Swiss Stories

Contra Dam

Swiss dams – second to none

Environment
Switzerland has more dams than any other country: the federal government is responsible for 220 major dams and the cantons for roughly 1,000 small-scale ones. This is not particularly surprising. Switzerland, with its abundance of rivers and mountains, is ideally suited to generating hydroelectricity.
Happy Genie

Swiss a-Peel

Environment
Two start-ups born in Switzerland are bringing the concepts of 'cradle-to-cradle' and 'circular economy' closer to home by giving organic waste a new, fashionable lease on life.

by Miguel Quintana

Lake Geneva

Water from Lake Geneva used to heat and cool buildings

Environment
Thermal networks can provide an environmentally sound method of heating and cooling buildings, as evidenced by the GeniLac project launched in 2009 in the canton of Geneva. The goal of the GeniLac project is to replace oil and gas-powered air conditioning and heating systems with alternative water powered systems. GeniLac is operated by power company Services industriels de Genève (SIG) and forms part of the canton of Geneva's climate strategy.

by Lea Huszno

hikers in switzerland

Switzerland: a yellow-signposted hiker's paradise

Environment
Switzerland's hiking trails are marked out by a network of more than 50,000 yellow signs. Protected by the Federal Constitution and maintained by an army of volunteers, they have become an emblem of the country's love affair with hiking.
ibex

The Swiss National Park – nature at its purest

Environment
In April 2021, the Swiss National Park became the first Swiss site to be included on the Green List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This special distinction is already inspiring other parks in Switzerland and in neighbouring regions.

by Lea Huszno

gypaète barbu

Typical fauna from the Swiss mountains

Environment
The marmot, the bearded vulture, the lynx, the wolf and the ibex are five creatures that – with a bit of luck – you might just spot in the Swiss mountains. Discover the history and stories surrounding these five species.

by Lea Huszno

© Romande Energie

World's first high-altitude floating solar farm – in the Swiss Alps

Environment
The Swiss mountain village of Bourg-Saint-Pierre has a unique claim to fame: a floating solar power plant at 1,810 metres above sea level.

by Lea Huszno