Last summer, two mates and I set out on what turned out to be a “bridge-too-far” walking project. Switzerland is blessed with more than 60,000 km of walking trails crowned by seven iconic National Routes. The National Route 5 (which extends as the GR5 into France’s renowned “Grande Randonnée” hiking network), but is also known the […]
Switzerland set to ban the grinding of live baby chickens
Only female hens can lay eggs. Many of the hens used to produce eggs come from hatcheries that sort and dispose of the male chicks. One way some dispose of these unwanted chicks is by grinding them alive, a gruesome process known as maceration – this video shows how it’s done [WARNING: graphic footage]. Defenders […]
Swiss roofs could produce over 80% of the nation’s electricity
Information combining maps from Swisstopo with weather data from Swiss Meteo shows that if all the roofs of Switzerland’s buildings were fully equipped with solar panels they’d produce 50 tWh of electricity a year, around 83% of the 60 tWh of electricity consumed annually, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Combined with Switzerland’s […]
Swiss organic farm output doubles
Between 1999 and 2017 the amount of organic food produced on Swiss farms more than doubled. In 1999, 5.3% of Switzerland’s farm output was organic. By 2017 this figure had risen to 11.7%. In 1999, Swiss farms produced CHF 562 million worth of organic food. In 2017, they produced CHF 1.2 billion. Consumers are spending […]
Government looks at anti-sound radars in Geneva
A parliamentary commission in Geneva is considering developing a radar to measure vehicle noise. The motion, put forward by the Greens and supported by others, is aimed at the noisiest road users. 13 out of 15 political parties are in favour of the plan. Only the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) was against it. The party […]
Federal council calls for more six-lane motorways in Switzerland
Currently, only 100 km (6.8%) of Switzerland’s national motorway network has six lanes – typically three in each direction. 1,311 km (90%) of the network has four lanes, with a remaining 47 km (3.2%) consisting of five lanes. According to NZZ am Sonntag, and reported in 20 Minutes, the Federal Council wants to expand the […]
50 tonnes of plastic ends up in Lake Geneva every year
Every year around 50 tonnes of plastic ends up in Lake Geneva, according to study mandated by the Association pour la sauvegarde du Léman (ASL). Most plastic comes from litter and from plastic in rivers flowing into the lake. Only 10% of this total plastic leaves the lake via the Rhone river. The rest remains […]
Question of the week – If we exhaust the Earth we could move to Mars. But what would happen if we exhausted Mars too?
Some developing hi-tech solutions to environmental problems admit their efforts will provide only temporary breathing space if the humans continue to multiply and consume more. By this logic Mars would only provide more temporary breathing space. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Tax on flying rejected by narrow majority in Swiss parliament
Earlier this week a thin majority of Switzerland’s parliament rejected a plan to tax flights out of Switzerland. 93 voted against, 88 in favour, with 8 abstentions, according to RTS. The vote was part of a project looking at the country’s emissions rules. More than 10% of greenhouse gas emitted by Switzerland comes from flying, […]
Switzerland experiences its coldest night since last February
Tuesday night brought a chill to Switzerland. The temperature in the town of Brévine in the Jura plunged to -20 degrees. In Glattalp, another of Switzerland’s famed cold spots, the temperature went as low as -36.5 degrees. Neither Brévine (1043m) or Glattalp (1896m) are particularly high, however they both have micro climates dictated by geography […]
