The Ambassadors of Slovakia, Nigeria and Austria (from left) plant a tree. Photo: Julian Steiner
On Friday, October 30, 2015, the Embassy of Austria planted trees as part of the Office of Foreign Missions’ (OFM) “OFM Branching Out” initiative in support of the Department’s Greening Diplomacy Initiative. Ambassador Hans Peter Manz, DCM Christian Brunmayr, the Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum Andreas Pawlitschek, and Commercial Attaché Klaus Hofstadler planted five trees in proximity of the OFM. The trees were generously sponsored by Swarovski Optik (www.swarovskioptik.com). After the event, Ambassador Manz welcomed all planting teams for lunch at the Embassy.
The event was a collaborative tree planting in which U.S. Department of State partnered with foreign diplomats, the non-profit Casey Trees, and local “citizen foresters” to plant 31 trees at the International Cultural Center (ICC), a 47-acre Department of State-owned enclave where 21 foreign missions, among them the Embassy of Austria, are located.