducted in the Heihe River basin. Especially highly acknowledged are the initia-
tives by Prof. Xin Li and Prof. Mingguo Ma (Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and
Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Prof. Guangwei Huang (Sophia
University), Prof. Takashi Mino, Prof. Eiji Yamaji, and Prof. Tomochika Tokunaga (The University
of Tokyo) for the start-up of the field exercise unit. However, the authors take sole responsibility
for any errors and the interpretation provided in this chapter.
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Chapter 6
Environmental Leadership Development
Based on Activity Theory for Sustainable
Urban Development in the Greater Pearl
River Delta, China
Kyoungjin J. An
Abstract As cities in the GPRD develop, they go through an environmental transition

associated with changes in the type of environmental challenge. With its growing
economic power, China is playing an important role in the global economy, although
the prosperity of the cities seems to have come with certain hurdles: social inequal-
ity and environmental deterioration. In response to such transaction, we have exam-
ined the GPRD’s urban development, including urban formation, industry relocation,
economic development, social inequality, and biodiversity conservation for a better
quality of life (QOL). As a catalyst for sustainable urbanization, environmental
leadership—where the urbanization process can be in harmony with the urgency for
the economic development and sustainable future of the city—was explored. The
holistic framework of activity theory was also applied within the area of sustain-
ability to arrive at an inclusive structure for environmental leadership.
Keywords Environmental leadership development • Quality of life • Sustainable

urban development
6.1 Introduction
The Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD) is a megacity region in southern China, as
shown in Fig. 6.1. It includes nine municipalities, which are major component cities
of the GPRD in Guangdong Province, and two special administrative regions: Hong
Kong and Macao. Currently, the GPRD has a population of over 50 million and
K.J. An (*)

94 K.J. An
Fig. 6.1 Megacity region of China’s Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD) (Source: Invest HK, www.
invest.gov.hk)
covers a land area of around 43,000 km2. About 20 years ago, the GPRD portion in
Guangdong Province largely contained underdeveloped rural villages. Since then,
there has been an enormous transformation in the GPRD. The “reform and opening
up” policy of China has had a dramatic impact on society and the economy over the
past 30 years, allowing the country to enter an era of rapid development. Megacity
regions, like the GPRD, are one of forerunners in this transformation.
But this rapid change has led to a development that is not only skewed towards
economic improvement but it has also created a society with disparities and
deprivation. Economically, the GPRD has developed into a renowned world factory,
while Hong Kong has been restructured as a regional service center, providing
industries in the GPRD with frontend functions, such as research, marketing, and
distribution. A regional division of labor, the “front shops, back factories” model
began to take shape in the 1990s. Spatially, the GPRD as a whole has become
increasingly polycentric; many cities and towns that were formerly peripheral and
rural areas have developed into active economic centers. The polycentric spatial
form has combined with the rise of urban entrepreneurialism, resulting in a rapidly
developing political environment that encourages cities to compete against one
another for mobile capital.
The undesirable consequences of political fragmentation are becoming more and
more acute. The impacts of Hong Kong and Macao, under the “one country, two
systems” model, are added complications to this fragmentation. Political borders
stand in the way of coordinated planning. Socially, the GPRD has faced challenges
6 Environmental Leadership Development Based on Activity Theory… 95
caused by an increase in the resident population, which has overwhelmed the GPRD
governments. The flood of rural to urban migration has weighed down the infra-
structure in cities and has led to tremendous growth of un-serviced urban areas
where millions of migrant workers lack access to basic services. There is also a
pressing need to address the problems of widespread misuse of land, urban sprawl,
traffic congestion, poor sanitation, and the declining living environment in all cities,
especially those that are threatened by rapid and often uncontrolled growth,
inadequate and poorly maintained infrastructure, industrialization, and the increasing
ownership of cars and motorcycles.
Sustainability in urbanization is closely linked with competitiveness especially
economic competitiveness [1]. However, competitiveness does not include non-
economic success or accept the consequences, such as social polarization and envi-
ronmental pollution [2]; favoring economic growth has wider problematic social
consequences [3]. Therefore, the concept of competitiveness is being modified to
incorporate social and environmental criteria as it directly affects the quality of life.
For example, a study by Jiang and Shen [1] suggests that Guangzhou’s overall
competitiveness among 20 Chinese cities is falling due to the lower social and envi-
ronmental performance. Perhaps, Guangzhou’s competitiveness demands a balance
of economic growth with social and environmental performance, which in turn sig-
nificantly affects the quality of life.
The Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL) of The
University of Tokyo (UT) has set out to help understand this balance. As it was
introduced in Chap. 1, APIEL is an educational program designed to foster
environmental leaders, especially aimed at sustainability issues in Asia. This chap-
ter describes the framework and discusses the circumstances under which activity
theory could be used for an environmental leadership program and to help build a
better QOL in the cities, within the rapidly urbanizing GPRD region. This field unit
took up environmental leadership as a tool for improving the QOL during rapid
urbanization as well as sustainable development in the GPRD. In addition, this field
unit illustrates the use of environmental leadership for a sustainable future in GPRD
cities, using the activity theory framework. Case studies, mostly focusing on major
domains for urban QOL, explore the intricate relationship with urbanization.
Methods based on activity theory were used to conduct the field unit and manage the
data collection and analysis processes. This chapter concludes with a discussion of
the relevance and suitability of activity theory as a framework for the current com-
plex problems in fostering future environmental leaders.
6.2 Activity Theory Framework for Building Leadership

Capacity
Activity theory is a socio-psychological theory with roots in the work of the Russian
psychologist Lev Vygotsky during the first half of the twentieth century. Vygotsky’s [4]
important insight into the dynamics of consciousness was that it is essentially subjective
96 K.J. An
and shaped by each person’s social and cultural experience. In addition, Vygotsky [4]
saw human activity as distinct from non-human entities; it is mediated by tools, the most
significant of which is language. Vygotsky’s [4] work was continued by others, among
them Leont’ey [5], who developed a conceptual framework for a complete theory of
human activity. According to Leont’ey [5], activity is a system that has structure, its own
internal transitions and transformations, and its own development.
Essentially, Vygotsky [4] defined human activity as a relationship between
subject and object, i.e. a person working at something. In this dynamic, purposeful
relationship the “always active” subject learns and grows, while the object is
interpreted and reinterpreted by the subject in the ongoing conduct of the activity.
Approach of activity theory is promising for environmental leadership because it
arrives at logical conclusions through a complex interpersonal process of transfer
knowledge from individual to group. Engeström [6] gave a more concrete expression
to this structure in the triangular representation, which is commonly used to depict
an activity. The core of an activity is the relationship between subject (human) and
object (purpose) mediated by tools and community. This is a two-way concept of
mediation where the capability and availability of tools mediates what is able to be
done; the tools, in turn, evolve to hold the historical knowledge of how the commu-
nity behaves and is organized. The third-generation of activity theory, proposed by
Engeström [7] in 2001, advanced the idea of internal contradictions as the driving
force for change, diversity and dialogue from divergent perspectives within an
activity system, and of networks of interactive activity systems.
Activity theory today is based on the idea that people change or learn when they
engage in productive activity, but in productive activity they also change their
system. For fostering future leaders, activity theory suggests that leadership occurs
through the interaction of the leader with other components of an activity system,
such as the tools the leaders have available and the people with whom they interact
in a division of labor. Thus, a leader is directed toward a particular goal or outcome.
Krasny and Roth [8] explained that any one activity system may overlap with
another system, for example, a school and a watershed organization both focus on
taking measurements with the goals of producing a report for a class and impacting
environmental policy, respectively.
6.3 GPRD Implementation
The search for a sustainable future has made fostering environmental leaders essen-
tial, especially for mediating between knowledge societies and the community.
Studies have shown three behaviors that appear relevant for environmental leader-
ship: articulating an appealing vision with environmental elements, changing per-
ceptions about environmental issues, and taking symbolic action to demonstrate a
personal commitment to environmental issues [9]. During the GPRD field exercise,
APIEL also emphasizes six attributes for environmental leadership education:
information, or the ability to find, understand, and transmit needed information;
inclusion, or listening and using all available skills and ideas; decision, or defining
and pursuing an action agenda; dispatch (action), or doing things now rather than
later; standard setting, or formulating the definition of success; and humanity, or
using empathy and humor in dealing with others [10].
This chapter will mainly discuss how the students identified a problem and selected
a study area for group work during the field exercise provided to practice and build
their leadership. The final outcome presented “Sustainable urban development toward
Green City: the Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD), China.” in Year 2012 was chosen
to describe the challenges during the fieldwork and to reflect the feedback.
6.3.1 Program Outline
Over the last 4 years, APIEL has built broad, resonant networks among universities
in Asia. The ties with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
(HKUST) and Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) grew especially strong by conduct-
ing a field exercise called the GRPD Unit over three consecutive years. During the
first year of the program (2010), using case studies, we covered environmental
issues and the need for environmental leaders in Asia. Broad discussion topics
included the environment, the need for environmental leaders, leadership examples
in Asia, as well as a sustainable environment and management in the GPRD.
Then, over the next 2 years, the program focused on sustainable urban develop-
ment in the GPRD. To start, sustainable urban relocation and regeneration of indus-
trial regions in the GPRD were discussed. Since the GPRD is one of the leading
economic regions in southern China and a major manufacturing center—combined
with the booming economy and Western influences from Hong Kong—it has created
an economic gateway attracting foreign capital into mainland China. In this regard,
several topics were chosen for students to discuss, and in doing so, build their leader-
ship skills. These topics included trans-boundary issues and collaborative programs to
tackle regional air pollution (in turn, to cope with climate change), urban regeneration,
and industry relocation for sustainable development in the GPRD.
In the third year, we reviewed the approaches that have been used for the
GPRD’s urban development, and related environmental loading over the last three
decades. An overview of the approaches used in guiding the GPRD’s urban devel-
opment were studied and discussed. In addition, related environmental loading for
the past three decades was studied through a lecture and a field trip during the unit.
In March 2008, Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, the chief executive of Hong Kong,
proposed to the Guangdong party secretary, Wang Yang, that the two territories
should jointly form a “Quality Living Circle in the Green Greater Pearl River
Delta.” The guiding principles would be promoting environmental protection and
sustainable development. Table 6.1 summarizes the outline of the field exercise
conducted in Year 2012. Students examined GPRD’s urban development, includ-
ing urban formation, industry relocation, economic development, social equity,
and biodiversity conservation.
98 K.J. An
Table 6.1 Outline of the GPRD Unit field exercise (2012)

