Every two years, Swissbau gathers the most important players in the planning, construction and real estate industry in Basel. In the presence of federal parliamentarians and government representatives from both Basel, Swissbau was ceremoniously opened last Tuesday. A ribbon-cut of a different kind was performed in front of the tour d'horizon of the Swiss Association of Master Builders on the exhibition square: Hans Stöckli, President of the Council of States, used a saw to cut through a construction ribbon and officially opened Swissbau 2020 with this symbolic act. In the exhibition halls, exhibitors delighted visitors with their creative and impressive trade fair presentations across all sectors.

Knowledge transfer and sustainability  
Together with 38 partners, Swissbau Focus offered the interested trade audience a relevant event and networking platform: In 80 events, the current challenges of the industry were discussed and knowledge on current topics was imparted by more than 300 speakers. The topic of sustainability in the construction industry was also omnipresent and discussed in many different ways: Renewable heating was just one of the exciting topics in the Swissbau Focus Arena. The leading partners Swissbau Focus, EnergieSchweiz and SIA, are extremely satisfied with the course of Swissbau Focus.

Platform for digital transformation
The Swissbau Innovation Lab, launched in 2018 together with the main partners Bauen Digital Schweiz, Innosuisse and SIA, puts digital building at the center of attention. Together with 77 partners from research, planning, construction and operation, an innovative staging with a novel architectural concept was implemented. A highlight of the Swissbau Innovation Lab was the iRoom with a 3D show as well as the Speakers Corner, which was launched for the first time: All partners presented their digital use cases in short pitches on the stage of the Speakers Corner and thus showed how digitalization is finding its way into their companies.

Thematic further development 
With the integration of the two trade fairs Ineltec and Sicherheit, the topics of building automation, electrical installation, energy in buildings, light and lighting technology and building security were united under one roof for the first time. Exhibitors and visitors alike see this merger as a step in the right direction. In close cooperation with leading manufacturers and opinion leaders, the trade show concept for 2022 will be further developed in line with industry needs.

As the leading trade fair for the Swiss construction and real estate industry with around 80% trade visitors, Swissbau brings together the concentrated decision-making competence of Switzerland - compressed in one place. Every two years, Swissbau is a source of inspiration, exchange platform and innovation radar for the entire Swiss planning, construction and real estate industry.

The next Swissbau will now take place over four days, from Tuesday 18 to Friday 21 January 2022 in Basel.

www.swissbau.ch/

 

 

 

 

Giving the population a voice in digitization - that is the goal of the DigitalBarometer. Because involving people is a success factor for digitization.

We live in a digitized world, however, there is also the subjective perception of individual members of the population. Established business models are challenged by digital competition, public authorities try to meet the digital needs of the population, but individuals are also confronted with rapid digital development on a daily basis.

In the case of topics such as "opinion formation" and "automation of work processes," the perception of opportunities and threats is very ambivalent: half of all respondents associate these topics with opportunities and threats in equal measure. In other areas, such as "e-voting," clear camps of opinion have formed. Here, 41% see more opportunities than threats and 32% more threats than opportunities. A clearly polarizing topic. Thanks to the DigitalBarometer, representative data is now available for all eight topics surveyed.

Hazard Perceptions 

The different perceptions of opportunities and threats are also expressed in the forms of participation and co-determination that are demanded. For example, people who associate the topic of "e-voting" with more opportunities are more likely to want to participate in pilot projects. When it comes to the topic of "automation of work processes," exciting age differences can be seen. While younger (18-34 year-olds) and older people (50-64 year-olds) are more willing to adapt their own behavior in order to keep pace with the digitization of the world of work, e.g. by means of further training, the middle age group (35-49 year-olds) is less willing.

