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Recycling - Two Perspectives

Germans and Americans are often surprised at the recycling efforts of the other country. Americans are usually impressed with the extensive recycling industry in Germany, and Germans are often surprised that the American system is not more developed. Two fellows in the 2008 class wrote about recycling for their host newspapers - Susanne Amann wrote for The San Francisco Chronicle and Alisha Wyman wrote for the Tagesspiegel. Below are their perspectives on the recycling efforts of their host country.

By Susanne Amann (Burns 2008)

When I arrived in San Francisco from Hamburg, Germany, my landlord showed me everything in my new house, including the two trash cans: The blue one for all the recycling stuff, the black one for the rest. I was impressed - my German prejudices about American’s ecological awareness were disproved within the first hours of my arrival.

Once I started following the local news, I found San Franciscans are having a big discussion about the recycling rules. I understand those who are indignant about Mayor Gavin Newsom's idea of fining residents who don't sort their trash properly - to imagine trash police snooping around is ridiculous.

But nevertheless, I think Newsom is right. Sometimes it takes drastic measures to spotlight a drastic situation. Without a controversial proposal like this, you would never take the problem seriously. I notice that in the behavior of my roommates: Two of them use the left wastebasket for stuff heading for the blue recycling can, the other two use the right one. They discuss it again and again, but they laugh about it and nobody makes the effort to change.

From the German point of view, what you call recycling is still in the early stages of development. I will give you a short impression what we do back home: Everybody sorts paper, glass, plastic and organic waste. We don't think about it; it's just what is done. We are not allowed to throw old batteries, waste oil, unused pharmaceuticals and old varnish in the normal trash cans, but we can dispose of these products at every drugstore or supermarket. If we have bigger electronic stuff, like a broken hair dryer or an old computer, we have to deliver it to a special trash station that is easy to get to and has convenient hours of operation.

Beyond that, the consumer has to pay a deposit for most of the plastic bottles and all soda cans. It is between 20 cents and 35 cents per can or bottle. Venders who sell beverages in bottles and cans have to take back the empty containers - even small booths at local fairs or train stations.

Supermarkets are obligated to take back all kinds of packaging. Every supermarket has garbage cans for different waste, so we don’t even have to take home so much trash. For example, if I buy a new coffeemaker, I unwrap it in the shop, leave all the cardboard and Styrofoam packing there and carry home only the new kitchen utensil. The idea is not only to recycle, but to avoid producing so much waste.

I am upset about how much trash I see you producing here every day in San Francisco: The Chronicle doesn't have a proper kitchen with mugs so everybody brings his coffee from outside and uses plastic cups. The same applies to the plastic dishes - which everybody uses for their lunch - not to mention the hundreds of plastic bottles you throw away.

But that's not enough: If I buy a small bottle of water at the kiosk downstairs, I'm asked if I need a bag. I don't need a bag to carry a little bottle to my desk - and neither do you. American manufacturers seem to use extra packaging for everything - even if it is already in a paper box, like chewing gum. All that extra wrapping produces tons of garbage, which has to be transported to expensive landfills.

I think we behave differently in Germany because we were taught at an early age. We have very strict municipal laws that ban plastic dishes in universities, governmental buildings and schools. Unfortunately, as more Germans adopt the idea of having a coffee or sandwich “to go,” the laws banning plastic food containers are weakening.

You should be proud of having such an ambitious mayor - even if he sometimes overshoots. San Francisco promotes itself as a world-class, 21st century city and emphasizes that it is different from other American cities. The city calls itself more liberal, more progressive and more modern than other cities, so maybe you should start acting - not just talking - that way. It's time to start recycling in earnest.

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By Alisha Wyman (Burns 2008)

Alisha Wyman

On Saturday, I stood perplexed in the grocery store when a clerk took two of the plastic bottles I brought in and gave me back two. They were "pfandfrei," the clerk explained, a word I had yet to learn. On Sunday, I stared at the bins in my kitchen, not sure what to put where. On Monday, I realized that milk cartons can be recycled and felt guilty for throwing one away earlier.