Title Sustainable urban development toward Green City: the Greater Pearl River
Delta (GPRD), China
Keywords Environmental leadership development, sustainable urban development,
Geographic Information System (GIS), quality of life (QOL)
Date 16–25 February 2012
Place Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China
Participants 24 students from 8 countries—APIEL: 6 students, 3 from the Department
of Urban Engineering (UE) and 3 from the Graduate Program in
Sustainability Science (GPSS); Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology (HKUST): 5 students from engineering; Sun Yat-sen
University (SYSU): 7 from science; Seoul National University (SNU):
6 from business, international relations and urban planning
Collaborating (1) HKUST, SYSU, Asian Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability
partners/ (AIEES) at SNU, and Hong Kong Green Building Council
organizations
Information (1) Urbanization and migration in China; (2) moving to low carbon society
lecture in cities; (3) designing high density cities for sustainable and quality
living—a few notes for architects, planners and policy makers; (4)
environmental GIS applications; (5) global and local environmental
loading and quality of life; (6) urban development and sprawl; (7)
environmental leadership and GPRD activity theory; (8) green city
planning at the city level in the GPRD; (9) city of Guangzhou Urban Land
Administration Bureau; (10) rapid urbanization, urban forms and energy
consumption in the Pearl River delta; (11) GPRD urban development and
its environmental loading; (12) understanding the urban design approach
in the process of city planning
Fieldwork (1) Hong Kong Science Park at Shatin; (2) Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Dongguan
City Exhibition Hall-Guanzhou SYSU; (3) change of GPRD urban form:
Nansha wetland, Greenway in Guangzhou; (4) change of GPRD urban
form: Donghaochong, Liwanchong, Shangxiajia, Haizhu Lake; (5) case
study area visit and interview/GIS practice
Group work (1) Leadership attributes: communication; (2) GPRD Strengths–Weaknesses–
Opportunities–Threats (SWOT) analysis, QOL and GIS; (3) develop the
indicators for survey questionnaire for quality of life in GPRD; (4) vision
and action learning; (5) preparation of final presentation
Case study area Industry zone (Honda factory), a higher education mega centre (HEMC,
in Guangzhou Xiaoguwei island), newly developed town (Zhujiang), well preserved old
town (Yangzhong Street village) and an urban village (Xiadu village)
Conference The First International Conference for International Society of Habitat
presentation Engineering and Design (ISHED), Asia City in the New Age: (1) Urban
Forms and Pro-Environmental Behavior for Waste Management: a Case
Study in Guangzhou, China, [11] and (2) Rapid Transformation and
Change in Local People’s Quality of Life: A Case Study of Xiaoguwei
Island, Guangzhou, China [12]
6.3.2 Applying Activity Theory to GPRD Field Exercise
As learning activities are dynamic and may have multiple connections among
their own elements and with other activity systems, we carefully applied activity
theory to design the APIEL education program for urban development in the
Fig. 6.2 Chronological metrics methodology for leadership development
GPRD. This approach also aided the process of fostering change agents and
incubating environmental leadership skills in students. A chronological metrics
methodology was developed and is shown in Fig. 6.2. An explicit environmental
issue prevalent in Asian cities is used in this leadership education approach. Then,
the resource people work with graduate students from multiple disciplines to
make explicit the theory and assumptions implicit in the issues they are
undertaking. An area is chosen for case studies where the issue is most pressing.
After faculty members and students arrive at a consensus about the potential
problems and issues, a field unit to the site takes place. A realistic approach is
combined with a problem in pre-field unit sessions. Put another way, using the
activity theory of change approach, the faculty members seeks evidence that the
assumed (or theorized) links between program activities or processes and the
desired results can be borne out by the field trips and experience. Faculty members
then compare the program theory about how an intervention will unfold with the
observations that they make about how it actually did unfold [13].
In February 2012, the APIEL GPRD field exercise undertook field-oriented work
on the challenges of QOL in the rapidly urbanizing GPRD region of China.
Environmental leadership using an activity theory approach was used for studying
the sustainable future of the region. In particular, Guangzhou, where rapid
urbanization is taking place, was chosen as the “object” intended to expose students
to the scope of problem solving in a city facing severe environmental issues
associated with social and economic dimensions. Activity theory and “resonance”
were integrated to arrive at final outcomes, as shown in Fig. 6.3.
Students from multiple disciplines and researchers from four premier institutions
in Asia—UT, HKUST, SYSU and SNU—playing the role of “subject,” came
together at Guangzhou to study a sustainable future for the region. Environmental
leadership based on ethics, information, and knowledge was extended with tools,
such as surveys, geographic information systems (GIS), and divisions of labor
100 K.J. An
Fig. 6.3 Framework of leadership development for sustainable urban development in Guangzhou
within the program. The final outcome was presented as a report, presentation, and
a journal paper.
6.3.3 The Selection of a Study Area
Guangzhou is in southern China on the Pearl River Delta plain. The city of
Guangzhou has ten districts (Yuexiu, Dongshan, Haizhu, Liwan, Tianhe, Baiyun
Whampoa, Fangchun, Huadu and Panyu) with an area of approximately 3,718.8 km2
(about 50% of the total municipal area) with a census population of 7.4 million
(74% of the total municipal population) [14]. Land use change from 2003 to 2008
in Guangzhou was analyzed using GIS to investigate how urbanization was taking
place over a decade.
Dramatic changes in the built-up area over 5 years were compared with other land
use, such as water bodies, arable land, transportation, and forests, as illustrated in
Fig. 6.4. The built-up area in 2003 is in orange (agglomerated in central Guangzhou);
the area in black shows not only the old town but also all over the city as a new town
in 2008. It was very clear that the city underwent significant change in land use
between 2003 and 2008 due to rapid urbanization. Among the major changes, the
most prominent was the increase in built-up area (about 80% compared with data
from 2003). On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 6.5, water bodies and arable land
were not conserved but were taken over by built-up areas.
Fig. 6.4 Increase in built-up area Guangzhou from 2003 to 2008
Mindful of this urban development, we conducted empirical studies in the

Guangzhou to investigate QOL using survey-based approaches to assess a sustain-
able method for urban development. The survey, including objective and subjective
data, was integrated with a GIS tool to enhance the investigation of QOL. Students
selected a study area and did group work on site. To begin with, the city of
Guangzhou, as a study field, was divided into five areas according to their urban
form: industry zone (Honda factory), a higher education mega centre (Xiaoguwei
island), newly developed town (Zhujiang), well-preserved old town (Yangzhong
102 K.J. An
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Built-up area Arable land Transportation Forest Water Bare Land
-20%
-40%
-60%
Fig. 6.5 Land use change (%) in Guangzhou from 2003 to 2008
Street village), and an urban village (Xiadu village) for newcomers seeking eco-
nomic opportunities, as shown in Fig. 6.6.
The selection of a study area for each group was based on the vision created by
the group members through communication, knowledge creation, and objectives.
This process was challenging because students from different backgrounds, coun-
tries, major subjects of study, and personal characteristics had to build trust through
exchange and then divide up roles, as illustrated in Fig. 6.3. Through the lens of
QOL, each urban form for Guangzhou’s urban development was measured and
extended to the pro-environmental behavior of the residents. Learning occurred
through the interaction of the learner with the components of social sustainability in
the field. The creation of a vision, division of labor, and generating a knowledge
base through reconnaissance and sample surveys, were used for arriving at particu-
lar policy-level outcomes.
6.3.4 Creating Vision: Challenges from Student’s Feedback
This section was abstracted from student reports expressing the challenges they
faced during the unit. First, most students said that arriving at a consensus for a
common goal was a challenge. A student wrote in her final report that the group’s
decision on the vision was a spontaneous process of continuous discussion, and that
a systematic division of roles was the next step in the process. In her group, vision
creation was done through personal interest, then a tree of functions was drawn and
every member of the team was asked to write their names beside their choice for
work. This approach was then later adopted as a common methodology. Post-
analysis and brainstorming were used in her group to focus on waste management
Fig. 6.6 Urban forms in Guangzhou [11]

104 K.J. An
and the pro-environmental sector. Another student also emphasized this challenge,
saying that “after the first reconnaissance survey, we understood that the major chal-
lenge which we faced was to narrow down the study objectives, as we all found
issues were myriad.” After deciding on the focus, sketching out the framework and
choosing a methodology for the study were found to be easy and his group pro-
ceeded smoothly. Students addressed important findings through activities, saying,
“From the beginning we tried to remain focused on the objectives that we were try-
ing to tackle. At times, we did deviate from our main point of view, but with guid-
ance from resource persons, we got back on track. Importance of multi-disciplinary
approach was such an essential tool; we wouldn’t have realized that before.”
Whenever his group understood the gaps that each one of them had, they then tried
to identify the potential among the team. Then all members tried to maximize the
quality of output through patient listening, discussing, debating, and taking notes.
To begin with, members differed on the shared vision. Students also mentioned that
each of the members in her group had a different focus of concern at the beginning
of the program, so they spent quite a long time on group discussion but could not
arrive at a common vision. However, more knowledge about Guangzhou during the
lectures and fieldwork helped them make a breakthrough in vision creating. All
groups had members from different countries and academic backgrounds.
Communication and mutual understanding were found essential to work with
people from diverse backgrounds and to arrive at a common vision. Eventually, the
students came together on the object of the study and worked together, despite.
Sustainable urban development as a catalyst of leadership capacity building in this
program involves many factors, including the environment, economics, and society.
At the same time, many stakeholders’ viewpoints have to be considered.
6.3.5 Challenges from Educators for Appraisal
The success of this program was evaluated in two ways: the report and/or paper stu-
dents produced based on the outcome of the program and a self-evaluation of leader-
ship. As this program emphasizes not only an environmental problem solving but also
the process of handling and solving them, and in so doing develop leadership, it is
challenging to measure how much the students developed their leadership skills.
Faculty members have asked students at the end of program: How did you create a
shared vision with others? What was the problem(s) you and your group members
identified? What was the strategy you built up to solve them? Did you create a vision
table, information needs diagram, group matrix, action agenda, and implementation
plan? Did those lead you to an integrated problem solution? Did you commit to being
a standard setter? Did you positively study and practice essential leadership attributes?
Did you find the areas of your strength through participation in this program? Did you
find the areas of your weakness through participation in this program? and How are
you going to apply your leadership skills when you are an environmental leader in the
future? Table 6.2 shows the self-evaluations of leadership after the unit from six UT
Table 6.2 Self-evaluation of leadership after the unit from UT students (six students)
Standard Standard met Standard
met with concerns not met
(1) Creating a clear vision to solve an 5 1
environmental problem
(2) Applying information to solve the problem 5 1
(3) Developing communicating, listening, 6
and interpersonal skills
(4) Use of resources and facilities 4 2
(5) Decision: ability to define and pursue 5 1
an action agenda
(6) Action: ability to take on tasks NOW, 5 1
rather than later
(7) Collaborating with others 6
(8) Sense of humor during the unit 5 1
(9) Understanding lectures and fieldwork 4 2
(10) Overall achievement 5 1
students. Though we found that one student couldn’t meet the standard for creating a
clear vision to solve an environmental problem, communication and collaboration
standards were met by all students. This implies that among the leadership attributes
that we have taught, inclusion was found important in our program.
For the academic achievement, the two presentations listed below were made at
international conferences:
Md. Manjur Morshed, Kyoungjin J. An, Xu Xiaohan, Hironori Hamasaki, Tomomi
Hoshiko (2012) Rapid Transformation and Change in Local People’s Quality of
Life: A Case Study of Xiaoguwei Island, Guangzhou, China. The 1st International
Conference on Habitat Engineering and Design, October 13–14, 2012, Tongji
University, China. Oral Presentation.
Jungchan Lee, Kyoungjin An (2012) Urban Forms and Pro-Environmental Behavior
for Waste Management: a Case Study in Guangzhou of China, The 1st
International Conference on Habitat Engineering and Design, October 13–14,
2012, Tongji University, China. Oral Presentation.
6.4 Conclusions
Environmental leadership in this context is about personal growth or change within