"The annual repetition of the Digital Barometer shows how the perception of opportunities and threats is changing as the digital transformation progresses. It gives politics, research, business and civil society the opportunity to take up the current topics. For APROPOS_, it shows focal points for the next projects." (Anna-Lena Köng, Project Manager DigitalBarometer at the Risk Dialogue Foundation)

 

What is the DigitalBarometer? The annual DigitalBarometer as part of the APROPOS_ initiative of the Risk Dialog Foundation - supported by Mobiliar Genossenschaft - provides differentiated answers to the pressing questions: What is the Swiss population's perception of opportunities and threats? Where would they like to have a say, help shape and be involved? In this way, politics, research, business and civil society can specifically shape the individual applications of digitization in such a way that existing opportunities are exploited and perceived dangers are addressed.   The booklet on the DigitalBarometer 2019 has been available since November 27, 2019, including additional information at: www.apropos.swiss/de/digitalbarometer

 

The future debate must show what the possibilities are for the individual, where framework conditions are needed, and how the potential opportunities and dangers can be dealt with in concrete terms. It is important to involve both analog and digital thinkers and doers. We can build on our long experience with direct democratic participation to shape digital Switzerland together - with and for the people.

 

The ten Kennedys and the Madaster teams in Switzerland and the Netherlands are working hard to prepare the public launch of the Swiss platform in June 2020. Madaster is a global online platform on which resource-relevant data from buildings is recorded in a structured manner and made available digitally in material passports.

Thanks to this transparency, the reuse of construction waste becomes an attractive alternative to landfill. A network of international and Swiss-renowned companies along the value chain in the construction and real estate sectors is driving the dissemination of the online materials cadastre.

When it comes to the practical implementation of circular business ideas, the Circular Hub knowledge and networking platform provides support with information on the opportunities offered by the circular economy.

www.madaster.com/de

 

 

In November 2018, the total number of e-scooters in all cities was 1990, but in the same month of the survey in 2019, the number had already risen to 22,918. This is shown by a comparative study conducted annually by ZHAW students in seven European cities. Responsible for this growth by a total of 1100 percent are primarily the cities of Zurich, Copenhagen, Berlin and Vienna. In Barcelona and Paris, the numbers are only growing slowly, but a growth trend can also be seen there. London falls away in this category, as the rental of e-scooters is prohibited there. In terms of price, it is not Zurich that stands out, but Copenhagen, where a ride on an e-scooter is considerably more expensive than in the other cities.

Second most vehicles per inhabitant
Zurich does not need to hide in an international comparison when it comes to sharing offers in the mobility sector. Measured in terms of the number of inhabitants, there are more sharing vehicles available than in major cities such as Berlin, Barcelona or London. Only Paris, with around 15.7 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, is better off than Zurich with 13.5. Here, not only have e-scooters increased from 1890 to a new total of 2350 vehicles, but bike sharing has also increased by 1055 bikes to a new total of 2405 bikes. "This is all the more astonishing when you consider that Lime, a provider, has even withdrawn from bike sharing," says Transportation Systems student Lino Hafner, who led the study together with fellow student Matthias Auf der Maur. According to the ZHAW students' assessment, however, bicycles could soon be outcompeted by e-scooters. "We estimate the potential of e-scooters to be greater, as they are more user-friendly than sharing bikes and therefore appeal to more people."

 

 

Great contrasts in car sharing
This study is already the fifth annual study of "Shared Mobility" in Europe. Looking at the fleet development of car sharing from 2015 to 2019, many different development patterns emerge. While in Zurich and Barcelona the fleet numbers have hardly changed, the most extreme contrasts can be observed in Paris and Berlin. "In Paris, the carsharing market has collapsed, whereas in Berlin there are a whole eleven providers with a total of over 6000 vehicles," explains Matthias Auf der Maur. In Copenhagen and Vienna, meanwhile, the number of vehicles has risen slightly. London has recovered after a small slump and in 2019 will again have the same number of fleets as in 2015.

Since 2005, the SWISS EXCELLENCE FORUM has been honoring outstanding ethical performance in business with the Swiss Ethics Award. The focus is on achievements by organizations that assume responsibility in a special way and are actively committed to sustainable corporate governance. Five outstanding projects have been nominated for the 2020 award:

• Alternative Bank Schweiz AG, Olten Project: Climate-Active ABS
• Arbofino AG, Männedorf Wood investment with biodiversity promotion
• Forma Futura Invest AG, Zurich Project: Independent Sustainable Asset Management
• Reckhaus AG, Gais with Insect Respect
• Vatorex AG, Wiesendangen with Bee Together Bee Alive

 

Note on the award

Note: The planned Swiss Ethics Award ceremony on April 30 could unfortunately not be held due to the current Corona pandemic. The award ceremony will now take place within the framework of this Ethics Talk on September 23.

