Mr Dirk Scheelje will be hosted in Washington DC by the Heinrich Böll Foundation from April 15-18, 2013. Mr Scheelje works on sustainable development issues for the government of the German north coast state of Schleswig-Holstein, where he is also a board member of the local Heinrich Böll Foundation. He is an active member of the Green Party and the City Council of Kiel.

Speaking from experience of the effect that the industry has had in German North Sea ports such as Bremerhaven and Kiel, Mr Scheelje’s visit will focus on the potential for offshore wind to bring economic benefits to local communities on the US Atlantic coast. In addition to meeting with local and national policy-makers and stakeholders in DC and Maryland, Mr Scheelje will be speaking at the BlueGreen Alliance’s annual “Good Jobs Green Jobs” conference in Washington on April 16th.