The German Consulate General is teaming up with the German Cultural Center (Goethe Zentrum) to host a panel discussion on energy-efficient buildings.

The discussion is to be free and open to the public at the cultural center in Colony Square, 1197 Peachtree St., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, beginning at 6 p.m.

“This event features a panel discussion with German and American climate and building experts that show how you can save on your energy bills and protect the environment at the same time,” according to a press release.

The discussion is being held as part of the Transatlantic Climate Bridge initiative, a program of the United States, Germany and Canada to invest in cleaner sources of energy that can create new jobs, clean up the environment and improve living standards and global security.

Speakers are to include Lutz H. Gorgens, Germany’s consul general based in Atlanta; Andreas Schuring, a policy officer at the German Ministry of Transport, Construction and Urban Development in Berlin who is charged with the promotion of energy conservation and climate protection in the building sector;

Katrin Klingenberg, executive director of the Passive House Institute in Chicago; Dennis Creech, executive director of the Southface nonprofit corporation in Atlanta that promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities and Dennis Blackburne, chief financial officer of Savannah-based Melaver Construction and Development LLC, which offers full-service general contracting.

To learn more about the discussion, contact Carmen Kristen, advisor for public affairs at the German consulate, by calling (404) 979-6409 or by sending an email to pr-100@atla.diplo.de

For more information, go www.trasatlantic-climate-bridge.org, www.passivehouse.us or www.melaver.com.

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