The award ceremony will take place on September 23, 2020 at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne as part of an exciting program. Dr. Marc Holitscher, Member of the Executive Board at Microsoft Switzerland will speak about "Artificial Intelligence: why we need an ethical compass". He will be a guest in the subsequent panel discussion together with Dr. Regula Pfister, entrepreneur and member of the Board of Directors, and Dr. Michael Fürst, Head Social Innovation & Strategy, Global Health & Corporate Responsibility at Novartis International AG.

 

Jury

The projects are judged by a top-class jury consisting of ethicists as well as representatives from business, science, theology and politics:

- Stephan Baer, Baer Ammann GmbH

- National Councilor Corina Eichenberger

- Paola Ghillani, Paola Ghillani & Friends Ltd.

- Prof. Dr. Markus Huppenbauer, Center for Religion, Economics

and Politics, University of Zurich

- Prof. Dr. Hans Ruh, business and social ethicist

- Prof. Dr. Peter Schaber, Ethics Center of the University of Zurich

- Dr. Christoph Weber-Berg, Reformed Regional Church of Aargau

 

Partner

The Swiss Ethics Award is supported by Holinger AG, Die Post, ibW Höhere Fachschule Südostschweiz, Luzerner Kantonalbank, Linkgroup AG, the Zentralbahn and Umwelt Perspektiven.

 

For more details please contact:

Ruth Buholzer, SWISS EXCELLENCE FORUM

(r.buholzer@excellence-forum.ch)

www.swiss-excellence-forum.ch

 

Föhn and winter storms are not rare in Switzerland: Vivian, Lothar, Evi, Burglind and similar are their names. They are a challenge for occupational safety: the cleanup work in the forests is usually very difficult. In addition to the winter storm damage, people also always come to harm.

After Lothar, 17 people had fatal accidents during the cleanup work in 2000, 14 of them in private and farm forests. In the following year, 19 people lost their lives during logging operations in the forest, and in the two years 2002 and 2003 together, another 17. The federal government reacted and set up a working group in which Suva was also represented.

Since then, private forest owners in particular have been targeted with prevention measures such as continuing education courses to raise awareness of the risks involved in "logging". Professionals are responsible for cleaning up the forests after a hurricane like Lothar.

In storm-damaged forests, with trees and tree limbs tossed, uprooted, broken, snapped, and snagged, things can get dangerous: whether it's due to difficult access in an unstable environment or unpredictable stresses from interlocking or unstable trees that can suddenly fall over, topple, or roll off.

Further information:

• Safely rig storm wood
• "Professional" in your own forest

 

The European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes a report on the state of the environment in Europe every five years. For this purpose, data are collected and analyzed that meet common criteria and therefore become comparable. Furthermore, the report discusses upcoming challenges of environmental and climate policy in European countries. Switzerland has been a member of the EEA since 2006.

The SOER Report 2020 contains data from 39 countries and covers areas such as climate, biodiversity, air, water or soil. The pressures on the environment caused by human activities are also taken into account. It shows that the loss of biodiversity, the use of resources, the effects of climate change and environmental risks to health and well-being are the current problems in Europe. Reconciling social, economic and environmental aspects will therefore be the overarching challenge to be addressed in the coming decades.

The state of Switzerland

Switzerland has achieved positive developments with regard to the cleanliness of air and water - thanks to legal requirements and technological progress. The majority of forests are healthy and sites with contaminated sites are increasingly decreasing thanks to comprehensive remediation measures. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have also been decoupled from economic growth.

There is still a great need to catch up in the area of natural resources. In particular, Switzerland achieves an unsatisfactory result in biodiversity. Of all European countries, it has the lowest proportion of protected areas in relation to its land area. Furthermore, pesticides in soil and water are increasingly polluting biodiversity. A rethink is also needed in terms of consumption and production behavior. Currently, Switzerland is more than tripling the level of environmental impact. Although Switzerland's environmental impact has decreased over the last 20 years, three quarters of Switzerland's environmental impact now originates abroad and affects the climate, biodiversity and water availability there, which in turn has a negative impact on health, well-being, natural habitats and biodiversity.

