From left: John Morrill, Thomas Dannenmann,  Prof. Schönwiese

Earth Day celebration at Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce
April 22, 2008. The U.S. Consulate General, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the German Committee of Earth Day International joined forces again in organizing the celebration of Earth Day 2008 at the IHK Frankfurt.  Prof. Dr. Christian Schönwiese, an internationally renowned climate expert at Frankfurt University and collaborator of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), und John Morrill, Energy Director of the Department of Environmental Services in Arlington County, Virginia, discussed the topic of "Taking Climate Protection Into Our Own Hands:  Successes of New Grassroots Movements" with representatives of environmental organizations, private businesses, academia and the media.  Schönwiese explained the past, current and future impact of climate change on local and regional levels based on the most recent scientific research.  Morrill explained the impressive success of local and regional initiatives in the United States in their efforts to achieve and even surpass Kyoto Protocol targets.  Using Arlington County as a case study, he demonstrated how a new public environmental awareness had facilitated a fruitful cooperation between county and city governments, private companies and NGOs.  He pointed out that the quantifiable successes had received wide attention in the media (Washington Post) and politics leading to a cascade of neighboring counties and even whole states following Arlington County's example.