Climate and Commerce

Day 9
 Today instead of venturing out into Strasbourg, we had Strasbourg come to us! A man by the name of Mikael Lux came to the Chateau as a representative of the city, and was the person in charge of "mission plan climate."Project eco-city: a project based on three frames: blue infrastructure (waterways), green infrastructure, and public transport infrastructure. 

Climate Plan:
To reduce greenhouse emission in order to limit climate change. A climate fund has been created out of 1% of the domestic budget which is 13.5 million euros per year. In order to reduce CO2, action needs to happen on 3 scales: internally, externally, and globally. So far, Strasbourg is on the right track to reduce CO2. An inhabitant in Strasbourg produces 7.2 tons of CO2 per year versus 14-17 tons of CO2 per inhabitant in the United States. Planning around historic buildings is a major problem for the city, and the energy for these buildings is the biggest carbon print for Strasbourg, therefore building renovation is necessary to reduce energy waste. The implementation of the climate plan includes: construction and renovation of low energy buildings, sustainable mobility, land an urban planning, and biodiversity.

Transportation Policy:
Currently, 50% of Strasbourg's residents use transportation other than cars (not including freight), and city planners are hoping to increase this number. The current tram line began in 1994; there are currently 14.8km of tram line total, and the next step is to connect this to Germany's tram system. In the beginning of the tram, the French government paid 20-40% of investment, but now they only pay 10%. The investment comes from local tax industry, collectivities from the public, and the remaining amount is from customers. The taxes used for public transportation don't come from the city alone; they are expanded to the 28 cities in the urban network around Strasbourg.

The main ideas to improve the transit system include: developing public transport around the tram network, reducing traffic in and towards the downtown area, and establishing bypass roads to reduce traffic transit. The city is able to limit traffic into downtown by putting in parking garages around the outskirt of the city that connect to free public transport, adding more pedestrian and bicycle areas, and charging a high hourly rate to park cars. A large portion of the city budget is also dedicated to buying up parking lots and converting them into more usable space. 25 car sharing stations also exist in the city. All of the transit modification preserve the historical city center while still encouraging tourism by preventing cars from coming downtown and building radial transport to connect cities outside downtown.

After the presentation at the Chateau, we traveled into downtown Strasbourg to hear a second presentation from Mr. Beckler, the assistant director of ADIRA - the Agency of Economic Development of the Alsace Region. ADIRA is a 60 year-old nonprofit organization with the goal of attracting and maintaining economic investment in the region for job creation. The Alsace region has one of the highest population densities in France, and is a center of economic strength for the county.

Economic Statistics for the Alsace Region

•  5^th highest GDP per person in France  
  
•  3^rd  highest disposable income per person 
• 3^rd excellence in public research 
• highest ratio of big company presence 
• 2^nd highest industrial concentration in France

The Alsatian key industries are automotive, agribusiness, plastics, electronics/electricity, and pharmaceutical. They are currently concentrating of development in 3 fields of excellence: vehicle of the future, therapeutic innovation, and fiber (wood and textile). Their reputation for seeking the vehicle of the future is supported by the fact that the region is home to Bugati headquarters. They also have a project with Germany to build three new data centers. Alsace is a very wealthy region, so they do not offer economic incentives to prospective companies. The belief is that if a company comes for a monetary incentive, they will leave for a better on. Alternatively, what the region has to offer serves as an incentive that cannot be duplicated. Benefits of Alsace include: 2 high speed railways, one of the largest universities, a higher quality of life (over 250 museums, bike paths, famous food and wine).

After the presentation we had free time to enjoy our last day in the city, so a group of us walked through Petite France, which is the oldest part of the city. We walked lazily while enjoying the view, taking pictures, and dodging into small shops to look at souvenirs before heading back to the Chateau for our last dinner there.

Peace, Love, and Strasbourg ~ Naomi

Pictures of the Day

 

View of Strasbourg from the window of ADIRA presentation

Cool looking train stop in the city

High speed rail!

Hippies, gotta love 'em

Archer's tower in Petite France

Houses on the river

View of Petite France

Age of the buildings

Cogeneration and the Courts

Day 8
We had yet another early start to our day as we boarded the bus for Freiburg, Germany to listen to a presentation about the city's efforts on climate protection and energy policy. The presentation was given by Klaus Hoppe, the head of the city's energy department. We talked about the efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through transportation initiatives and the effort to produce more efficient, alternative green energy.

Transporation
71% of Freiburg's residents commute by foot, bicycle, or public transportation each day. The city itself has been build around public transportation since the early 70s. Transportation is concentrated and ensures that all forms of public transportation are interconnected: bus, train, and bike bridge connect the east and west.

