Swiss Stories

Swiss village over pasture

The Swiss Village Farm

Environment
Today we venture out to discover the Swiss Village Farm (SVF) Foundation, a complex of old cottages and meadows, home to the most extraordinary species of cattle, goats, sheep and hens. Four-horned rams, 'fainting' goats that keel over with fright when startled, gold-crested hens. Are these simply quirks of nature? Not in the least. These are species born from centuries of crossbreeding, experiments of breeders willing to create stronger and more resistant animals through controlled mating; species that today risk extinction, because they no longer conform to the standards of the global food industry.

by Niccolò Iorno

plastic startups

Swiss start-ups reinvent the plastics industry

Environment
As progress broadens the spectrum of technologies capable of reducing our plastic footprint, start-ups in Switzerland are making their presence felt in a bid to combine ecology with profitability.
Lake Lucerne

Combating climate change with Swiss lakes

Environment
Switzerland’s lake surface waters contain vast amounts of thermal energy, collected from the sun and stored as heat. This can be extracted and used for heating. At the same time lake water can be used as a coolant.
Chasselas

Grape varieties – Swiss made

Environment
You may be surprised to hear that Switzerland has more than 200 indigenous grape varieties. For hundreds of years now, many of these have been imported and bred by winegrowers all over the world. Among the most widespread varieties worldwide are Merlot for red wine and Chardonnay for white.
portrait sarah marquis

Sarah Marquis, always on the move

Environment
Books, lectures, and of course expeditions: Swiss explorer Sarah Marquis never stops. We caught up with her before she hit the road again.
Teaser

The national gene bank

Environment
Humanity's future depends on the diversity of the species living on our planet, as they provide present and future generations with a food source and a healthy environment. In Switzerland, many varieties of plants are stored in the national gene bank maintained by Agroscope, the Swiss centre of excellence for agricultural research.
In September 2018, GreenGT unveiled its fourth sports car, H2 Speed, developed in collaboration with Pininfarina. This makes it a racing car, but one that will complete the circuit with a hydrogen-powered engine instead © GreenGT

The future of Swiss transport is hydrogen-powered

Environment
Imagine a vehicle that emits only water vapour. Such technology has now become possible thanks to hydrogen. For over ten years, Switzerland has been an open-air laboratory for this promising renewable energy source. Several major projects led by ETH Zurich and EPFL, distribution companies and start-ups are now reaching maturity and are placing the country at the forefront of a green revolution.