Germany's recycling program is indeed impressive, though a bit intimidating for foreigners. The U.S. has a reputation for lagging behind, but we have made progress. From 1990 to 2004, we trimmed solid waste by 9 million tons and continue to reduce it each year. With some programs, including Germany's, there are questions as to whether the items collected are just burned instead of recycled, or whether people are properly sorting recyclables.

There's no doubt we need to do more, but what works for Germany won't necessarily work in the United States. Not because we're all stupid, lazy or apathetic - because we're different. We need to develop programs that cater to our habits and hectic lifestyles. We need them to start at the local level and spread, rather than be handed down from the national government.

A program in my home county that allows people to fill up free blue bags with recyclables and leave them to be picked up and sorted at a transfer station is one example of a simple and accessible program, though it needs refinement. A U.S. postal service pilot program elsewhere allows people to mail small electronics for free to a recycling center. In Philadelphia, garbage trucks read chips installed in recycling bins, weigh the contents and give the resident credit at certain stores such as Starbucks or Home Depot, a popular home construction store. Programs like these are blossoming and will continue to grow.

Meanwhile, when you see Americans standing baffled at the recycling bins, please help us out.

Orientation Week 2008
By Irene Trullinger (Burns 2008)

The latest class of Arthur F. Burns Fellows at a reception held during their July orientation at Ambassador Klaus Scharioth's Residence.

On one hand, it seemed that the 2008 Burns fellows were brought together in the wrong place, at the wrong time. While we gathered in Washington, D.C., for our fellowship orientation, the big story that week in both the German and American media was Barack Obama's landmark speech at the foot of Berlin's Victory Column. And there we were - a bunch of jet-lagged journalists more than 4,000 miles away from the action. And just in case we were not keenly aware of this misfortune, almost every speaker started his or her discussion with some version of "It's too bad you are all over here..."

Fortunately, the "Obama Abroad" issue always gave way to interesting discussions led by the political analysts, academics, politicians and businessmen who were kind enough to share their time and expertise with us.

The topics included climate change, the media and German-American relations. But most often, the conversation focused on the U.S. presidential elections and the economy. A conference room at the German Marshall Fund was home to many of our discussions, but the fellows were also given a unique opportunity to discuss American foreign policy with a U.S. Senator in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Room on Capitol Hill. And that is where the fellows finally made contact with Obama, or specifically they got to sit in his empty chair at the table. But the more impressive presence in the room that day was our host, veteran Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN). His affable demeanour, stories from his career, and expertise on foreign affairs were much appreciated.

At the German Marshall Fund, Fellows watch Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama give a speech in Berlin.

We were also given access to another uniquely Washington location - the Ambassador of Germany’s sleek, modern residence perched on a hilltop overlooking the city. His Excellency Klaus Scharioth hosted a lovely reception for the Burns Fellowship, giving the 2008 fellows a chance to network and mingle with Burns alumni and trustees.

Other speakers came from the German Marshall Fund, Georgetown University, The Washington Post, the Department of the Treasury and private corporations based in Germany.

The last discussion of the week was led by two Burns alumni and one Kellen Fellowship alumnus. They offered sound advice about how to dive in and get the most out of our fellowships. Food for thought to take with us on the bus ride to Airlie, Virginia.

The pool at the Airlie Conference Center in Northern Virginia was the perfect place to unwind after a week spent inside conference rooms. Everyone relaxed, enjoyed conversations both professional and personal, rode bikes, played marathon poker games, ate delicious food and enjoyed cold beverages. Despite the threat of storms in the weather forecast, nice weather held out all weekend for the fellows. Finally our timing was just right.

Here are some fellows' remembrances of the week:

Holly Pickett: I am so glad I got the chance to get to know the other fellows at orientation. What a great group of people! That was the best part for me, especially hanging out by the pool at Airlie.

Mike Giglio: As a representative of the growing segment of unemployed, or freelance, journalists, my favorite part of orientation was the free food. That more than made up for the $20 it cost me to find out that Mario Scherhaufer is a veteran card shark.