Climate Policy
In the 70’s the government wanted to build a nuclear power plant, but there was lots of opposition from agriculture people against industrialization so it was never built. Instead, the Institute for Solar and Energy was created as an alternative to nuclear, and a goal was set to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% in 2010. The government realized the goal would not be reached so they changed the date and target to 40% reduction by 2030.

The three pillars of climate protection policy in Germany are energy saving, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

1. To save energy, zero plus buildings have been constructed that actually produce energy and put it back into the grid. The city offers subsidies for energy efficient buildings in order to encourage these kinds of structural alterations. 
2. Increased energy efficiency has been realized through cogeneration. Cogeneration is a small generator system that produces both heat and electricity at the same time, making it 90% efficient because almost no heat is lost in production. These generators are decentralized, about the size of a car engine, and run on natural gas. 
3. Renewable energy makes up about 4% of Freiburg's total energy use. People are paid for putting solar panels on their rooftops and they are used at 27 soccer fields. Solar energy is mostly used as a public marketing device because it is not very efficient but high tech visibility is publicly popular. Wind power is also part of the renewable energy makeup, but people worry about it hurting tourism and the landscape. 

The green energy movement is also realized through city planning. The neighboring city of Vauban is also known as the Car-less City. It has been connected to railway since 2006, and no cars are allowed within the city limits. There are two public garages located outside the city and most leave their cars there and only use them for travel because they are not needed for day to day activities. In addition, the city has a low energy standard with 270 passive houses that have no energy costs and zero plus houses that actually produce energy. Heating is achieved at a district level using cogeneration, which further increases the Vauban's energy efficiency.

The fascinating presentation left us with little time to explore the city. We quickly grabbed lunch (I had a schnitzel sandwich with spicy mustard) and boarded the bus to return to Strasbourg for our next visit/lecture at the Court of Human Rights. The Court began in 1950 when the then 12 (now 47) state European Council signed the Human Rights Convention; the convention was sparked by the public release of Holocaust photos. The court has 47 full-time judges: one-per-state, nominated by parliament, once chosen are independent and have no national ties, and don't have to be citizens of the country they are nominated by. Each judge is elected for 9 years with no opportunity for reelection, and they must retire at age 70. Applicants to the Court of Human Rights are individuals suing a nation due to the denial of EC agreed upon human rights like the right to a speedy trial, the right to an education, and the right to life. For an applicant's request to be considered, they must have exhausted all national legal options. 80% (35,000) of all cases received are rejected. There are currently 140,000 pending cases of which, 50,000 require further investigation. The extensive backlog is the currently the court's largest problem; it would take 20 years with no new cases coming in to clear the docket 

At night, we had a farewell BBQ dinner and bonfire back at the Chateau to celebrate the end of our time in Strasbourg before we moved on across the river to Germany. The food was an amazing five course dinner made from all organic home garden grown ingredients, and was definitely one of the best meals I have ever had!

Peace, Love, and Strasbourg ~ Naomi

Pictures of the Day

 Schnitzel sandwich yum!

Freiburg government building where we had our presentation

One of the side streets with beautiful buildings

Wouldn't be a European city without a giant cathedral

Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

Looking up at the skylight through the center of the building

Courtroom

 Chateau bonfire

Trip guide Sven and me

Delicious roasted vegetables

Baden Baden, So Nice They Named It Twice

Day 7, Free Day 

Today was our very first free day on the trip, and there were several groups of people planning to do different things with their time. I decided to be part of the group going to Baden Baden, Germany for a relaxing day at the spa, although the work that it took to get there can be described as anything but relaxing! From Strasbourg we took two buses to the outskirt of the city, then walked across a Rhine River bridge separating France from Germany where a train station waited on the other side. The kiosk to buy the train tickets was much more complicated than our guide Sven had describe, so it took several attempts for all of us to get the right tickets. In between trains, we stopped in a small town where I got an amazing lunch of smoked salmon on a croissant.

Two train transfers, asking for directions, and another bus later, we gained entrance to the overly luxurious spa for only $14 per person! The ground floor was filled with indoor and outdoor pools of natural spring water (and jacuzzis and waterfalls), all interconnected with different jets and temperatures. There were also a couple aromatherapy steam rooms. The second level was different from the first in that it was all nude and co-ed. At first it seemed strange, but I ventured up there with a couple girls from our group and we quickly forgot about our insecurities as we enjoyed the 15 or so different saunas, which were amazing but were so hot I could actually feel my knees cooking! After our three hours at the spa, a few of us sat on the patio of a touristy Bavarian restaurant and drank beer and ate dinner (I had stuffed cabbage and apple strudel). I took a quick jog around the city to take a few pictures and see the cathedral before meeting back up with the group for our train ride home.

