Atlanta will host an international trade mission on environmental technology June 8-12.

It will focus on water and wastewater treatment systems, solid waste management and environmentally friendly building methods.

The event, sponsored by the Atlanta Development Authority, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Quebec Government Office, Canadian Consulate General in Atlanta and other members of the Atlanta consular corps, is expected to attract 100 companies from around the world, said Susan McCray, an Atlanta consultant who is one of the mission organizers.

It will coincide with a trade-related conference in Atlanta, “The Future of World Cities,” sponsored by the Asia Society, a New York based organization that promotes better relations between the United States and Asian countries.

Together the two conferences are likely to bring hundreds of international visitors to Atlanta and dozens of seminars, speeches and business meetings.

“It’s going to be a very busy week,” said Ms. McCray, who is excited about the prospect of linking Georgia companies with overseas prospects.

The Atlanta trade mission will be held at several locations, including the Metro Atlanta Chamber headquarters and World Trade Center Atlanta, both in downtown Atlanta. The mission will include business matchmaking sessions that connect international companies with local firms. It will also include sessions with experts from local universities.

At least 10 Canadian companies are expected to send representatives to Atlanta for the trade mission, said Louise Fortin, director of the Quebec government’s trade division in Atlanta.

Ms. Fortin brought a 12-member delegation from Atlanta to the Americana 2009 environmental trade show in Montreal March 17-19.

“While attending Americana in Montreal, we participated in the matchmaking program and were able to meet with many Quebec companies who
are targeting the U.S. environmental market,” said Ms. Fortin.

She met with Dany Sarrazin-Sullivan, vice president of a Canadian company, ElcoTech Inc., which makes a machine that uses electricity to remove water from the sludge left behind in the water treatment process. With less water, the sludge is easier to haul away and takes up less space in landfills. Ms. Fortin invited Mr. Sarrazin-Sullivan to attend the Atlanta trade mission in June.

Monica Moseley, area municipal services manager in the Marietta office of Republic Services Inc., a large nationwide waste management company headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., also met with Mr. Sarrazin-Sullivan at the Montreal show.

Republic Services hauls sludge for several Georgia cities to the company’s landfills. Reducing the space sludge takes up would extend the life of her company’s landfills, a plus since it is often difficult to find locations for new landfills, Ms. Moseley said.

“You’re talking 10 years at a minimum,” to find a suitable site for a new landfill, she said.

Patrick N. Corleto, a senior vice president in the Atlanta office of CH2M HILL Inc., an engineering consulting firm, met with nine firms at Americana to discuss possible business projects.

It was clear at the trade show that green technology is growing worldwide, he said.  It is becoming an integral part of the way companies conduct business, not just a marketing ploy, Mr. Corleto added.

“It’s a sea change in behavior,” he said. “It’s not just a fad.”

For more information on the June trade mission, click here.