July 2008
Hello and willkommen once again!
Each and every year Germany and many other countries seem to enact laws that seek to regulate our behavior in some way. 2008 is no different. Germany has caught up with many other countries in passing No Smoking laws. There are also a number of "Environmental Zones" popping up in cities throughout Germany. And even the energy efficiency of where we live and work now needs to be certified. Details about these topics and other information are included in this edition of our newsletter and on the How To Germany website.
No Smoking Laws in Germany
The ban on smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants, is now nationwide in Germany. While itis up to the individual states to pass specific non-smoking laws the federal government has also done its part to reduce the number of places in which smoking is permitted through legislation.
The states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia were the last to impose the ban. The federal government doesn't have this authority, so the states had to pass the ban individually, and there are differences among them.
Environmental Zones (Umweltzonen)
German cities, under a law passed in 2006, are acquiring environmental zones (Umweltzonen); areas into which you can't drive your car unless it bears a windshield sticker certifying that it has an acceptable emission level.
There are three different stickers: a green onecertifying that the vehicle is environmentally acceptable; a yellow one for less acceptable vehicles and a red one for those that are still less acceptable. Yellow and red stickers will eventually be phased out, after which all vehicles permitted in the environmental zones will need a green sticker. The stickers are hard to counterfeit and would be destroyed in any effort to remove them from the windshield.
The Energy Certificate (Energieausweis)
Most drivers know about how much gasoline their cars use on average. The consumer takes note of the efficiency rating of a refrigerator or washing machine when about to buy one. Yet more often than not no objective information is available on the energy quality of a residential building, despite the fact that most of the energy consumed in Germany is used for heating and hot water generation in private households.
To correct this situation Germany has begun to require buildings to have an Energy Certificate (Energieausweis) whenever they are sold or leased. These bring more transparency to the real estate market and provide all market participants with reliable information on the energy requirements and energy quality of a building.
Transatlantic Letters from William Parks: Comments on German and American Culture and Society
Us and Them
Cross-cultural encounters, especially if they are problematic, always seem to revolve somehow around "us and them." As often as not, groups define themselves to some degree by way of how they differ from "the others." In this sense, the concept of "the others" or "them" is a defining element of culture. We know who we are: we're not them.
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Links of the Month
Speeding Fine Calculator
Did you get "blitzed" and expect a speeding ticket to come in the mail? If you knew how much over the speed limit you were going you can go here and calculate your fine. Select the type of vehicle and "Innerorts" if you were driving on city streets or "Ausserorts" if you were on a country road, highway or the autobahn.
Deutsche Bahn Online
Train travel is very popular in Germany. The German National Railway (Deutsche Bahn) has a great website in English with all the information you'll need to book tickets and more!