a group to guide positive development toward a vision of an environmentally
friendly and better future. Our belief, based on many years of professional experi-
ence, is that leadership can be learned. Indeed, we think that all participants who
joined the GPRD Unit will lead others at some time and place in their career, and
that overt preparation for leadership should be an integral part of professional edu-
cation and experience. Many traditional leaders are given high marks for
106 K.J. An
accomplishing much in a short time, and moreover, have been first and foremost,
effective adversaries of competing causes; slaying dragons has always been a sure
route to leadership success. However, in this chapter we argue that environmental
problems are not most effectively solved through processes. Finding common
ground, negotiation, and cooperation are better suited to most of the complex, long-
term problems facing environmental leaders.
This chapter examined how educators, students, and other people in higher aca-
demic settings can work together to build transformational leadership capacity to
help drive more sustainable urban development practices. In relation to university-
based higher education, we linked customized leadership development activities
(based on activity theory) with prominent urbanization issues in Guangzhou. This
provided a system to produce educational reports, papers, and conferences. The
process of building knowledge and skills as well as social networks, then finally led
to behavioral change in a variety of proposals presented by students. Thus, this
chapter argues that building transformational leadership capacity within a higher
academic setting is another way educators can lead our society to desirable behav-
ioral change and sustainable urban development. Such leadership development ini-
tiatives are essential in contemporary environmental learning, and they can be both
meaningful and worthwhile.
This indicates that the APIEL can go alongside a socially critical approach, but
more importantly, it focuses on experience where fieldwork takes place within an
activity system. We have observed how students assimilate an approach that reflects
the complexity of thinking and learning in relation to the environment. Feedback
from multiple sources was collected and used to evaluate and improve the activity.
This research is both ongoing and challenging.
Acknowledgments The GPRD Unit was successfully conducted with solid support from Sun
Yat-sen University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and special thanks are
extended to Prof. Shiyu Li at SYSU and Prof. Guanghao Chen at HKUST for their strong support.
References
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case study in Guangzhou of China. In: The 1st international conference on habitat engineering
and design, Oral presentation, Tongji University, China, 13–14 October 2012
12. Morshed MM, An KJ, Xu XH, Hamasaki H, Hoshiko T (2012) Rapid transformation and
change in loc.l people’s quality of life: a case study of Xiaoguwei Island, Guangzhou, China.
In: The 1st international conference on habitat engineering and design, Oral presentation,
Tongji University, China, 13–14 October 2012
13. Weitzman BC, Silver D, Dillman KN (2002) Integrating a comparison group design into a
theory of change evaluation: the case of the urban health initiative. Am J Eval 23(4):371–385
14. Xu J, Yeh AGO (2003) City profile: Guangzhou. Cities 20:361–374
Chapter 7
Environmental Leadership Development:
A Cambodian Case
Hironori Hamasaki and Hiroyuki Katayama
Abstract This chapter presents an overview of the activities of Asian Program for
Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL)’s Cambodia Unit and its self-
evaluation. First, we clarify the reason why Cambodia was chosen as a location to
implement APIEL’s field exercise unit. Second, the basic concept and approach are
introduced. Third, program components that include preliminary tasks, on-site program,
and subsequent presentations and reports by students are shown. Finally, self-
examination is given to propose recommendations to improve the Cambodia Unit.
Keywords ODA • Solid waste management • Sustainable development • Tourism •

Water supply
7.1 Introduction
Cambodia’s economic growth has been expected to accelerate to its fastest pace over
a decade by a burst urban construction funded by foreign aid and investment. According
to the International Monetary Fund, Cambodia’s yearly average GDP growth rate over
the last 10 years is 7.7% [1] and it will bring new investments. Likewise many other
developing Asian countries where the economy is growing rapidly, environmental
H. Hamasaki
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature,
Kyoto, Japan
H. Katayama (*)

110 H. Hamasaki and H. Katayama
problems, such as water contamination, air pollution, and chaotic urbanization, have
risen to the surface and are affecting people’s lives and health in Cambodia. In addi-
tion, this country lacks both of physical infrastructure and human resource. It is urgent
to draw the nation’s pathway to build a sustainable society for the next generation.
Cambodia, on the other hand, has its unique history symbolized by Angkor Wat
Temple and the Pol Pot regime. The Angkor Wat Temple, one of the most conquer-
ing kings of the Khmer Empire, Suryavarman II, constructed in the beginning of the
twelfth century, is considered as one of the largest temples in the world. The number
of visitors has been increasing substantially in recent years, and the provincial tour-
ism department reported in the year 2012 that about two million foreign tourists
visited this World Heritage site. However, the municipal government of Siem Reap
that holds jurisdiction over Angkor Wat has been suffering from problems such as
water supply, solid waste management, heavy traffic, etc. On the other hand, the Pol
Pot regime was built by a communist party, Khmer Rouge, in 1970s. They attempted
to build a farming society. However, it resulted in the death of 25 % of the country’s
population including those highly educated from starvation, overwork and execu-
tions (genocide). Even today, some are afraid of the re-emergence of a similar political
reign. This sense of fear among people is still causing serious social issues such as
low school enrollment ratio, and delaying the sound development of Cambodia,
leaving the country in tough environment in every aspect.
These facts provide a hint why we chose Cambodia for one of APIEL’s field
exercise units’ study site: this country was considered to be one of the best places
where students acquire a holistic view over environmental issues with social and
economic insights.
7.2 Basic Concept and Approach of the Cambodia Unit
The theme of Unit “sustainable development in Cambodia” reflexes the complex

nature of Cambodia’s environmental issues. The United Nations says in the
Brundtland Reports that “sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs [2].” However, sustainable development in the context of Cambodia
is wide-ranging and elusive.
Each student started with answering the core question that was “what is most
important for sustainable development in Cambodia?” They had difficulty in the first
place to respond this theme and struggled. However, eventually, they identified and
addressed the emergent environmental issues to be solved through communication
among group members. This process was what we intended. Environmental problems
that were causing conflicts among stakeholders often had complicated relationships
with other issues, such as poverty or social justice. The authors believe that the
students should not choose their own topic of study for setting an easy answer.
Students who wish to be environmental leaders must struggle throughout the discourse
of problem identification with other stakeholders before finding the answer.
7 Environmental Leadership Development: A Cambodian Case 111
The main objective of the Cambodia Unit was to foster responsible environmental
leaders who can bravely criticize and seek for fundamental solutions to the complex
and broad environmental issues in Cambodia. In the course to find or define a prob-
lem, the students developed a very important quality: a sense of responsibility. The
authors often encouraged students to enjoy struggling during the Unit. Why? In the
real world, leaders have to go through a time consuming process of finding prob-
lems and solutions in order to bring positive changes to a society. Thus, this struggle
at this phase was intended to encourage the students to improve their leadership
qualities, namely the discussion and communication skills.
Authors observed how their opinions and ways of thinking would change during
the implementation of this Unit. The result was quite interesting. At the beginning
of the Unit, their opinions were based mainly on their own academic backgrounds
and majors. In other words, they looked at problems from only one direction.
However, the students’ opinions after their trip became more multifaceted, and their
reports were written from holistic viewpoints.
7.3 Contents of the Cambodia Unit
The Cambodia Unit consists of three parts: (1) preliminary lectures and assignments
before visiting Cambodia, (2) fieldwork during a stay in Cambodia, and (3) final
presentations and reports after the fieldwork. The details on each part are described
in the following sections.
The basic idea of the Cambodia Unit is to combine one lecture with one
associated site visit on the same day. One day, for example, we took up the case
of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in the morning we had a lec-
ture on JICA’s operation in Cambodia, and then in the afternoon, we had a site
visit that supplemented the details. Students seemed to recognize the importance
of visiting and seeing sites. In other words, lectures provided rich information, but
students were able to find more useful information by looking at real-life situa-
tions. Also, students uncovered the differences among themselves after visiting
the same place, which brought out a good chance to experience the diversified
ideas. This program construction reflected other intentions of Unit organizers.
Students were supposed to understand the real situation of environmental issues
in Cambodia as well as to think why those environmental problems are difficult to
solve through site visits. This approach motivated students to investigate how big
the difference between learning knowledge from textbooks and seeing things as
they are with their own eyes is.
7.3.1 Preliminary Lectures and Assignments
Preliminary activities before the on-site program in Cambodia were significant

