From the 6th to the 12th of December 2008, a delegation traveled to the cities of Boston and Atlanta in the United States where in each location a symposium for “Sustainable Energy Technology in Germany and the U.S.” took place. This delegation was composed of Mr. Bollin, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Thum and Ms. Veser from zafh.net at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences and from the Universities of Applied Sciences in Offenburg, Mannheim and Biberach as well as Mr. Baumann who represented the company E&B Consulting Engineers.

These events served to introduce the newest developments in Baden Württemberg in the area of sustainable urban development, geothermal energy use, simultaneously-run and predictive simulations as well as the research environment in Baden Württemberg, especially the work being done in the different competence centers. Mr. Baumann gave a presentation in which he compared and evaluated the current state of technology in the areas of sustainable construction and energy supply in Europe and the USA. 

The presentations in Boston at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as well as those in Atlanta were very well attended by about 60 participants with whom the presentations were met with great approval. High-ranking connections were made to research institutes, architectural as well as engineering firms, NGOs and public and bureaucratic agencies that will lead to a further exchange of expertise.

Further on a second journey was organized from 6.2. till 12.2.2009 with symposia in Toronto and Chicago.