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Ambassador Ischinger and Congressman Gutknecht Celebrate Grant to
German-American Environmental Living Center
German Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger and Congressman Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota celebrated the handing over of a grant totaling close to $700,000 to BioHaus Waldsee, a German-American environmental living center in Minnesota. Dr. Dan Hamilton, Dean of the Concordia Language Village Waldsee, presented the program's latest project at the U.S. Capitol on June 23. Established in 1961, Waldsee is the oldest of 13 language villages, all sponsored by Concordia College of Moorhead, Minnesota. Under this newest program, young Americans between the ages of 7 and 18 can learn about German language and culture and participate in environmental education in one-, two-, or four-week stays. The German Federal Foundation for the Environment (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt), one of the world's largest foundations for the promotion of innovative environmental projects, is funding the project with € 522,000, or approx. $700,000. It is the foundation's first grant to an American institution. "It's a great program. In a time when learning German is often said to be unattractive, we can't take in all the kids who want to spent their time in Waldsee to learn German. We are trying to show modern Germany – it's all about the future!" said Dan Hamilton, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Dean of Waldsee. Ambassador Ischinger visited Waldsee two years ago: "It’s been wonderful. The idea is learning from one another by understanding each other's languages. This allows us to go even further and explore other issues, such as energy conservation." Congressman Gil Gutknecht expressed gratitude to the German Federal Foundation for the Environment for providing such a generous grant and said: "This school has become internationally renowned. Programs like this foster German-American relations." The foundation's grant will mainly be used to build a Passivhaus, a highly efficient living center developed by German scientists which uses about 90 percent less energy than similar American homes. While living there, young Americans will be taught environmental awareness and encouraged to incorporate their new knowledge back home in their "normal lives." At the same time, they will have the opportunity to improve their German language skills and stay in a real "German town." During their stay, they will lead an everyday German life, purchasing goods with euros and even receiving a German name and passport of sorts. Link |
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