for two reasons. First, preliminary lectures were necessary for students because
they have never visited Cambodia or known that much about Cambodia. Thus,
these lectures focused on providing fundamental information and knowledge
such as historical, economic, social, and environmental issues. Above all, learn-
ing the history of the Pol Pot regime was indispensable for understanding
Cambodia; Cambodian society even today is suffering from its aftermath. In
addition to that, as a collateral benefit, participants from different universities
were able to get to know each other through a teleconferencing system before
meeting together in Cambodia. Second, preliminary assignments were helpful for
students to start communication, discussion, and interaction with each other from
an early stage of Unit implementation. Sharing academic background sheet of
each participant was also useful for students to have better idea about the others,
helping them to discuss and exchange opinions more smoothly, even when using
Web- and e-mail-based communications.
The significance of the preliminary meeting was typically seen when we compare
the implementation of the Unit in 2011 with that in 2012. In 2011, students from the
Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) could not attend preliminary lectures
because they did not have access to a teleconferencing system. That year, it took some
certain time for RUPP students to mix comfortably with others from The University
of Tokyo (UT) and Seoul National University (SNU). In 2012, the RUPP students
attended the preliminary lecture through a teleconferencing system, thanks to the
cooperation of World Bank and JICA. This three-way meeting enabled students from
three different universities to communicate smoothly from the beginning to the end of
the field exercises in Cambodia.
7.3.2 Fieldwork in Cambodia
7.3.2.1 Lectures
The topics of lectures held in Cambodia were deliberately wide-ranged since the
main theme of this Unit was sustainable development. We selected several rather
general topics for lectures, including water supply, solid waste management, rural
development, Official Development Assistance (ODA), tourism, etc. Naturally,
stakeholders related to these lectures have diverse views.
In 2011, we had lectures from JICA, the Korean International Cooperation
Agency, Community Sanitation and Recycling Organization, urban planning con-
sultants, local government officials from the city of Siem Reap, and the Authority
for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap which
is an organization managing Angkor Wat. Based on these lectures, all the groups
discussed and decided on their own topics for their final presentations.
When we started the preparation of Cambodia Unit in 2012, we reviewed the
program held in 2011 and found it necessary to prepare a lecture related to leader-
ship. Therefore, we requested Mr. Ek Sonn Chan through local JICA office to give
us a lecture (Fig. 7.1). He was appointed in 1993 as the General Director of Phnom
Fig. 7.1 Lecture on leadership by Mr. Ek Sonn Chan
Penh Water Supply Authority where he exercised strong leadership, and contributed
to the reconstruction of the water supply system in Phnom Penh. In particular, he
succeeded in collecting water fees from over 90 % of households, which is seldom
the case with developing countries that suffer from weak or lack of governance.
He is respected by the people in Cambodia and has been called an incredible person
[3, 4]. His lecture gave some valuable insights on leadership to the students based
on his experiences of struggle to overcome many obstacles. His message greatly
impressed the students and helped them to appreciate the various aspects of leader-
ship and their own lives.
7.3.2.2 Site Visits
The sites to visit were chosen carefully, taking the advices from lecturers. For exam-
ple, for water supply and urban flood control projects arranged by JICA, we visited
a water treatment plant as well as a pumping station, and observed the drainage
system (Fig. 7.2).
In the Cambodia Unit, along with the specific environmental issues, students
were required to think about the nation’s history with a holistic viewpoint because
of the impact of Pol Pot regime on various aspects of people’s life in Cambodia.
Fig. 7.2 On-site lecture on flood control in Phnom Penh
Thus, the faculty members let students visit symbolic places of genocide, such as
the “killing fields,” Tuol Sleng Museum in Phnom Penh, and the “killing cave” in
Battambang, that turned out to be an experience that was beyond description. In
addition, the visit to Angkor Wat revealed another issue that Cambodia is facing the
conflict between economic development through tourism and environmental
preservation.
7.3.2.3 Group Work
We allocated time for group work almost every day for around 10 days to prepare
for final presentations. That means, students have to communicate with each other
every day (Fig. 7.3). They seemed surprised to have found that, even though they
visited the same place, they had different ideas about what they saw, and were inter-
ested in different aspects of sustainable development in Cambodia. They also real-
ized the importance of listening to and respecting the others through their group
discussions. The students then had to make decisions, as well as organize their
thoughts, for the final presentations.
As mentioned in Sect. 7.2, we let each group determine their own topic by them-
selves from wide-ranging topics related to sustainable development. We believe that
this was a good training for them to cultivate leadership. It took almost all the
Fig. 7.3 Interview with JICA staff as part of group work
groups a lot of time to agree on their own topic. They “struggled,” but later said in
their feedback that this was a very good experience.
7.3.3 Final Presentations and Reports
It was a requirement for UT students to make final presentations and submit reports
after the completion of on-site program. They made the presentations more infor-
mative and better structured than the ones they gave in Cambodia on the last day of
the fieldwork. They re-arranged the contents and added some new materials they
searched for after their return.
The final reports that the UT students submitted were interesting. The question for
the final report was “What is most important for sustainable development in Cambodia?”
the same question we asked for the preliminary assignment. Their answers were based
mainly on their own academic backgrounds. However, on the contrary, their final
reports were written from a holistic view; that was, not only based on their own chosen
academic fields but also from diversified viewpoints. Their final reports became very
rich and impressive. This result indicates that our strategy was effective for cultivating
a holistic point of view, which is thought to be essential for environmental leaders.
7.4 Self-evaluation of the Cambodia Unit
The Cambodia Unit was successfully conducted twice in 2011 and 2012, respec-
tively. The Unit was found to be satisfactory for students according to our self-
evaluation. The following sections discuss the evaluation of the Unit.
7.4.1 The Improvement on Lecture Preparation
The theme of this Unit was too broad for them to approach from a holistic viewpoint.
As a consequence, in 2011, students found it difficult to initiate group work with a
concrete idea under severe time pressure. Therefore, in 2012, we offered the prelimi-
nary lectures using a teleconferencing system. This enabled students to have clear ideas
about the environmental issues in Cambodia in advance of the actual field visit.
In addition, through the collaboration with many organizations, the lectures were
carefully chosen from different stakeholders; government sector, foreign government-
related organization, non-governmental organization, profit and non-profit organiza-
tion. The topics included various environmental issues, such as solid waste
management, urban flooding, water management and urban development. As is men-
tioned earlier, one of the characteristics of the development in Cambodia is that it does
not depend on a solo stakeholder. The lecture which cover various aspects relating to
environmental problems were essential to let the students think from holistic
viewpoint.
On top of the scientific knowledge, the lecture from a real environmental leader
based on his experience was added in 2012, which enriched the program contents.
This lecture highly motivated the students and let them think about the qualities of
an environmental leader, including the sense of responsibility, braveness, transpar-
ency, vision and passion. Lots of positive feedbacks were given by students on this
lecture.
7.4.2 Reschedule of Site Visit and Lecture
One of the differences between the Cambodia Unit 2011 and 2012 was that the
program components within 1 day. In 2011, the contents of a lecture and a site visit
in the same day were not necessarily related to one specific issue while those were
in 2012. In other words, in each day in 2012, the students gained the knowledge
from classroom lecture and site visit on a specific issue and had a time for group
discussion on that issue in the same day. In this case, ideas and impressions of stu-
dents were well exchanged and students were able to integrate their new knowledge
with their background knowledge step by step.
In Cambodia Unit, two areas, remains of Pol Pot Regime in Phnom Penh and
Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, were chosen as mentioned before in order to give stu-
dents general background knowledge to have holistic understanding about environ-
mental issues in Cambodia. In 2011, we started our fieldwork in Phnom Penh and
moved to Siem Reap where we concluded the program. However, we found that the
students preferred to do more research in groups in Phnom Penh after they studied
the issues in Siem Reap, from the students’ feedback. The site visit was rescheduled
in 2012 accordingly. We returned to Phnom Penh after the visit to Siem Reap. It was
one of the alternatives to let the students conduct problem analysis and create their
own research structure.
7.4.3 The Future Challenge of the Cambodia Unit
One of the challenges in organizing the environmental leadership education program

that we found in Cambodia was problem setting: how much the broad range of envi-
ronmental issues have to be narrowed down. The lesson learned from the first
Cambodia Unit was that the students tended to lose their way to find issues to be
focused on since they were given too much information about broader environmental
issues without any guidance. After the self-assessment of program, students in 2012
were given an assignment that has five specific topics to study and discuss in groups.
However, this resulted in students selecting their group discussion topics only from
the topics listed in the assignment. Furthermore, the students did not go far enough to
explain how those topics are related at a fundamental level and answer to the core
problem, although this method led students to analyze their chosen topic at a deeper
level.
Another challenge is the impact that a leadership education program can bring over
to a society. Education is an investment that needs time to get the fruits. Thus far,
APIEL is successful in getting the various local stakeholders involved in this program.
However, it will take another while for the participating students to be able to make
significant contributions to solving the problems facing the Cambodian society.
7.4.4 Leadership Development in Students:

Strive for Holistic View
In case of the program of 2012, good amount of basic information about Cambodia
through preliminary assignment, and the lectures and visits enriched the knowledge
that students already had and gave them stimulation to investigate further. This com-
bination enabled students to address diversified aspects of environmental problems
that teaching staff expected them to find from the study area.
The students in 2012, divided into four groups from (a) to (d), initiated the group
discussion and eventually set their presentation topics by themselves. The topics for
final presentations were as follows: (a) Capacity and Management of Irrigation in
Cambodia, (b) Water Supply in Rural Area, (c) Role of ODA in Sustainable
Livelihoods in Rural Cambodia and (d) Solid Waste Management in Phnom Penh.
They were able to present concrete and feasible propositions for the sustainable
development of Cambodia. The authors believe that they became aware how impor-
tant it is to think out when they face difficult challenges. The authors also believe
that a proposition has to be made not only from subjective, or single point of view,
but also from objective and holistic viewpoints.
Acknowledgments The Cambodia Unit was successfully conducted with tremendous support
from Royal University of Phnom Penh and Seoul National University. Special thanks are extended
to Mr. Sour Sethy, Dr. Neth Baromey, Dr. Hyejin Jung and Dr. Kyoungmin Kim for their valuable
input and comments.
References
1. International Monetary Fund (2012) World Economic Outlook. Washington DC, p. 194
2. World Commission on Environment and Development. “Our Common Future, Chapter 2:
Towards Sustainable Development” http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-02.htm. Retrieved 28
September 2011. Accessed 6 March 2013
3. Princeton University Oral History Program (2009) Innovations for successful societies: Ek
Sonn Chan. http://www.princeton.edu/successfulsocieties/content/superfocusareas/traps/RT/
oralhistories/view.xml?id=157. Accessed 31 Oct 2012
4. Biswas AK, Tortajada C (2010) Water supply of Phnom Penh: an example of good governance.
Water Resour Dev 26:157–172
Chapter 8
Resonance in the Asian Program for Incubation
of Environmental Leaders
Neth Baromey, John Stuart Blakeney, Bayarlkham Byambaa, Ki-Ho Kim,

Mingguo Ma, Jatuwat Sangsanont, Sour Sethy, Chettiyappan Visvanathan,
Xin Li, and Yuan Qi*
Abstract The following accounts are from teaching staff at universities that have
collaborated with The University of Tokyo in the APIEL’s field exercises, as well as
three alumni. The purpose of this chapter is to reflect the mutual influences of resonances
*All the authors contributed equally to the article and are listed alphabetically.
N. Baromey
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Royal University of Phnom Penh,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
J.S. Blakeney
Ernst and Young, Harcourt Centre, Dublin, Ireland
B. Byambaa
Two-Step-Loan Project, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
K-H. Kim
Asian Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability,
Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
M. Ma • X. Li • Y. Qi
Cold and Arid Regions Environment and Engineering Research Institute,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
J. Sangsanont (*)
S. Sethy
Faculty of Science, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
C. Visvanathan
School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology,
Pathumthani, Thailand

120 N. Baromey et al.
created by Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL) and

collaborators across region, stakeholders and disciplines in Asia. The teaching staffs
from Asian Institute of Technology, Cold and Arid Regions Environment and
Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Royal University of
Phnom Penh and Seoul National University have shared their experiences with
APIEL to foster future environmental leaders. Three APIEL alumni comments
impact of APIEL on academic and professional development, its relevance to sub-
sequent activities, and their own development.
Keywords Alumni • Career • Collaboration • Resonance
8.1 Collaboration with APIEL in Thailand Unit: As We Look

