Shoppers across Switzerland have started dumping plastic wrapping at supermarkets in protest at what they see as excessive plastic packaging. The practice, which started in at a Tesco in Keynsham near Bristol in the UK in March – see video below, has spread around the world. Groups, such as Naries, the association behind a plastic […]
The Swiss town that wants to ban disposable plastic straws
The Swiss town of Neuchâtel wants to ban disposable plastic straws. The plan calls for a ban in all of the town’s bars and eateries between now and the beginning of 2019, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. The initiative, known as operation Papaille – loosely translating to no straw (paille is French for straw) […]
Switzerland second siren test this year
On 23 May 2018, Swiss hills will be alive, not with the sound of music but the sound of sirens. At 13:30 the nation’s emergency sirens will be sounded to ensure they are in full working order. An earlier test on 7 February 2018 revealed a software issue in the command centre. According to the […]
Swiss to vote on synthetic pesticide ban
In Switzerland, a popular vote, or referendum, can be launched when 100,000 signatures are collected within 18 months. A crowd-funded initiative entitled: Save Switzerland from synthetic pesticides, now has more than 140,000 signatures and will be officially lodged with the government on 25 May. The initiative hopes to ban the use of synthetic pesticides in […]
Swiss earthquake – Vevey wobbles
If you live near Vevey you might have felt a mild earthquake this morning at around 11:32 am when an earthquake measuring 2.9 struck. No damage was reported and many would not have noticed anything. An earthquake of a similar magnitude (3.1) occurred in the region at 17:30 the day before, according to Switzerland’s seismological […]
Swiss Rail drops plan to put Wi-Fi in trains
Swiss Rail has dropped plans to install Wi-Fi in its trains, according to the newspaper Le Matin. After a survey revealed that customers would only use on-board Wi-Fi it was free, the company decided there was no justifiable way to cover the cost, according the the newspaper. Swiss Rail is not prepared to bear the […]
Weeding with water instead of herbicide – is this the future?
Designed in northern Italy by the company Caffini, the water powered Grass Killer, was spotted weeding grape vines in Valais Switzerland, by the newspaper 20 Minutes. Swiss grape growers have been testing the invention for the last three years. According to Caffini, the Grass Killer hits weeds with water sprayed at a pressure of 1,000 […]
No risk from glyphosate in food, according to Swiss government
Glyphosate is the world’s most heavily used herbicide. Its largest use is in agriculture, which increased sharply after crops were genetically modified to make them resistant to the chemical. In March 2015, the IARC classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). It said there was limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans for non-Hodgkin […]
Swiss organic farming continues to grow but with big cantonal differences
Switzerland continues to shift towards organic farming. Between 2000 and 2017, the percentage of farm land dedicated to organic produce nearly doubled from 7.7% to 14.5%. After four years of decline from 2007 to 2010, Swiss organic farming took off again and has grown every year since, rising 6.6% in 2017. In 2017, the Swiss […]
Swiss government data shows sharp rise in another tick borne disease
A report published recently the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) shows a sharp increase tularemia cases, a disease spread primarily by ticks. From 2010 to 2016, an average of 31 cases of infection were recorded annually. In 2017, the number jumped to 129, a four-fold increase. 129 cases is 1.5 per 100,000. Most were […]
