I decided to divide my top 5 into different posts, since some of these might be longer than others.  So, in case you lost track…Here’s my list so far:

1.  Potsdam Bike Tour

2.  Goethe House

(Remember these are not in any particular order, although the next couple things happened to take place in Frankfurt)…..

3.  Deutsche Bank

I wanted to share more information about our visit to the Deutsche Bank offices, which I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, but didn’t go into great depth.  This was our very first official meeting of which we were required to wear our formal business attire.  After two days of no sleep and fussball watching, we cleaned up nicely!

The Deutsche Bank, is one of the main sponsors of the Transatlantic Outreach Program, so we were looking forward to hearing all about it. Aside from it being one of the most global banks, made up of employees from 140 nations, The Deutsche Bank also plays an important role as a corporate citizen.  In other words, its goal is

• to create opportunities for people through social investments,
• to encourage creativity by getting involved in art and music,
• to inspire talent through its educational program,
• to be a role model of sustainability by protecting our environment and conserving resources,
• to provide opportunities for its employees to volunteer in their local community.

Since I don’t understand a lot about investments and financial industry, I was pleased that this meeting was about more than money.  We learned about the history of the Deutsche Bank (founded in Berlin in 1870) as well as their standards for creating a “Green Building” for their new headquarters.  Their new building will have windows that can be opened or closed, to provide a more efficient air-conditioning system.  In addition, the building’s technology will prevent heat from escaping when it’s cold outside.  Their new building will also warm 50% of the water with solar energy.  Purely by using rainwater collected on the roofs, 15% of freshwater will be saved.  The building will also use daylight to light certain spaces of the offices and use energy saving lighting technology in order to reduce overall power consumption!   For example, a glass ceiling will flood the foyer with daylight.  I’m excited for the TOP participants that will get to see this new “Green Building” in future study tours.  This was definitely one of my favorite presentations.  It was truly inspiring to hear about such a huge corporation that is setting the standard not only for an environmentally-friendly headquarters, but also making social investments that might help people overcome unemployment and poverty.