Ahead int. the Next Century1,2
Leaders Will Be Those Who Empower Others—Bill Gates
8.1.1 Introduction
As Asia is composed of many highly populated countries at differing stages of

development, the key is to build a sustainable society within the inherent constraints
of the earth. An interdisciplinary, multifaceted approach is essential to tackle global
environmental issues, which are becoming more complex, varied and are deepening.
Initiatives confined to regions cannot resolve global-scale environmental problems.
At the same time, however, local perspectives are crucial for resolving global issues,
and regional idiosyncrasies, social conditions, political systems, and cultural back-
grounds must all be taken into account.
The APIEL was designed to build broad and resonant networks among universi-
ties, research institutions and program graduates throughout Asia. For the APIEL
Thailand Unit, two leading universities in Thailand—the Asian Institute of
Technology (AIT) and Kasetsart University (KU)—worked jointly with The
University of Tokyo (UT). The unit's objective is to produce individuals who attain
knowledge, skills, and competencies and who can play a major role as environmen-
tal leaders in various settings, such as educational research institutions in Asia or in
other parts of the world and in global organizations and corporations.
1
This sub chapter is written by one of the authors, Chettiyappan Visvanathan, from School of
Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand.
2
Further information about Thailand Unit can be found in Chap. 4.
8 Resonance in the Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders 121
8.1.2 Partnering Institutions
AIT promotes technological change and sustainable development in the Asian-Pacific

region through higher education, research and outreach. AIT was established near
Bangkok in 1959, and has become a leading regional postgraduate institution and is
actively working with public and private sector partners throughout the region and
with some of the top universities in the world. Specifically, Environmental Engineering
and Management and Water Engineering and Management partnered in the course
with APIEL over 4 years for knowledge and experience sharing from AIT.
KU is a public university where bodies of knowledge and research potential have
been continually accumulated for nearly seven decades. Today, it is a national
research university endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education of Thailand
with the vision to become “the world’s leading research university in agriculture,
food, technology and innovation.” The Faculty of Engineering in KU is one of the
top ranking institutes of engineering in Thailand. It offers bachelor, master, and
doctoral programs in 15 fields including Department of Environmental Engineering.
It educates engineers to serve society, develop the country, and pursue excellence in
engineering and scientific advancement.
8.1.3 Thailand Unit Conducted Over the Years
UT, AIT and KU have collaborated to tackle Asian environmental problems in a

tropical environment. This unit ensures student exchange between the three partici-
pating institutes covering an interdisciplinary program with from 10 to 20 students
from more than ten countries.
From 2009 to 2012, major sectors of environmental problems have been
addressed in the joint program. In 2009, issues on sustainable solid waste manage-
ment in Asian developing countries were taken up. By 2011, another important
issue on sustainable urban water use and management was addressed. Flooding is a
natural phenomenon and various human activities as well as climate change have
aggravated the problem, causing economic loss. The nationwide flooding in late
2011 resulted in huge losses in Bangkok and other urban areas. Thus in 2012,
Thailand Unit focused on the issue of urban waste management with a special focus
on flood management in Bangkok.
The series of Thailand Unit demonstrated that students from different nationali-
ties and academic backgrounds could sit together and review these issues from vari-
ous angles, within the technical, economic and social context. The unit revealed the
importance of incubating new environmental leaders with negotiations skills for
considering the importance of “economic growth along with environmental protec-
tion.” This can be achieved only by providing these leaders with communication
and management skills. In this way, complex issues can be expressed in layman’s
language to the public, and support can be gained for environmental protection.
This specially designed, short but focused, unit provided the best format for the
students to understand the problems by equally mixing classroom lectures, field-
work and sampling, as well as community consultations. This, nontraditional for-
mat educational concept is one of the aspects most highly appreciated by all the
students who took part.
8.2 Collaboration with APIEL in Oasis Unit3,4
Cold and Arid Regions Environment and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI),
Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the Chinese collaborative partner in the APIEL for
Oasis Unit (see Table 8.1). CAREERI is a large research institute that has seven labora-
tories and three research centers, highlighting the characteristics of the glacier, desert, and
alpine areas of ecological environments and the sustainable development of resources.
The memorandum of understanding on academic cooperation between the Graduate
Program in Sustainability Science, UT, and the Laboratory of Remote Sensing and
Geospatial Science, CAREERI, was signed on 31 December 2008. The APIEL Oasis
Unit was designed and developed at that time. Since then, for 4 consecutive years, joint
fieldwork was performed in the Heihe River basin, the second largest inland river basin
in China. The river basin is also an important scientific research base for CAREERI and
even for the whole country. Forty-one students from 14 countries in total have joined
the joint fieldwork during the past 4 years. There are 14 students and 4 professors
from CAREERI that have joined the fieldwork (Table 8.1). Students and teachers from
CAREERI are familiar with the Heihe River basin; they supported the members
from UT by providing relevant data, information, and suggestions.
Another important partner of the joint fieldwork comes from the Zhangye Water
Authority. In particular, Director Tuo Xingfu, Vice Director Liu Guoqiang, Luan
Limin, Zhang Wenwu, and Liu Xiaojun from the water authority contributed to the
fieldwork significantly through their active participation and full support. The local
water resource managers have a deep understanding of local environmental prob-
lems, and they also have abundant experiences dealing with those problems.
As Chinese-side participants, CAREERI students take the role of collaborators
during fieldwork. Because there are some differences between their studying spe-
cialties and the investigative contents of the fieldwork, the improvement in special-
ized knowledge is relatively limited. But our students have benefited a great deal
from the following two perspectives:
1. English conversation and application ability: This is a distinct opportunity for
CAREERI students to use their English in real-world situations. UT students
3
This subchapter was written by three authors of Mingguo Ma, Xin Li and Yuan Qi from Cold and
Arid Regions Environment and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
China.
4
Further information about Oasis Unit can be found in Chap. 5.
Table 8.1 Students and professors from CAREERI who have participated in the Oasis Unit
Year Students Teachers
2009 Song Yi, Tan Junlei, Wang Haibo, Yu Wenping Prof. Li Xin, Prof. Ma Mingguo
2010 Song Yi, Tan Junlei, Wang Xufeng, Hu Wenbing, Prof. Li Xin, Prof. Ma Mingguo,
Yu Wenping, Liu Chao, Fang Miao, Zheng Assoc. Prof. Qi Yuan, Assoc.
Zhong Prof. Ge Yingchun
2011 Wang Xufeng, Wang Haibo, Xu Fengying, Xie Prof. Li Xin, Prof. Ma Mingguo
Yanmei
2012 Wang Xufeng, Jia Shuzheng, Xiao Lin, Wang Prof. Li Xin, Prof. Ma Mingguo
Hongshu
come from all corners of the world and English is the common language for
communication. There are few opportunities for the Chinese students to use
English so often and intensively.
2. Exchange of learning styles: The learning style of APIEL is itself distinctive
and worth learning. For example, the professors give the fullest play to stu-
dents’ initiatives. Discussion is one of most important learning tools in the
fieldwork. The Chinese students can use these learning and communication
skills developed during fieldwork in their future study and work. The effect is
especially clear when our students join the fieldwork and training classes with
UT students.
From my point of view, the Oasis Unit has the following three features. They are
valuable experience and lessons. They are important for us to develop a new coop-
eration plan.
1. Before hand preparation and field survey: It is better to see once than to hear a
hundred times. Even though the students obtained information about the research
area by reading papers and presentations before they visit the Heihe River basin,
this information is still abstract. It is very difficult for UT students to prepare
research topic and survey plan reflecting real-world situation. In the first 2 days of
the fieldwork, students are guided to visit some places along the Heihe River, as
well as the local water authority and the irrigation channel system. In this way, they
can gain more information about this region, such as government policy, local
customs, and potential difficulties with their upcoming work. After the 2-day visit,
students usually find some problems with their original plan, and groups are
divided according to their interests. Professors give their advice when students
make their plans.
2. Data collection through experiments and interview survey: Usually, students
have 4 days to collect data and information to support their research. In this pro-
cess, they need to communicate with local people, such as farmers, government
officials, scientists, and so on. Students from CAREERI play an important role
in this process because of language limitations.
3. Getting to a conclusion and giving suggestions to the local water authority:
Based on the collected data and information, students are asked to arrive at a
conclusion and give suggestions to the local water authority about how to solve
the environment problem that they find. The local water authority also gives
feedback and comments to the students. Although field experiments make a limited
contribution to solving local environmental problems, the students’ ability to
find and solve problems has improved.
The fieldwork is in the process of improving. The fieldwork had been per-
formed during the summer from 2009 to 2012 in the Heihe River basin. There are
some big differences between these four fieldwork exercises. Knowing these dif-
ferences is important for us to develop a new cooperation plan. On one hand,
beforehand preparation is very important for a successful fieldwork. Especially, it
is important to find concrete research topics, which can save time and greatly
improve working efficiency during field survey. The students who joined field-
work in 2009 were better prepared than the students of other years. On the other
hand, the active participation of CAREERI students is important for a successful
fieldwork. The Chinese students just acted as guides in 2009. However, they par-
ticipated in the fieldwork fully in 2010–2012. They discussed and worked together
with UT students during the whole process from preparation, survey, until final
report writing.
Based on the comparisons on these four times of field exercise units, the follow-
ing suggestions can be made to improve collaboration with UT.
1. The preparation of the field exercise unit can be improved by making a feasible
proposal that can be applied on site by both UT and CAREERI students. The
proposal needs to include the background, purpose, research content, experi-
mental design, and anticipated results. Both UT and CAREERI students need to
spend enough time to prepare this proposal during the preparation phase.
2. There were three different research topics in each year and two study areas in
2010. One common research topic is enough for each fieldwork although the
investigation or measurement can be divided into two or three parts. However,
different parts should be around the same topic. The students should try to obtain
more samples of the questionnaire survey and the measurements, which can
improve the persuasiveness of conclusive results and suggestions to the local
water authority.
3. A Chinese student from UT side is necessary for each student group. A Chinese
student can offer a lot of help to the other students during the whole process of
the fieldwork program. For example, background information can be obtained
more easily because of the limitations caused by language barrier.
4. Comparisons of the methodologies and results can be carried out among the dif-
ferent fieldwork areas.
5. If the survey contents are close to the specialties of the Chinese students, our
students can be more involved in the preparation work. If possible, these stu-
dents could participate in making the fieldwork plans in Japan during the
preparation stage.
8.3 Collaboration with APIEL in Cambodia Unit5,6
8.3.1 Introduction
The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) is the oldest and the largest public
university in Cambodia. RUPP first opened its doors as the Royal Khmer
University on 13 January 1960, with the National Institute of Judicial and
Economic Studies, the Royal School of Medicine, a National School of
Commerce, the National Pedagogical Institute, the Faculty of Letters and
Human Sciences, and the Faculty of Science and Technology.7 The language of
instruction during this period was French.
However, today it is unique in Cambodia for offering specialist degrees not only
in fields including the sciences, humanities and social sciences, but professional
degrees as well in fields such as information technology, electronics, psychology,
social work, tourism, and the environment. It also provides Cambodia’s foremost
degree-level language programs through the Institute of Foreign Languages. RUPP
has many achievements, and it now has full membership in the ASEAN University
Network. The APIEL Cambodia Unit was initially set up in 2011.
8.3.2 Institutional Involvement in the Cambodia Unit
The Cambodia Unit is organized by three universities: UT, Seoul National University
(SNU) and RUPP. It has organized two field trips/lecture programs that were held in
September 2011 and in August 2012. The unit was designed based on experienced,
professional skill development, and lessons that the universities use to effectively
and efficiently instruct the students. Various activities including lectures from expe-
rienced resource persons, fieldwork, group work and group presentation are used.
8.3.3 Achievements of the Cambodia Unit
The program was designed to follow a participatory, problem-solving approach.