Policy Observations:
This being my first time in Germany, I was extremely surprised at how well everyone seemed to know English in comparison to the French. After talking with a few people, I came to find out that everyone is taught English starting in grade school. Being in Europe makes me realize how important and marketable it is to be bilingual. Under the multi-state culture of the European Union, being bilingual is just a basic expectation of society, and the United States should also embracing the cultural changes of globalization by investing in multi-lingual programs within our education system.

The transportation system was absolutely incredible! In less than two hours, we were able to make it across a national border with complete ease, all by way of public transportation. The ability to travel freely across the borders of EU nations is apparent. Unlike U.S. borders, there were no stops, no searches, no customs. I'm sure this lack of security creates its own problems, but it was amazing that crossing country borders in the EU is exactly like crossing state borders in America.

Peace, Love, and Spa Days ~ Naomi

Pictures of the Day

 Strasbourg bus

 Walking into Germany on Rhine River bridge

 Complete ticket buying confusion

 Incredible German-style lox and bagel!

 Welcome to Baden Baden!

Fountain in the main square pre-spa

Historic apartment buildings

All glass windows at the spa entrance

Children playing in the river at the park

Streets of Baden Baden

Cathedral (every city has at least one!)

 Walking back over the Rhine River bridge at night

Smart Cars and French Beer

Day Six
  After a fantastic but early Chateau breakfast of warm freshly baked bread, cheese, and the best coffee I've probably ever had, we loaded onto the bus for Hambach, France to visit the one and only Smart Car Factory. We walked through the factory and were able to follow the assembly of a car from start to finish, and as we walked I noticed the incredible cleanliness, efficiency, quietness, and happy atmosphere of the factory. Smart Car is owned by Mercedes Benz, and the plant was built in 1995. One of the really cool things about the factory is that the seven suppliers they use for parts are all on-site, which allows them to send over parts as needed. The employees work 35 hours weeks Monday-Friday in two shifts, and many of the pieces like the screws are done by hand in order to fight high unemployment in the area, which was a requirement for locating the plant where it is. Smart also gets a tax break for hiring young people. Each employee has 6 different stations and change every hour to help prevent physical strain and boredom, keeping workers at high efficiency The plant makes 428 cars/day and last year produced a total of 98,000 cars. Amazingly, all these cars are already pre-ordered, so no stock is kept on-site. 

Effective Policies Used by Smartcar

• Bulletin board used at each station for problem resolution: shows the problem, how it was addressed, and what the plan of action is for the future. Also, uses frowney and smiley faces to clearly depict performance
• Offer employees bonuses and prizes as incentives to present good ideas 
• All administrators have to do factory work for a week to get a feel for the conditions
• Provide a kindergarten for children from 3 months to 3 years old, not only for the workers but also for local families in the area. 
• All employees have 5 weeks (25 days) vacation time. Three of these weeks is when the entire factory shuts down during summer.

The Smart Cars themselves are highly efficient and environmentally friendly. The paint used on the cars has no solvent or artificial chemicals. The cars have low emissions and low fuel consumption; they get about 40 miles to the gallon on diesel fuel. Smart Cars are pretty pricey, currently ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 dollars. They have also begun production of electric car that can charge in the home in 8 hours. 

   After the factory tour, it was time to take a tour of the Kronenbourg Beer Brewery. We grabbed a quick lunch at a mall on the way to the brewery back in Strasbourg. On arrival, we first received a crash course in beer making to better understand the ingredients and process that go into brewing beer. Next, we we shown the current facilities where the beer was brewed in giant copper vats. Then, we headed underground to get a tour of the original brewery, which was built in 1664. (1664 is also the name of their most recognizable beer.) Brewers were considered chemists, and their mark was a six-pointed star representing the elements used to brew beer and the chemical reactions that must take place in the brewing process (it is identical to the Star of David). Originally, beer was only brewed in churches for religious purposes. In the original brewery, the beer was stored in oak barrels. They had a small door that was used for people to climb inside in order to clean the barrels, but the door was so small that they had to use children. Even more dangerous was that the hot beer residue inside the barrels made the children drunk, and they were required to hold a candle while cleaning to ensure there was enough oxygen to breathe. It's a good thing we have had some technology improvements in the art of beer brewing since that time! After the tour, it was finally time for a tasting! The beer was delicious and a perfect way to end the day. 


Peace, Love, and Strasbourg ~ Naomi

Pictures of the Day

In front of the Smart Car tower.

 Time to taste!

 Group cheers

 Different types of barley

 Current brewing facilities

 

The old oak barrels once used for brewing

  

 Brewer's star