What's next?

The approach to solving the challenges just mentioned is described by Marc Chardonnens, FOEN Director, as follows: "The focus must now be on expanding, accelerating and implementing the many solutions and innovations that already exist. At the same time, additional research and development in the environmental field and adapted consumption as well as production methods are needed. Citizens must be addressed and heard so that they can support these transformations.

Also in view of the Paris Climate Agreement, the year 2020 is to be understood as an important cornerstone. The goals of the year that has just begun are:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% relative to 1990.
• 20% of the EU's energy is obtained from renewable sources
• 20% Increase in energy efficiency

Looking ahead to the years 2021-2030, these targets will become even more acute. In October 2014, European countries agreed to achieve the following climate and energy policy goals:

• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40%
• Increase share of renewable energy to at least 27%
• Increase in energy efficiency by at least 27%

As a result, Switzerland is planning a total revision of the CO2 Act for 2020. In addition, the sustainability strategy 2021-2030 will be adapted, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For the planned 50% less emissions, at least 30% are to be saved domestically and a maximum of 20% abroad. Further technological innovations, stricter regulations and incentives should make it possible. This means there is still a long way to go before the international goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees and making Switzerland climate-neutral by 2050.

To the detailed report "The European environment -state and outlook 2020" (in English) of the EEA 

 

The SEIF Awards Tech for Impact are aimed at all European impact companies that use their innovative business models and technologies to achieve the social and/or environmental UN goals, the so-called UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reach.

What is good technology?

When it comes to technological progress and global challenges, we live in a fascinating yet challenging time. Technology can be a great tool for positive change, as innovative technologies can often make a significant contribution to achieving the SDGs. Therefore, it is crucial to promote the positive potential of impact-oriented technology entrepreneurs. An award will be presented for the following four categories, each with a prize money of CHF 10,000:

• SEIF Award for Scalable Solution - supported by SEIF
• SEIF Award for Responsible Business - supported by PwC
• SEIF Award for Social Innovation - supported by UBS
• SEIF Award for Future Impact Trends - supported by Julius Baer

What is the added value?

• The total prize money of CHF 40,000. Each of the four awards receives CHF 10,000 and
• Unique opportunity to make a name for yourself internationally ("reputation")
• Gain pitch experience through a jury and relevant stakeholders
• Opportunity to present yourself to impact investors
• To become part of the SEIF network
  

Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2020 at SEIF Received 

 

 

Lothar swept across Switzerland on December 26, 1999. The hurricane brought 12.7 cubic meters of wood to the ground, according to a Media release of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) is called.

Subsequently, there has been a bark beetle infestation, so that the damage has reached a total of circa 1 billion Swiss francs. 20 years later, however, the WSL researchers also see positive consequences.

Risk of bark beetle infestation contained?  

The bark beetle infestation as a result of Lothar can be explained on the one hand by the heat in 2003 and on the other hand by the fact that a large occurrence of bark beetles is almost always recorded after storms that bring large quantities of trees to the ground. Therefore, bark beetles could again pose a threat to Swiss spruce forests precisely because of climate change.

"Three instead of two generations of beetles are then likely to develop in the Swiss Plateau, attacking weakened spruce trees," insect specialist Beat Wermelinger of WSL is quoted as saying in the release.

More robust forests could grow back 

Against this background, it is gratifying that in the places where Lothar threw large quantities of trees to the ground, young forests 10 to 15 meters high are standing again today. However, these forests are much more species-rich than was the case before Lothar. "There are many indications that climatologically robust forests are growing back here, with additional species such as oak, cherry tree and Norway maple," says WSL forest scientist Peter Brang.

In the long term, then, the catastrophic destruction of Lothar has had a stabilizing effect on the forest, WSL says. "The knowledge gained from forest practice and research after the storms helps to better understand natural forest dynamics and to recognize disturbances as an opportunity for rapid adaptation," says WSL forest ecologist Thomas Wohlgemuth.

