The former deputy head of the German Trade Office Taipei, Andreas Gursch, was presented with a Plum Blossom Alien Permanent Residence Certificate by Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan July 9 in recognition of his contribution to bilateral ties and greening Taiwan.
“Gursch has helped promote Taiwan’s use of renewable energy sources, introducing ideas of ecology, sustainability and energy-saving,” Lee said. “He also encouraged German companies to invest in waste disposal systems for the conversion of refuse into renewable energy, making a major contribution to protecting the nation’s environment.”
Germany is at the forefront of green building technology, Lee said. Under that country’s new energy-saving construction regulations, buildings are divided into three types—energy efficient, passive and not generating greenhouse gases—so that their electricity consumption is under 5 kilowatts per person per year. Taiwan’s residential usage, at between 500 kW and 700 kW per month, shows there is considerable room for improvement.
“Taiwan has closely watched the development of Germany’s environmental protection and energy-saving technology, and Gursch’s contribution in these fields has been impressive and a model worth emulating,” Lee said.
Gursch said economic development should proceed without polluting the environment. “Taiwan’s carbon emissions are growing faster than its gross domestic product. Taiwan, however, has the world’s greatest wind power potential, and also has immense solar and geothermal power resources.”
He added that when he first became involved in Taiwan’s waste treatment, the island had no real integrated disposal system, but that its recycling was now very efficient. Gursch is happy he can permanently reside in Taiwan, become a member of the nation, and continue to contribute to the environmental cause.
