Community Corner

Dispatch from Germany: Clean Energy, Urban Garden Among Mayor's Findings

Mayor Barnett is spending the week in Germany learning about city planning.

Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett has embarked on a , where he is one of seven elected officials selected to attend a series of special seminars on city planning. It's all part of the German government's "Transatlantic Climate Bridge" initiative, designed to invite U.S. leaders to exchange ideas and success stories. While there, he'll chronicle his trip for Rochester Patch.

Here's his latest report:

"The day started with a meeting at the Federal Ministry for the Environment.  Dr. Scope, the head of the Environment and Energy Division, briefed us on what the country is doing relative to energy policy.  It was an interesting time since Germany's Chancellor just reversed her opinion and declared that Germany would be nuclear-free by 2020 ... a very aggressive plan.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Lunch was at the Hotel de Rome as guests of the Federal Foreign Office.  This was a beautiful old hotel and our hosts made us feel most welcome.  They were very interested in hearing about what our communities were doing with clean energy and I was able to share our new joint venture with Oakland University Clean Energy Research Center.  It was a lively and productive discussion.

"After lunch we headed to the Berlin State Department for Urban Development for a meeting and tour.  Here we viewed huge scaled models of sections of Berlin. Residents were able to come in and view the "plan" for their area.  They also highlighted areas that had been redesigned and retrofitted for energy efficiency and those that were soon scheduled.  It is clear that they place a high value on being green and building environmentally responsible buildings.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We ended the day at the Prinzessinnengarten-an urban garden in the middle of the city.  A very unique concept where the local community is provided a plot of land in which they can grow their own vegetables.  It was located in a poor neighborhood and was done as a pilot program.  In just two years the area has become a huge source of local pride and not only grows enough vegetables for the residents but they have been able to sell excess to restaurants for profit.  A very creative use of formally vacant land."

Up next: Barnett leaves Berlin and heads to the group's next stop: Hamburg.


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