Ira Porter: The sessions were helpful but interacting with the German fellows was the most helpful. Getting tips from them, exchanging ideas...and going to the German Embassy was a once in a lifetime experience.

Achim Wendler: After three days of being oriented in transatlantic relations, I enjoyed the orientation in American leisure time. The great bicycles at Airlie were helpful as I made my way from wine-tasting to the pool and sunbathing.

Anthony Ganzer: A whirlwind orientation in Washington, D.C., brought an unbelievable amount of context to heading abroad. Speakers, bankers, politicians, lawyers, and regular ole journalists all piled into the German Marshall Fund conference room to help 20 journalists find their way to being foreign correspondents.

Click here to view more photos from the reception.

A Burns Roundtable at the DNC

Frank Loy and J.D. Bindenagel talking with Burns alumni and ICFJ's Austria fellows

Frank Loy, former Under Secretary of State, and J.D. Bindenagel, vice president of DePaul University, spoke with Burns alumni and four Austrian journalists on the U.S.-Austria Journalism Exchange Fellowship at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Burns alumni can watch video footage of this off-the-record meeting at the alumni portal page at www.burnsalumni.org.

Burnsies at the 4th Alumni Conference of Round Table USA
By Dagmar Hovestädt (Burns 1996)

How do you keep the transatlantic dialogue going? For a number of years now, 25 transatlantic organizations and foundations have come up with their answer: They make use of their own unique talent pool. Through various projects such as conferences for the alumni of their respective programs, they create a discussion forum for people particularly invested in the transatlantic dialogue.

Alumni talking in the garden at Stanford University; (from left to right) Karsten Lemm, Dagmar Hovestaedt, and Sigrid Aufterbeck

Burns alumni were again invited to participate in the 4th Alumni Conference of Round Table USA that took place June 26-29 on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, CA. They had great company - with mostly U.S. alumni from the DAAD, the Fulbright Commission, the Bosch Foundation, the Dräger Foundation, the Körber Foundation, the Bertelsmann Foundation, RIAS Commission, Atlantik Brücke, German Marshall Fund, Humboldt Foundation, Adenauer Foundation and Ebert Foundation.

Nothing less than "Societies in Transition - Adjusting to Changing Global Environments" was the title of the conference, which covered issues including immigration, health care in aging societies, global warming, religious fundamentalism and societal values. The days (and nights in the hotel bar) were packed with highly stimulating debate and discussion, as well as memories of life spent in Germany and the United States. If we gained nothing else, the conference was a great reminder of how much connects us and how much we cherish each other's company regardless of the political climate around us.

The Arthur F. Burns Fellowship News is published four times a year by the International Center for Journalists.

Burns Program Staff:

Frank-Dieter Freiling, Director, IJP
Mario Scherhaufer, Program Director, ICFJ
Maia Curtis, ICFJ Consultant
Michelle Mathew, Program Officer, ICFJ
Joi-Marie McKenzie, Communications Assistant, ICFJ

Named in honor of the late former U.S. ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany and former Federal Reserve Board chairman, the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship Program fosters greater understanding of German–U.S. relations among future leaders of the news media.

The Burns program was established in 1988 in Germany by the Internationale Journalisten-Programme (formerly the Initiative Jugendpresse) and was originally designed for young German journalists. In 1990, the fellowship expanded to include American journalists, making it a true exchange.

Each year 20 outstanding journalists from the United States and Germany are awarded an opportunity to report from and travel in each other’s countries. The program offers 10 young print and broadcast journalists from each country the opportunity to share professional expertise with their colleagues across the Atlantic while working as “foreign correspondents” for their hometown news organizations.

Fellows work as part-time staff members at host newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations. In addition to covering local news, fellows report on events for their employers back home, while learning more about
their host country and its media.

This competitive program is open to U.S. and German journalists who are employed by a newspaper, news magazine, broadcast station or news agency, and to freelancers. Applicants must have demonstrated journalistic talent and a strong interest in U.S. - European affairs. German language proficiency is not required, but is encouraged.