There is a combination of activities such as lecturing and fieldwork. Through the
5
This subchapter is written by two authors, Sour Sethy from Faculty of Science and Neth Baromey
from Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
6
Further information about Cambodia Unit can be found in Chap. 7.
7
Further information about RUPP is found in their website (http://www.rupp.edu.kh/content.
php?page=about_rupp).
involvement of the various activities and evaluations by Cambodian students, this

program brought significant benefit to participants, especially those from RUPP.
8.3.3.1 Development of the Training Program
The training program was developed by UT in discussion with SNU and RUPP, and
through a series of discussions and meetings it was decided to base it on a participa-
tory approach with professional (leadership) training. Therefore, the program has
been implemented effectively and successfully. Participants in the Cambodia Unit
were able to learn many things, not only from a technical perspective, but also about
the social and multicultural components. This design provided us with ideas on how
to successfully coordinate with stakeholders from different nationalities. It was also
found that the participants, particularly the Cambodian students, absorbed good les-
sons, learning how to manage their time, and improve their learning style, research
skills and English language ability.
8.3.3.2 Fieldwork
From the hands-on practices, RUPP students gained deeper knowledge on sustain-
able development in Cambodia. They basically preferred to have practical training
and visits to project sites. They also said that the practice at the sites was comple-
mentary to the theories and that the concepts were easy to understand, thus they
were interested and they found the program enjoyable. They were able to get more
understanding of the real situation and lifestyles in local communities. Furthermore,
the program provided a valuable opportunity for Cambodian students, who usually
have limited chances for practical training. The students enjoyed this approach and
were willing to become involved in the fieldwork. They wished that the unit could
be available to other students, as well.
8.3.3.3 Cooperation in the Future
The Cambodia Unit has been active only 10 days per program including the lectures
and fieldwork, but the students have felt that there were positively results. The
Cambodia Unit has also contributed to a positive outcome for our society, as well as
sustainable development, through the problem-solving approach, especially on the
environment, society, and the economy. Importantly, the Cambodia Unit will be an
initial point and have continuing good opportunities for further cooperation of the
relevant stakeholders in the future.
RUPP wishes the unit will continue its mission for the sake of sustainability and for
producing more young environmental leaders for this region as well as for the world.
RUPP is ready to continue to cooperate with the unit as well as with UT and SNU. The
perspective of RUPP is that the Cambodia Unit should continue and should engage
more stakeholders from different countries. In this way, the unit’s vision will be widely
shared and make both a global and region contribution. Additionally cooperation in the
future should be not focused only on a short training program, but should also consider
long-term joint research and capacity building for continuing education.
8.3.4 Conclusion
The unit was based on a problem-solving approach, which was popular with the
students and the course designers, thus the students found it more attractive to be
involved. Based on this approach, the students learned many things, such as the
technical, social, and cultural aspects. The key achievements of the unit included:
1. The students who participated absorbed various information, particularly con-
cept of sustainability related to social, environmental and economic factors.
These give them ideas on how to help their countries develop sustainably.
2. Networking for the future was started with the unit. RUPP’s APIEL alumni
association was also established by the students themselves. Additionally, the
initiatives of the Cambodia Unit will be a starting point for networking and
cooperation in the future.
8.4 Two Years Collaboration With APIEL8
8.4.1 Introduction
For the past 2 years, the Asian Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability
(AIEES) at SNU has been given a great opportunity to participate in APIEL and
send students as well as professors to lead the students during the field trips for
APIEL. One of the reasons why we have participated in this program is that AIEES
is also planning to build an Asian green leadership center at AIEES in the years to
come. In this regard, since UT started APIEL earlier, by participating together, we
wanted to learn how UT is operating their international education program.
Two years ago, SNU hosted the Asian University Conference for Green
Leadership. For this conference, we invited Professor Hanaki, where he introduced
the APIEL to us. And we have been participating ever since. Professor Hanaki also
took part in a seminar prior to the establishment of AIEES back in 2008. Therefore,
AIEES has had a deep connection with him, and based on this relationship of trust,
we have collaborated with APIEL.
8
This subchapter is written by one of the authors, Ki-Ho Kim, from Asian Institute for Energy,
Environment and Sustainability, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea.
8.4.2 Current Situation
AIEES at SNU has participated in APIEL three times, starting from the Cambodia
Unit in August 2011. In the Cambodia Unit, the local partner universities were
RUPP, and in the Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD) Unit, Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology and Sun Yat-sen University. Each of these universities has
provided graduate students and lecturers.
From SNU, 20 students have taken part so far. Students with diverse majors, such
as international studies, environmental studies, natural science, engineering, law,
and agricultural science, have participated in the field program for cultivating lead-
ership concerning the environment and returned good feedback.
8.4.3 Major Elements of Education
In the Cambodia Unit, the program mainly covers topics, from infrastructure to
environmental management issues—waste disposal, recycling, and water quality
protection—and SNU has focused on rural development and capacity building as
well as contributing to physical and social capacity development for sustainable
development.
The GPRD Unit provided an opportunity to study several components and tech-
niques for a more sustainable urban plan and urban design. In particular, the stu-
dents’ practical exercises on mapping and gaining techniques for handling vast
amounts of information related to cities greatly helped them come to arrive at the
future direction of sustainable urban development.
In each unit, site visits to understand the local culture and history, as well as
interviews with local residents, have provided a good opportunity for the stu-
dents to draw a profound understanding of other cultures. The cooperation that
the students from each university showed helped promote the understanding and
capacity to produce definite outcomes on site. It is also significant that opportu-
nities to directly experience the possible direction of sustainable development,
rather than in theory, were provided to graduate students from each university
through this program.
Each unit covered fields related to sustainable development, such as waste, sew-
age disposal, air quality management, urban planning, eco-tourism, and official
development assistance from the Korean International Cooperation Agency and the
Japan International Cooperation Agency. Through lectures from experts and field-
work, each program was able to cover general plans and implementation measures
for sustainable development in developing countries.
Furthermore, in each group, made up of graduate students from each university,
exchanges were held for carrying out the research project: establishing strategies for
sustainable development. These exchanges in combination with in-depth research
under the instruction of the resource person for each group progressed to outcomes
in forms of presentations and recommendations.
8.4.4 Thoughts on the APIEL
8.4.4.1 Strengths
“Concerning the management of APIEL, what has impressed me the most is that
you have a full-time professor and administrator for this program. I think they are
professionally and academically excellent. Whatever we are doing at universities,
the most important thing seems to be the people who are operating the program. In
the case of APIEL, the leader is Professor Keisuke Hanaki, who has a global per-
spective and great vision for the program. Also, the performance of supporting staff
including faculty members and administrators has been excellent. If this program
did not have those people, I think it would not have been managed in such a thor-
ough professional manner.”
“For the content, as a participating professor who looked at and examined the
participating students in the Cambodia and GPRD Unit, APIEL provided the stu-
dents with good opportunities to promote ‘hands-on knowledge’ related to sustain-
ability issues through the experience of participating in the unit. Through the
experiences, they are expected to grow into more mature leaders.”
“In particular, the students worked in groups, enhanced communication, and
engaged in vigorous discussion until late in the night with other students from dif-
ferent backgrounds and cultures to produce definite outcomes. This allowed the
students to understand others who have different opinions and learn the attitude
required of a leader to produce an outcome. Thus, the Cambodia Unit offered a very
good platform for students to foster leadership. Another strength is that the unit was
a melting pot for students of diverse nationalities, majors, and races, not only from
SNU but also UT and RUPP.”
“It is doubtful whether it is possible to find facts and suggest solutions in a
period of only 2 weeks or how much meaning there could be in such a solution.
However, this program is very significant in that it allows the students to genuinely
ponder the problems and become equipped with the technical capacity and passion
to solve them.”
8.4.4.2 Weaknesses
“Regarding the education program provided, there was a lack of information

concerning the site and there was realistically not enough time and process to suffi-
ciently understand what was available. As a result, we had insufficient responsive-
ness to the field activities. Moreover, although the scope of the program for such a
comprehensive subject as sustainable development seemed to be adequate on the
surface, it turned out that there was limited time to engage in in-depth discussions.”
“Also, there was a disharmony between the lecture provided and the resolution
of problems in the subject. The fieldwork had limitations, and lectures are com-
posed and arranged according to the major subjects of the participating professors
rather than the actual subjects.”
“Regarding the development of leadership, although SNU students might have a

high level of academic understanding, there were times when I was skeptical about
whether they had the capability for leadership in this era of climate change and
sustainability.”
8.4.4.3 Suggestions
“At SNU, there is a similar program called the Green Leadership Program (GLP) at
the undergraduate level to increase the students’ environmental awareness and lead-
ership skills. GLP is provided for 5,000 undergraduate students at the university,
regardless of their major. Sixteen new courses have been created for the program.
At the end of 4 years, when a student takes 15 credits, or five courses, which cor-
responds to about one-tenth of the total 140 credits required for graduation, the
student will receive a green leadership certificate along with a bachelor’s degree.
After graduation, we expect the student can be not only a philosopher, economist,
sociologist, and architect, etc., but also a green leader. It has been 3 years now since
we began this program. By the end of the 2012 academic year, it is expected that we
will begin to produce the first students to receive the green leadership certificate.”
“Although of a different character, I believe GLP at SNU and APIEL at UT can
learn from each other. Of relatively recent birth, I think GLP can learn a lot from the
maturity of APIEL. On the other hand, though a great program already, APIEL may
want to seek to improve the present program towards a greater diversity in terms of
the students and subjects the students are taking. Although the two programs may
seem to be different, I think they provide possible future directions on how each
program could evolve into. Therefore, the character of each program could be com-
plementary, and as a result, I think the two can learn from each other.”
8.5 Comments from Alumni
8.5.1 Impact of APIEL on Academic and Professional