With Ormera, Energie Wasser Bern and PostFinance are responding to the trend that more and more renewable electricity is being generated in decentralized production facilities and consumed directly on site. The new energy law that came into force in 2018 enables homeowners to "combine for self-consumption" (ZEV). This allows them, for example, to sell the self-produced solar power from their own roof directly to the residents of their property.

Transparent, efficient and secure

The option of ZEV is now widely used. However, the associated processes are costly and complex. That's why Ormera now offers a platform for energy suppliers, energy service providers, homeowners and property managers that handles electricity billing for them fully automatically, transparently and securely. It links intelligent electricity meters - so-called smart meters - as components of the Internet-of-Things with the blockchain.

There, the electricity production and consumption data is stored, processed for automatic billing and used for invoicing. The blockchain technology used for this purpose provides the ideal basis for storing and processing data in a transparent, trustworthy and secure manner. This is because data cannot be retroactively changed in the blockchain and transactions can be securely verified. This means that it even meets the high security requirements of banks.

From innovation project to startup

PostFinance and Energie Wasser Bern jointly developed the idea of smart energy billing via a blockchain as part of an innovation project. After a successful pilot phase in the fall of 2018, the platform was launched in May of this year with various partners, including the energy service providers Eniwa AG, Società Elettrica Sopracenerina SA (SES) and IB Langenthal AG.

Ormera is also working with technology partner ABB to further simplify the direct connection of measurement data and the blockchain. Since September 2019, Ormera AG, founded by PostFinance and Energie Wasser Bern, has been operating as its own start-up. (Source: ewb)

www.ormera.ch

www.strom.ch

 

The IFAT Environmental Leadership Award will not be presented until the beginning of May 2020. IFAT presents visionary technologies and intelligent solutions for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management. The exhibitors' innovations make a decisive contribution to sustainable circular economy. Exhibitors participating in IFAT can still apply.

The overall concept of a sustainable trade fair presentation will be evaluated by a jury chaired by Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich, Professor of Environmental and Energy Technology at Clausthal University of Technology, Director of INZIN - Institut für die Zukunft der Industriegesellschaft e.V. (Institute for the Future of Industrial Society) and former Chairman of the German Council of Environmental Experts.

Who may participate?

The award and distinction of the most sustainable trade fair concept will be as part of the opening event of IFAT on May 4, 2020. We have made a decision. From all the entries, we nominate ten sustainable concepts, three of which make it to the final.

Sustainable world leading trade fair 

2019 was a historic year in terms of climate justice. What will 2020 bring? (Source: ecosia.org)

What does the New Year bring in the context of forests? 2019 was marked by the worsening climate crisis. But there was not only devastating news, but also hope:

Some innovative companies like www.ecosia.org are committed to forest conservation. The most massive climate strikes in history are one thing. Ecosia has recognized that the European Union - the third largest CO2 emitter worldwide - but also the largest emitters must give in and develop a long overdue package of measures to protect trees.

It's called Ecosia, and just like Google, it wants to build a free search engine. However, Ecosia uses its profits to plant trees where they are most needed.

Ecosia is currently also working together with Swiss cinemas. For every movie ticket sold for the film "The Secret Life of Trees," one tree is planted.

Devastating forest fires

In Brazil, the the devastating forest fires by the current government even as political tool used. President Jair Bolsonaro made NGOs, not his own irresponsible environmental policy responsible for the destruction of a rainforest that is considered the lungs of the earth. Ecosia's leaders are convinced that humanity has little time left to avert an environmental catastrophe.

That is why Ecosia put trees.

2019, a record year

2019 was also a record year for tree planting.

Everywhere suddenly appeared Tree Initiatives from the Ethiopian government to Plant-for-the-Planet's "1000 Billion Trees" campaign to Mr. Beast and #TeamTree's reforestation challenges.

Scientists have even called for, Recognize reforestation as the best solution to climate change.

In 2019, according to the data, 8.5 million users switched to Ecosia to become active in the fight against the climate crisis. The supporters had made it possible to reach the incredible total of 76 million trees planted.

Your trees make depleted soils fertile again, ensure the survival of entire villages, ensure the water supply, protect biodiversity and cool the climate.