The Burns Fellowship program
is administered jointly by:

September 2008 | Vol. 17, No. 3

Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling

Dear Friends,

The summer is coming to an end and the political highlife is again in full gear. While Germany worries about the situation in the Caucasus, America looks to its presidential campaign. Fellows on both sides of the Atlantic have much to follow in the news this year. In addition, I hope that fellows spend their free time meeting Burns alumni and getting to know their host country better.

Quite a few American alumni had a chance to meet this year's fellows in Washington during the reception given by the German Ambassador in July. All 20 new Burns fellows were present, as well as many former and new members of the board of trustees. Frank Loy, at the moment very active as foreign affairs adviser for the Obama campaign, was re-elected as chairman of the board, and Stan Warshawsky was re-elected as vice-chairman. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, is now the longest serving trustee on the board and was in attendance, as were nearly all of the new trustees, including Marcus Brauchli, the new editor-in-chief of The Washington Post, and Kurt Bock, CFO of BASF, the German chemical giant. The next meeting of the U.S. board of trustees will be in connection with the Burns Dinner in late February in New York.

The U.S. fellows met during the first weekend of September for their mid-term evaluation meeting in Leipzig, while quite a few German and American alumni met with Frank Loy and co-trustee and former Ambassador J.D. Bindenagel during the Democratic National Convention in Denver a week earlier.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that we are starting a major new alumni activity. The Burns program will award travel and research grants annually for alumni from both sides of the Atlantic who want to cover a major transatlantic story for their home media. Each grant will provide up to $4,000 in funds. For more information, please visit the alumni portal.

All the best for the rest of your summer,

Frank-Dieter Freiling

1991
Doug Blackmon of The Wall Street Journal has published a new book entitled Slavery by Another Name (Doubleday 2008). It chronicles the history of how African-Americans were re-enslaved from the Civil War to World War II.

1993
Markus Günther will leave WAZ after eight years as their Washington correspondent to become editor-in-chief of Augsburger Allgemeine, a daily newspaper published for the Augsburg region in Bavaria. Stefan Menzel moved to Vienna on September 1 to become the new Southeast Europe Correspondent for Handelsblatt.

1998
Alisa Roth is one of eight U.S. journalists who was awarded an International Reporting Project Fellowship in Washington, D.C. Roth will participate in the eight-week fellowship that began in late August and is designed to encourage coverage of international issues by the U.S. media. Michael Streck recently published a book entitled Alles heiβe Luft - Wo die wirklichen Chancen zur Rettung des Klimas liegen (Campus 2008).

1999
Steve Kettmann has collaborated on a book with Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) entitled Letter to a New President: Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader.

2001
Susanna Ray has left Germany and returned to Chicago to work at Bloomberg News.

2002
Katrin Scheib has left Berlin to return to Dortmund where she works at Der Westen.

2003
Sascha Lehnartz will leave the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in October to become Die Welt's new correspondent in Paris. Sigrid Aufterbeck Benton and her husband Paul Benton welcomed a baby girl, Elizabeth Henriette, on September 5. The family lives in San Francisco.

2006
Steffen Schwarzkopf was nominated for a Deutscher Fernsehpreis (German TV Award) in the category "Best Foreign Correspondent" for his reporting from Kenya and Afghanistan.

2008
Mike Giglio won a Green Eyeshade award for magazine features from the Society of Professional Journalists in July 2008. Click here to read the story.

Alumni Travel and Research Grants
Rolling Deadline

Burns alumni have the opportunity to receive travel and research stipends to go on special reporting projects in Germany or the U.S.

Login to alumni portal for more information.

2009 Application Deadlines
German Applicants: February 1
U.S. Applicants: March 1

Apply Now (U.S.)
Apply Now (German)

Click here to log into the Alumni Portal. To register, please fill out this short form.

