Swiss Stories

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).
Lausanne Flon © Presence Switzerland

Greening Swiss cities

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With the introduction of living roofs, pocket parks and flower meadows, Swiss cities such as Geneva and Lausanne are using urban nature to help deal with climate change.
© Photo: Fabian Biasio.

A Swiss chef cooks up the forest

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

Worm composting comes to Swiss cities

Environment
A new start-up in Zurich is developing worm compost systems for domestic use. With these systems, organic waste can be easily and practically converted into excellent fertiliser at home.
Centovalli Express, Intragna, Ticino. © Swiss Travel System AG

The hidden gems of Switzerland’s public transport

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Gornergrat? Been there. Glacier Express? Done that. Fans of Switzerland already know and love the country’s public transport gems. But there are many trips and means of transport that are less well known. So, now’s the perfect time to discover some of these hidden treasures – and Switzerland has plenty.
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. 'Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health' was the theme of the United Nations International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2019. In Switzerland, many varieties of plants are stored in the national gene bank maintained by Agroscope, the Swiss centre of excellence for agricultural research.
Chasselas

Grape varieties – Swiss made

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The town of Vevey will host its renowned Winegrowers' Festival, the Fête des Vignerons, from 18 July to 11 August 2019. This event, recognised by UNESCO as 'intangible cultural heritage', pays tribute to the winemakers of Lavaux, overlooking Lake Geneva. It is also an opportunity to taste a selection of Swiss-made wines in advance, some of which have recently won international awards.