The 10-year history of swisscleantech is a time travel through energy and climate policy. In 2009, Switzerland debated the plans of the Swiss electricity companies to expand nuclear energy. Today, Switzerland is in the middle of the process of placing its energy supply on a fully renewable basis.

"swisscleantech has helped shape Swiss energy and climate policy since its founding, both in front of and behind the scenes. We have succeeded to this day by joining forces with those economic players who recognize that decisive action is necessary and that opportunities arise from it. We were early, achieved some things, and also had to take some hits. Now it's time to tackle the next ten years, because there is still a lot to do!", says Nick Beglinger, founder and honorary president of swisscleantech.

Where the use of swisscleantech has an impact
swisscleantech's first milestones were the launch of the "Cleantech Strategy Switzerland" and the "Cleantech Energy Strategy". In these, the association made it clear that the transformation of Switzerland's energy supply is technically feasible and economically advantageous, and that this will strengthen the country as a business location overall. swisscleantech was involved in the referendum campaign for the Energy Strategy 2050 and helped to ensure that the population voted in favor of the groundbreaking law.

swisscleantech will continue to work intensively towards ensuring that Switzerland achieves CO₂-neutral. The revision of the CO₂-law is currently the focus of attention. Here, the association advocates effective climate protection and calls for a domestic reduction target of -45%.

"As a cross-industry business association, swisscleantech is committed to liberal policies that take climate protection seriously. Our goal is to establish true costs and thus to help innovation and sustainable action achieve a breakthrough. A price based on CO₂ is an essential part of this. This framework creates opportunities for innovations to establish themselves on the market, both at home and abroad," says Carsten Bopp, President of swisscleantech.

Strong growth in membership
Sustainability is an opportunity for the entire economy, and swisscleantech members are already living this today. A growing number of entrepreneurs recognize the importance of an effective climate policy: since the beginning of the year, over 100 companies have joined the association.

Anniversary event
On November 14, swisscleantech celebrates its 10th anniversary with members, friends and representatives from business and politics. The evening at the Bierhübeli in Bern is entitled "Reframe the Frame" and offers discussions, festive dinner, improv theater and much more.

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In this context, Redevco has selected four projects that will serve as examples to show exactly what "Mission 2040" means, what measures are required to make buildings CO2-neutral, and that the goals set are actually achievable. Specifically, the projects are a retail development, a housing project, an inner-city shopping center, and measures to generate renewable energy on site.

The energy efficiency of the properties managed by Redevco is to be improved as much as possible through a combination of building-material-related measures and cooperation with the tenants. In addition, the company has so always sensible already started to invest in renewable energy generation on site.

 "We believe we can make a significant contribution by improving the environmental performance of the assets we manage," Clemens Brenninkmeijer, Head of Sustainable Business Operations at Redevco, is certain. "Our industry, which is responsible for more than 30 percent of global energy consumption, has a responsibility to find solutions and reduce CO2 emissions. Redevco wants to lead by example and show what it means to act responsibly. We must start with ourselves and minimize our impact on the climate and the earth's resources."

Redevco has been certifying its portfolio according to the BREEAM In-Use method (in Germany: BREEAM Bestand) for more than ten years. To date, 84% of the assets under management are BREEAM certified - based on their value. In addition, Redevco actively improved the rating of 47 properties in 2018. Under the company's tightened sustainability criteria as part of its "Mission 2040", all redevelopments must receive a BREEAM rating of "Excellent".

With the ambitious environmental targets, Redevco is also anticipating expected stricter legislation regarding the sustainability of buildings. "BREEAM certification is not an end in itself," continues Clemens Brenninkmeijer. "We use it as a tool to measure the environmental performance of our buildings, set targets for improvements and invest specifically in the continuous upgrade of our properties. In this way, we are making them more future-proof. We are on a good path and have already learned and achieved a lot. But with legislative and market pressures likely to get tougher, we want to significantly expand our CO2 reduction efforts."

www.redevco.com

Google is launching a support program for startups committed to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The six-month program for up to ten startups from Europe and Africa provides access to training, products and technical support, and mentors.

Google Environmental Insights Explorer 

The program was announced by Kate Brandt, Google's global sustainability officer, at the Web Summit in Lisbon. There, Kate Brandt spoke about the role of technology in addressing climate change and other environmental challenges.

In her keynote address, she also highlighted the addition of 20 more cities to the Google Environmental Insights Explorer which cities can use to measure and manage their emissions.

You can find more information about the program in this english blogpost.

You can also find more information about Google's work in sustainability on our Website.

W&P Engineering AG, Zurich, and BS2 AG, Schlieren, and other participants were awarded the Swiss Solar Prize 2019. The high energy demand of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis in Ebmatingen, built in 1989, was met by an oil-fired heating system that consumed 7,000 liters annually and thereby emitted 21 tons of CO₂ emitted. It was clear to the client that this was neither ecological nor economical.

