Impressions from the EPA International Environmental Youth Symposium 2015

At the end of our trip we finally approached the EPA Conference, the International Environmental Youth Symposium 2015, the highlight of our journey.  

The first day we learned about what the EPA is doing on climate change and we got the possibility to exchange and share our opinions and our experiences with other students from all over America and Brazil. Various lectures and presentations were at the focus on the second day. This enabled us to get an insight into topics we didn’t know that detailed before, such as climate change and safety or climate change linked to diseases. To sum up in my opinion it can be said that there are already great ideas and projects to face the problem of climate change and its consequences. However, it was obvious that it’s not enough to talk about solutions and aims, it’s just the first step. As a next step we need to become active and put our ideas into practice because there is plenty of work waiting for us.

Like Prof. Dr Heck formulated it: “We need to stop being clever but start to be wise.” It was inspiring to meet so many people who were as passionate and interested in the topic of environmental stewardship and sustainability as we are and I am grateful that I could be a part of this conference.

#LL

Attending the Youth Symposium has been a great experience that enabled me to exchange my academic knowledge with different culturally coined academic views and interdisciplinary approaches. I was amazed by the ideas and solutions to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental pollution presented by American students. The approaches and conducted research in the area were impressive and very diverse. Exchanging ideas in conversations with some of the students was inspiring and a true learning experience as I got new insights into different viewpoints and approaches. Another thing that struck me was the manner in which the symposium was conducted. Instead of the symposium consisting of one stiff presentation after another the symposium was filled with lively discussions and forms of presentations. Moreover, the way in which social media was used in order to have an ecxtended reach was quite different from what I have experienced before (official speakers took selfies with the participants, who were also encouraged to generally take selfies, and posted them on social media such as twitter and facebook). Furthermore, the U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, gave an outstanding speech.

What I appreciated most in her speech was that she pointed out that the challenges posed by climate change as well as possible solutions neither follow human borders nor elections. Instead, international cooperation and commitment is required in order to further sustainability. A viewpoint I can very much agree on and find of utmost importance with regards to COP 21.

#NC

Meeting with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)

Created in 1947 with several predecessors, the ARC is a governmentally funded regional planning agency for the City of Atlanta as well as its ten surrounding counties. Major fields of work include public transport (MARTA), water resource management (Tri-State Water Wars), innovating the region’s economy and workforce, land use and communal livability. The ARC collaborates with local governments, businesses, non-profit organizations and individual citizens.

On September 29th the Delegates met with the ARC to discuss their Green Communities Program, a voluntary certification program for the ten counties to adopt practices that reduce their impact on the environment. Local governments can earn points by choosing from a list of ten categories to implement practices which promote efficiency in energy use, including transportation and water treatment, power generation from renewables and green building practices (largely LEED and Energy Star measures).

Furthermore points can be collected by enforcing recycling and waste reduction, increasing the amount of trees and green spaces and providing education and community outreach. Measures taken then translate into a bronze, silver, gold or platinum certification for the community. If necessary and desired the ARC also provides communities with technical support and training to meet their goals. As of 2014, there have been 18 communities awarded with the Green Communities certification.

In the meeting with Green Communities principal planner Crystal Jackson the Delegates addressed some of the most pressing systemic problems of metropolitan Atlanta. Due to Atlanta’s lack of a comprehensive public transport system (MARTA’s subway system provides only four lines running in two directions) Atlantans are facing heavy traffic, particularly on and within Interstate 285 (the perimeter) which encircles the City of Atlanta and several other counties.

Consequently, the inner city’s infrastructure is predominantly laid out for automobiles, with multi-lane avenues and countless large parking grounds, making the city less walkable, less cycling friendly and causing respiratory problems for some of its dwellers. The expansion of MARTA faces opposition by some constituencies, also due to racial stereotypes, which is why it is hard to move along in this direction. Though the ARC cannot pass laws or impose taxation to combat these problems, it can bring together the region’s leaders to address them and help plan Atlanta’s future.

Our special thanks go out to Crystal Jackson, who gave us an interesting presentation on the Green Communities Program, devoted her time for our questions, and presented us with insightful information folders.

For More information on the ARC’s regional involvement and the Green Communities Initiative visit:http://www.atlantaregional.com/environment/green-communities

#NiSy

Reception in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of Germany's Unification

On Wednesday 30th September, three days before the acutal event, our delegation had the chance to celebrate the Day of German Unity. We spent the night at Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Downtown Atlanta, celebrating German Unity much more than we would have in Germany itself. We were delighted by consul Detlev Rünger giving an inspiring speech about German history during the past 25 years. But his speech was not been the only highlight that night. We not only had the chance to meet Mr Rünger once again after our Meet and Greet at the Consulate General in the beginning of our trip, we also got to see some other people again that we had met along our trip through  Atlanta and Savannah. Lea and I were pleased to spend some time with wonderful Jairo Garcia who we met at the City of Atlanta earlier that week. Having Pretzels, Weißwurst (typical Bavarian veal sausage) and Sauerkraut, we learned a lot more about the city of Atlanta. In addition, we discussed some cultural aspects of international differences in adopting ecological criteria in one's way of life. We talked about culture, moving and working abroad in general. It’s been a pleasure to us!

The reception of the German Unity is an event that I will keep in my memory for a long time. The hotel, its penthouse and rooftop terrace with the wonderful views it provides, and the great conversations we had, make the night as special as it was, hitting the whole trip’s peak.

#KJ