U.S. Trustees

Patron: The Honorable Klaus Scharioth
German Ambassador to the United States
Joyce Barnathan
President, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)
Elizabeth Becker
Contributor to the International Herald Tribune and German Marshall Fellow
The Honorable J.D. Bindenagel
Vice President, Community, Government & International Relations, DePaul University
Dr. Kurt Bock
Chairman and CEO, BASF USA
Marcus W. Brauchli
Executive Editor, The Washington Post
The Honorable Richard Burt
Senior Advisor, McLarty and Associates (Honorary Chairman)
Dr. Martin Bussmann
Mannheim LLC
David W. Detjen
Partner, Alston & Bird, LLP
Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling
Director, Internationale Journalisten-Programme (IJP)
Prof. Dr. Ronald Frohne
President and CEO,
GWFF USA, Inc.
James F. Hoge, Jr.
Editor, Foreign Affairs (Honorary Chairman)
Mary Jacobus
CEO, The New York Times Regional Media Group
Fred Kempe
President and CEO, The Atlantic Council of the United States
The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger
Chairman, Kissinger Associates
The Honorable Frank E. Loy
Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs (Chairman)
Senator Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator (R-Ind.)
Wolfgang Pordzik
Executive Vice President, Corporate Public Policy, DHL North America
Garrick Utley
President, Levin Institute, SUNY
Stanford S. Warshawsky
Chairman, Bismarck Capital, LLC
Legal Advisor:
Phillip C. Zane
Attorney at Law, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz

German Trustees

Patron: The Honorable William R. Timken, Jr.
U.S. Ambassador to Germany
Erik Bettermann
Director-General, Deutsche Welle
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Bettzuege
German Ambassador to Brussels
Dr. Martin Blessing
CEO, Commerzbank AG
Maria Böhmer
State Minister, Member of Parliament, CDU/CSU
Tom Buhrow
Anchorman, ARD
Sabine Christiansen
Journalist, TV21 Media
Dr. Mathias Döpfner
CEO, Axel Springer AG
Thomas Ellerbeck
Chairman, Vodafone Foundation
Gernot Erler
State Minister, Foreign Office
Leonhard F. Fischer
Partner, RHJI Swiss Management
Emilio Galli-Zugaro
Head Group Communications, Allianz Group
Tessen von Heydebreck
Chairman, Deutsche Bank Foundation (Chairman)
Luc Jochimsen
Member of Parliament, Die Linke
Lars G. Josefsson
President and CEO, Vattenfall
Hans-Werner Kilz
Editor-in-Chief, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Dr. Torsten-Jörn Klein
Board member, Gruner + Jahr AG
Carsten Maschmeyer
Chairman, AWD Holding
Bascha Mika
Editor-in-Chief, Die Tageszeitung
Kerstin Müller
Former State Minister, Member of Parliament, Buendnis 90/Die Grünen
Prof. Markus Schächter
Director-General, ZDF German TV
Helmut Schäfer
Former State Minister, Foreign Office (Honorary Chairman)
Monika Schaller
Senior Vice President, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Friede Springer
Publisher, Axel Springer AG
Franz Thönnes
State Secretary and Member of Parliament, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD)
Tobias Trevisan
CEO, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
George Weidenfeld
Former CEO, Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Dr. Guido Westerwelle
Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP)
Ulrich Wilhelm
Government Spokesman

The Arthur F. Burns Board of Trustees in the United States and Germany acknowledges with gratitude the support of the following organizations and individuals who have made the 2008 Arthur F. Burns program possible.

Sponsors in the U.S.
Alston & Bird, LLP
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC
BASF
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation
Continental Airlines
Deloitte & Touche
DHL North America
The Ford Foundation
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
GWFF USA, Inc.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The Ladenburg Foundation

Individual Contributions
John and Gina Despres
David Detjen
The Hon. Frank E. Loy
Stanford S. Warshawsky

Sponsors in Germany
Allianz AG
Auswärtiges Amt.
Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend
Deutsche Bank AG
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Gruner+Jahr AG
Ruhrgas AG
Siemens AG