Development9
Nothing else but an apple grows on an apple tree. Likewise, everything in this world is inter-
related and one becomes a root cause of another.
Metaphorically, the author considers APIEL as an “apple tree” of her current

progress, as it has grown an “apple seed” inside her. This is because the author has
9
This subchapter was written by one of authors, Bayarlkham Byambaa, graduated from Graduate
Program in Sustainability Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
in Year 2011.
had a number of opportunities to join and become a member an APIEL unit, which
has provided her with valuable experiences and practical knowledge.
First, the author had a chance to join the Oasis Unit 2010, which was held in the middle
and lower reaches of the Heihe River basin in China. The field trip was fruitful, as the
author learned many things and practiced leadership skills throughout the whole unit. The
field exercise was very challenging and stimulating in the sense that it gave her a unique
chance to carry out and pursue her own interests with real practice. It has changed and
strengthened her views and knowledge towards the environment and human relationships,
and has motivated her a great deal to contribute to environmental conservation. The les-
sons and skills the author has acquired are very much essential to her current work as an
environmental specialist and as an activist in her home country, where there are many
similar stories to the story of watershed management in the Heihe River basin.
The experiences the author has gained through fieldwork has broadened her under-
standing and knowledge of water environments and made her confident to apply the
same approach and methodologies to her own research. A specific example of a
knowledge application from the Oasis Unit was a water quality measurement analysis
and assessment for her master’s thesis field research. Before joining the unit, the
author worried about her weak knowledge and understanding of water environments
as the author is from a social sciences background. However, the author was always
interested in becoming familiar with water quality issues and the author was longing
to conduct research using an interdisciplinary methodology, especially for water qual-
ity sampling in the field. Luckily, with the support and valuable guidance of the pro-
fessors and experts in the field throughout the unit, the author overcame her concerns
not only through the fieldwork, but also it made it possible for her to realize interests
in practice later on by applying water quality measurement analysis into her own field
research in the Zaamar goldfield in Mongolia.
Most importantly, environmental leadership education exercises have motivated
her to contribute to finding solutions for environmental problems by taking the ini-
tiative and doing her best in her future career. Experience from the Oasis Unit has
directly influenced her thoughts and actions in helping to preserve the water envi-
ronment in her home country. After returning to Mongolia, the author has re-
organized and activated NGO activities and has launched a small project for creating
a drinking water quality database at the provincial level in the South Gobi Province.
From the project, environmental officers at 15 soums (districts) in South Gobi were
provided with simple water quality testers and some knowledge and training for
drinking water quality testing. Local people are now able to conduct monthly mea-
surements at major sources of drinking water and submit their results to the moni-
toring database at the provincial center. The project is a pilot program; it has being
implemented in only one province, however, it is a pioneer in the country where
there was no permanent and long-term database for drinking water quality.
Second, as an APIEL alumna, the author was fortunate to join the Coca-Cola
Young Environmental Leaders Summit in Hokkaido on March 2012. The lessons
learned and skills acquired from the week-long intense workshop on corporate
social responsibility and the practicum on the project design matrix are very much
essential to her current work in Mongolia for the Japan International Cooperation
Agency’s Two-Step Loan Project for Small and Medium-Scaled Enterprises (SMEs)
Development and Environmental Protection. The author mostly works with SMEs
to promote long-term business loans and to help them develop and design good and
bankable projects. As well, the author assesses the environmental impact and socio-
economic benefits of the projects.
Another valuable opportunity provided to her because of her APIEL experience
was an internship at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) in Tokyo.
During the 2-month internship at the ADBI, she joined the Climate Change and
Green Asia Flagship project team and has completed a country report on climate
change mitigation for Mongolia. Thanks to this internship and helpful guidance
from her supervisor, the author was able to learn about climate change issues in
Mongolia, a topic that she was not so familiar with. Through reviewing and analyz-
ing official documents and literature on climate change mitigation in Mongolia, as
well as the development trajectory and emissions, the author has assessed the cor-
relation between CO2 emissions and economic growth by analyzing the factors
shaping the current emission scenario profiles, projected emissions, and economic
growth in 2020. The author has developed recommendations for further policy
action. Overall, her experience has deepened her understanding of climate change
issues with a special focus on climate change mitigation in Mongolia.
A recent opportunity because of her APIEL experience, which was grown from
the internship opportunity at ADBI, was participation in one of the ADBI jointly
organized events, a sub-regional workshop on Millennium Development Goals and
Post-2015 Development Agenda in the Central and East Asian countries in Almaty,
Kazakhstan, in September 2012. The author had a chance to join the discussion on
regional socio-economic and environmental development issues.
APIEL has given her a lot of opportunity, and it still does in fact. After such
beneficial experience and all the lessons the author has received through APIEL
programs, it became obvious that her future work and career would be related to
environmental leadership. The author feels that she owes a lot to APIEL for contrib-
uting to the sustainable development of Mongolia and the region. All in all, APIEL
has helped to form her ambition and vision to work in the environmental sustain-
ability field, while keeping a good balance between academic and practical views.
As time goes by, “apples” will be growing even tastier.
8.5.2 APIEL Experience and Its Relevance to One Student’s

Subsequent Activities10
In this account, an alumnus discusses how his experiences in APIEL fed into his
current career and future career plans. The author is currently training as an
10
This subchapter was written by one of authors, John Stuart Blakeney, graduated from Department
of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo in Year 2011.
accountant with a large professional services firm and volunteering with the Irish
National Trust. The APIEL includes students from diverse backgrounds with the
author’s undergraduate degree being in geography, a subject that explores the ten-
sion between human activities and development, and the natural environment, and
thus led naturally to an interest in APIEL.
8.5.2.1 The APIEL Experience
“There was a core taught element to the APIEL which familiarized students with
some of the main environmental issues which are being grappled with (particularly
in Asia) and provided analytical frameworks with which such issues can be studied.
Whilst it was important to have an understanding of the science behind the issues,
with the main focus on environmental leadership, a key learning objective was to
understand how stakeholders could be mobilized and managed to achieve particular
objectives.
“However, it was the fieldwork element of APIEL that had the greatest impact on
the students’ development. The author took part in one overseas fieldtrip in the Pearl
River Delta in China where students from a great diversity of backgrounds had the
opportunity to network. The theme of the fieldwork was trans-boundary pollution.
Given the current standoff on environmental issues between the developed and
developing worlds, it was particularly fascinating to get first-hand insights into how
political issues are dealt with in the Chinese context. This included privileged access
to sites of pollution, and policymakers and business leaders who provided details of
their own agenda and their vision for how environmental issues will be dealt with in
the coming years and decades.
“Other students took place in field units in other parts of Asia, such as Thailand,
Vietnam and Northern China. The following year participants from each of these
field units were brought together at the Young Environmental Leaders Summit held
in Hokkaido. This workshop focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and
particularly on how, in recent times, companies have sought to integrate CSR into
their core business strategies, rather than using it in a responsive way to manipulate
public opinion.
“The Green Energy Workshop included the opportunity to examine the energy
challenge faced by Japan. As part of this trip students visited a nuclear power plant
and a nearby pump-storage plant and learned how the two are used in tandem so that
the excess power generated at night by the nuclear plant can be used to provide for
generation at peak daytime hours. Debates held during this unit provided students
with a unique perspective on the controversy surrounding the future of the nuclear
industry given the context of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which shortly
followed the field unit.
“By examining such tough issues in multidisciplinary groups, those from non-
engineering backgrounds were forced to accept that ideology is constrained by what
technology will allow. At the same time, those from purely technical backgrounds
gained an understanding of externalities and the conflict that can exist between
achieving efficiency and economies of scale in production processes, whilst main-

taining democratic accountability and broad access to the benefits of technology.”
8.5.2.2 APIEL and Future Career Opportunities
“Although the program has been running for just a few years, the APIEL boasts
alumni in a wide range of fledgling careers. The author is determined to remain
engaged with environmental issues and particularly with developments in how we
power our society. Having had the opportunity to interact with businesspeople and
politicians through APIEL, the weight of money and economics in the discussion of
all the issues with which students were faced was apparent. As such, in order to have
a real impact, the author felt it was vital to be able to understand the imperatives of
the business community and this has led him to take a position as a trainee accoun-
tant. This is something he hopes to leverage in the future in either a leading business
or regulatory role in the energy sector.
“Roles in business are available to those from non-business academic back-
grounds provided they demonstrate the necessary qualities. Given the economic
climate, the job market in Ireland is extremely competitive but recruiters have
proven highly receptive to international experience and particularly to that gained
during on APIEL. Working on projects in interdisciplinary, multicultural teams is a
great challenge, and this is something that is acknowledged by businesses.
Furthermore, by equipping young people with such skills and sending them to the
global workforce, the program can have strong hopes for an extremely powerful
alumni network which will reinforce its importance.
“Active engagement in civil society is something that should be strongly encour-
aged through APIEL. The author has joined the Irish National Trust which he hopes
will allow him to stay in touch with and influence environmental policy even in the
immediate future. Again having alumni involved in NGOs and charity organizations
will provide APIEL with a great pool of experience to draw on.”
8.5.2.3 Recommendation
“There is perhaps one central facet in which the program might be further improved.
Encouragement, facilitation and perhaps compulsion of students to take on intern-
ships and work placements would be invaluable in allowing them to link into the
workforce and community on completion of their studies. Organizers should
endeavor to develop strong relationships with a diverse range of institutions who
could accept students to such positions. Such placements would also amplify the
benefits of the Young Environmental Leaders Summit as students would be capable
of bringing still more to their project groups.
“It is a credit to the largely young group of academics who have powered APIEL
behind the scenes that it has come so far in such a short space of time. Their enthu-
siasm and effort has meant that the foresight of the Japanese Government in
investing in such a program has already paid rich dividends. Provided the same
energy is dedicated to incremental improvement of the content and maintenance of
funding for APIEL, it promises to be a forum that mediates and shapes opinion on
environmental issues in Asia and further afield.”
8.5.3 The Experience of APIEL and its Impact on His

