Swiss Stories

© Photo: Fabian Biasio.

A Swiss chef cooks up the forest

Environment
'Wizard of Entlebuch' Stefan Wiesner cooks with stone, earth, ash, wood – and ants.
gottardo

A green tunnel

Environment
With UNESCO World Heritage sites, nature reserves, an arboretum and a highly active Swiss league for nature protection, wildlife conservation is of concern to the Swiss. The plans for the Gotthard Base Tunnel were drawn up with this in mind. 152 kilometers of shafts and passages were excavated with minimal environmental damage.
90% of our food comes from the earth © Agroscope, Gabriela Brändle

Swiss Soils: A Treasure to Protect

Environment
Seemingly motionless yet very much alive, essential for the ecosystem yet fragile: as a natural resource of great ecological value, Swiss soils are at the very heart of the concerns of Agroscope and the Swiss Soil Monitoring Network (abbreviated as NABO).
Lag da Claus Surrein

When rock from the Gotthard Base Tunnel heads to the beach

Environment
After lying dormant in the heart of the mountain for several million years, a portion of the 28 million tonnes of material excavated to build the Gotthard Base Tunnel has been given a new and somewhat more exotic lease of life.
Bertrand Piccard

Bertrand Piccard - The power of dreams for the energy of tomorrow

Environment
Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss mastermind behind Solar Impulse, has harnessed his pioneering spirit and thirst for exploration for a global cause: the quality of life for future generations.
The Ocean Mapping Expedition_ Swiss sailing boat Fleur de Passion

Tracing Magellan's route

Environment
In April 2015, the Fleur de Passion, a 33-metre ketch, embarked on a four-year circumnavigation of the globe, following the route taken by famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Gottardo 2016 © Amberg Group

The Gotthard Tunnel: also a women's story

Environment
The world's longest rail tunnel, 57km long, opened on 1 June 2016. This feat of Swiss engineering, which crosses the Alps and links the cantons of Uri and Ticino, was built by AlpTransit Gotthard SA, a subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). AlpTransit has a workforce of 170, including 53 women, which makes it something of an exception in the construction and infrastructure engineering sector.