Development11
The APIEL was first organized when the author was studying at the Department of
Urban Engineering, UT. At that time, knowledge limited to one specific academic
environmental field was not enough; broad global environmental issues are becoming
more and more important. APIEL could not be a more suitable and beneficial program
for students in the environmental field. The APIEL curriculum not only consists of
compulsory courses, which lets the students have a better understanding and analysis
of environment-related problems in Asia but also consists of hands-on experience to
propose environmental solutions in the region where actual environmental problems
are occurring. Furthermore, the APIEL focuses on establishing, through collaborative
projects, a network of people in environmental fields. This is one of the keys to suc-
cess in resolving global environmental issues. The APIEL curriculum, which aims to
incubate students to have the skills to solve environmental problems based on an
interdisciplinary approach and specialized skills, really fascinated the author, making
him decide to apply. At the end of the program, his decision could not have been more
right as he has learned, accomplished, and gained a great deal.
The compulsory course for APIEL was especially meaningful. Students learned
about the global aspects of environmental issues, focusing on Asian countries such
as Japan, China, Korea and Hong Kong. The content was not limited to one aspect
but came from various aspects. It helped them create a structured methodology for
problem solving based on interdisciplinary knowledge gained from the APIEL cur-
riculum and their own specialized skills from their academic fields. The integral
knowledge was crucial for analyzing and solving global environmental issues and
the course equipped them with it.
APIEL also provides students with a good experience in fieldwork, such as the
Oasis Unit in 2009, which offered participants a chance to develop environmental
leadership skills through education and from different disciplines. In the fieldwork
for the Oasis Unit in Lanzhou Province in China, the focus was on sustainable
watershed management in arid regions. During the program, the attendees devel-
oped their environmental leadership skills through three main parts: lectures, group
work, and fieldwork.
Before the fieldwork, a lecture was delivered by a professor from CAREERI.
The professor was highly knowledgeable about the environmental problems in the
11
This subchapter was written by one of authors, Jatuwat Sangsanont, graduated from Department
of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo in Year 2011.
study area. Students gained an understanding and much insight into the environ-
mental issues, and were then capable of constructing their own strategy to identify
and solve problems. The group work was done before and during the fieldwork in
China. They had a chance to work with a diverse range of students from different
backgrounds and countries. They also learned how to exchange their knowledge and
ideas with other people from different academic backgrounds. They broadened their
perspectives through discussion. During the fieldwork, they had a field survey, vis-
ited with the government officers, and talked with local stakeholders. This was a
valuable opportunity to get hands-on experience dealing with environmental prob-
lems. After the fieldwork, APIEL provided a platform for the students to present
their proposals to the government officers, who have the authority to make policy
changes, and to get comments from them. From these comments, the students could
better understand the weak points or impractical parts of their proposal. This was
really interesting and challenging for them as students. This experience helped them
develop as environmentalists for the future.
Moreover, the students had a chance to participate in another unit: the Coca-Cola
Young Environmental Leaders Summit. This unit was held for current participants
and alumni. Participants from more than ten countries with different educational
backgrounds came together to discuss the creative corporate social responsibility
approaches. The Coca-Cola Unit challenged students to develop innovative solu-
tions for a topic that they were not familiar with. This summit was especially benefi-
cial for them to develop communication and negotiation skills. In addition, they
were able to build up their own worldwide network with young environmentalists
from different countries. This network will be valuable and beneficial for students
in the future.
The experience from APIEL had a great influence on students attending the pro-
gram, including the author for his career. He would like to be involved with environ-
mental issues in Asia, especially in the Southeast Asia region, where his home
country is located. After he got his doctoral degree in 2011, he started working as a
project researcher under the APIEL in the university. His work is concerned with
facilitating environmental educational programs. He needed to construct programs
in Asian countries with professors to help educate and incubate students to become
environmental leaders. His work focuses on such programs as sustainable water
management in Thailand and sustainable development in Cambodia. The fruitful
experiences from participating in APIEL really helped him to achieve in his job as
a facilitator. For instance, having a wide environmental perspective and understand-
ing the students’ points of view, as well as communicating and negotiating were all
essential for him to fulfill his task as an environmental facilitator and educator. In
his career, he hopes to contribute to work on a global scale in the sectors of renew-
able energy, environmental health, and water pollution, etc.
In conclusion, the APIEL provides the participating students with a valuable mul-
tidisciplinary curriculum, practical experience, and a broad network related to envi-
ronmental issues. Through the program, they are challenged to develop integrated
solutions to environmental problems. It helps reveal their weak points, such as the
knowledge and communication skills required for discussions and negotiations with
people from different academic backgrounds. They are also motivated to promote
sustainability of the environment and of society. Similar to other students, the author
really enjoyed and appreciated the program. He felt thankful to have an opportunity to
participate in this program and he hopes to work toward a sustainable future.
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
Erratum
Environmental Leadership Capacity

Building in Higher Education
Takashi Mino and Keisuke Hanaki
Editors
T. Mino and K. Hanaki (eds.), Environmental Leadership Capacity

Building in Higher Education, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54340-4,
DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54340-4_9
The publisher regrets that there was an error in an author’s name.

In pp. xi, 19, 20, 41, 93, and 105,
Kyoungjin J. An should read Kyoungjin An.
The online version of the original chapter can be found at E1

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54340-4
Index
A F
Alumni, 4, 7, 120, 127, 130–137 Field exercise, 8–17, 61, 82, 87–89,
Asia, 2, 3, 7–10, 16, 17, 22, 31–32, 41–61, 95, 98–100
97–99, 120, 132, 133, 135, 136 Fieldwork, 21, 98, 112–115, 126
C G
Career, 105, 120, 130–137 Global environmental problems, 2, 25, 31
China's environmental problems, 25, 27, 28, Group work, 7, 34, 59, 65–66, 69, 70, 72–79,
42, 43, 47, 49, 55–56, 60 84, 88, 89, 97, 98, 101, 114–116, 125,
Collaboration, 2, 3, 6, 23, 34, 43, 64, 84, 87, 135, 136
105, 116, 120–122, 124–130
H
D The Heihe River basin, 25, 27–30, 82, 85–88,
Discourse on leadership, 20, 23 122–124, 131
E I
Education, 3, 4, 16, 20–22, 25, 26, 32–35, Industrial pollution problems, 43, 51, 52,
43–49, 60, 61, 64, 76, 79, 81–91, 96, 54, 60
98, 99, 101, 106, 117, 121, 127–129, Integral approach, 27, 82–89, 91
131, 135 Interdisciplinary, 4–7, 16–17, 25, 59, 120, 121,
Environmental issues, 4–9, 16, 17, 21, 23, 131, 134, 135
25–31, 33, 43, 45, 47, 55, 60, 64, 79, Interregional, 4, 6
80–91, 96, 97, 99, 110–113, 116, 117,
120, 133–135
Environmental leadership, 2, 7–9, 17, 20–25, L
42, 46–48, 60, 131–133, 135 Leadership, 2–4, 7–9, 17, 20–26, 30, 32,
development, 4, 9, 24, 64, 77–80, 93–106, 35–38, 41–61, 63–91, 109–118, 126,
109–118 127, 129–132, 135
education, 3, 25, 81–91, 96, 117, 131 development, 4, 9, 21, 22, 24, 47, 63–80,
Environmental problem, 2, 3, 7, 21, 23, 25, 84, 93–106, 109–118
29–31, 33, 47, 51, 59, 64, 65, 87, 91, education, 3, 25, 26, 81–91, 96, 99, 117,
104–106, 110, 111, 116, 117, 120, 121, 131
124, 131, 135, 136 experience, 25

Building in Higher Education, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54340-4,
140 Index
M Stakeholder, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 22, 25, 34, 35,

Minamata disease, 42, 43, 51–55, 60 37, 38, 47, 60, 61, 66, 76, 79, 82, 84,
88–90, 104, 110, 112, 116, 117, 120,
126, 127, 133, 136
O Sustainable development, 2, 22, 25, 26, 32, 49,
ODA. See Offcial development assistance 85–87, 95, 97, 98, 110, 112, 114, 115,
(ODA) 118, 121, 122, 126, 128, 129, 132, 136
Offcial development assistance (ODA), 6, 112, Sustainable urban development, 93–106, 128
118, 128
T
Q Thailand, 9, 12, 14, 16, 35, 63–80, 120–122,
Quality of life, 57, 59, 75–77, 95, 98, 99, 101, 133, 136
102, 105 Tourism, 37, 45, 112, 114, 125, 128
R U
Resonance, 4–7, 53, 99, 119–137 Urban environmental
management, 63–80
Urban environmental problems, 63
S Urban water, 12, 35, 64–66, 68, 76, 77, 79, 121
Solid waste, 9, 64, 65, 67, 70, 75, 79, 80, 110,
112, 116, 118, 121
management, 9, 64, 66, 69, 79, 110, 112, W
116, 118 Water supply, 110, 112, 113, 118

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Takashi Mino

ISBN 978-4-431-54339-8 ISBN 978-4-431-54340-4 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013935477

Printed on acid-free paper

Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)

Tokyo, Japan Takashi Mino

1 Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders ................... 1

Tomohiro Akiyama, Keisuke Hanaki, and Takashi Mino

Keywords Asia • Education • Environmental problem • Interdisciplinary

T. Mino and K. Hanaki (eds.), Environmental Leadership Capacity 1

1.2 Core Concepts

1.2.1 Characteristics of APIEL

To resolve the complex problems mentioned above and to contribute to sustainable

1.2.2 Environmental Leadership

communities, specialist/professional groups, local and national governments and

1.2.3.1 Interdisciplinary Resonance

APIEL targets interdisciplinary resonance by providing an integrated, multidisci-

Fig. 1.1 Concept of resonance in educational program for environmental leaders

Fig. 1.2 Interdisciplinary characteristics of environmental issues

1.2.3.2 Interregional Resonance

Environmental issues have commonalty and diversity among countries or regions.

1.2.3.3 Alumni Resonance

To solve real environmental problems, coordination and consensus among the

1.3 Curriculum Structure of APIEL

To foster students’ environmental leadership, APIEL established a compulsory

1.3.1 Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia:

APIEL established a compulsory course, Environmental Challenges and Leadership

1.3.2 Field Exercises: Developing Essential Skills

1.3.3 Elective Courses: Enabling Interdisciplinary and

1.3.3.1 Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS)

Sustainability Perspectives in Environmental Issues; Strategies for Global

1.3.3.2 Department of Urban Engineering (UE)

Management of Global and Urban Environments; Water Environment Technology;

1.4 Requirements for Completing the Program

Subjects/Courses Newly Established under APIEL

Compulsory Subjects “Environmental Challenges and Leadership in Asia” 2 credits

Compulsory Elective Courses “Field Exercise” Min. 2 credits, max. 4 credits

In partnership with collaborating partners in Asian nations/regions, students are

Subjects/Courses under Degree Programs

Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Department of Urban Engineering,

Require inter-disciplinary research in support of the proposal of a new system

Fig. 1.3 Requirements for completing the program

1. Akiyama T, Li J, Onuki M (2012) Integral leadership education for sustainable development.

Tomohiro Akiyama, Kyoungjin J. An, Hiroaki Furumai,

T. Mino and K. Hanaki (eds.), Environmental Leadership Capacity 19

Keywords Discourse on leadership • Environmental issues • Environmental

2.1 Discourse on Environmental Leadership1

What is so different about environmental leadership from leadership in other areas? To

2.1.1 History of Environmental Education and the Need

Environmental education has traditionally focused on how to foster changes in individu-

A comprehensive list of readings and reports on environmental education touches

2.1.2 Evolution of Environmental Leadership Over Time

Fig. 2.1 Discourse on leadership. Adopted from Western [13]

2.1.3 Becoming an Environmental Leader

Norman L. Christensen Jr. has written his perspective on environmental leadership

communication, understanding, and collaboration among diverse disciplines and

programs may be as complex and challenging as describing the change process

2.2 Exercising Collective Leadership to Find Solutions

It is widely acknowledged that environmental problems are the problems of complexity.