Originally planned only as a heating renovation, a variant study for the heating replacement led to a surprising solution: The improvement of the thermal insulation of the tiled roof in need of renovation and the replacement of the window glasses in the old part of the building would be sufficient, in combination with an innovative heat generation, not only to operate the church emission-free, but also to act economically advantageous.

Church with solar roof 

The commissioned architect Daniel Studer made a point of ensuring that the distinctive roof would continue to emphasize the building's delicate characteristics in its future role as an energy producer. The southwest side is fully equipped with photovoltaic-thermal modules (PVT) of the prefabricated BS2 solar roof, which was installed in one day, while a conventional PV system is installed on the northeast side. The two systems (PV + PVT) are visually uniform and generate a total of about 80 MWh of electricity and 40 MWh of heat per year.

This means that St. Francis Church has a self-energy supply of 221 percent. Of course, this is not solely due to the PV/PVT system. Only the optimally coordinated interaction of all components of the BS2 Zeleganz energy system with its geothermal probe heat pump and the seasonal regeneration of the geothermal storage tank, as well as LED lighting, ensures highly efficient, emission-free operation.

Through the use of new technology, it has been possible to combine demands for a sustainable building energy system with the desire for individual and uniform design. The jury of the Swiss Solar Prize 2019 also acknowledges this and writes: "The church renovation fulfills an exemplary function both in terms of energy and ecology. For this, the PEB church St. Franziskus Ebmatingen receives the PlusEnergieBau Solar Award 2019."

solaragentur.ch/solarprices

http://www.BS2.ch

The university aims to be a leader in sustainable development at Swiss universities, informs the University of Basel in a Communication. In a recent WWF study, the university was ranked fifth, which puts it in the upper midfield. Because the university is "always oriented toward excellence," this place is not enough, explains Jens Gaab, delegate for diversity and sustainability at the University of Basel, in the statement.

Based on a report published in the summer by its Sustainability Office, the University of Basel has now drawn up a comprehensive action plan. It is intended to help the university achieve long-term sustainability and a place among the top ranks in the next sustainability ranking. "We are not interested in temporary effects that fizzle out again," Gaab explains. The achievement of the concrete goals formulated in the action plan will be reviewed on the basis of consolidated key figures.

One of the measures relates to the electricity and thermal energy consumption of the university buildings. It currently amounts to around 54.5 gigawatt hours per year and is to be reduced by 20 percent within ten years. In addition, the university plans to integrate sustainability-related topics into teaching to a greater extent. "At the end of their studies, no student should be able to claim that they never learned anything about sustainability at our university," explains Gaab.

The 15th award ceremony of the prestigious Design Preis Schweiz has featured renowned design contenders and labels from Switzerland. In the "Energy Efficiency" category, the winner is Piëch Automotiv Group, a German-Swiss automotive company. Whose first vehicle, the Piëch Mark Zero, was recognized by the jury for its revolutionary new battery cells. The cells can be charged to 80 percent in just 5 minutes, and despite enormously high charging and discharging currents, it undergoes only "minor" thermal changes.

The technology justifies the hope that the new technical developments stimulated by the Piëch Mark Zero will have a broad impact in the foreseeable future. Surprising development approaches lead to innovative solutions in two further categories.

With "Limbic Chair", a seating instrument by Dr. med. Patrik Künzler was awarded in the category "Furniture Design", which convinced the jury because of its novel approach. The starting point for the development of this furniture was desirable mental or physical states - such as weightlessness, concentration or relaxation. For the first time, neural and emotional aspects of sitting were included in the investigation. The result is a basic technology for analog and networked furniture that enables healthy sitting.

Communication system for independent living people with limitations 

And finally, the winner in the "Product - Consumer Goods" category is "CARU Smart Sensor," an intelligent communication system for people living independently with age-related and/or health-related limitations. Put simply, it is a cross between a baby monitor, a voice-controlled telephone and an emergency call button. The device cleverly uses the possibilities of today's technology to meet the needs of its users without attracting attention or invading their privacy. In short, the award was given to solutions that not only create added value, but also solve problems in a comprehensive and practical way.

All the award-winning works are also a manifesto for the fact that design is a key economic discipline and, as a driver of innovation, plays a central role in successfully managing the ongoing transformation in all areas of life.

All information about the winners of the 2019/20 edition can be found at.
www.designpreis.ch

Shimmering fabrics, shiny surfaces and golden structures show an unusual, fascinating side of design. One section of the tenth edition of "neue räume" is all about objects of desire - irresistible objects from all areas of design that don't have to be functional or practical, things that aren't necessary, but which beautify our lives with their shine.

In a world of design, in which people like to furnish with clear and puristic objects, sometimes a dazzling, luxurious exception is needed, the organizers refer in the press text to the upcoming highlights of the design exhibition.

The anniversary special show GLAMOUR includes labels such as Vitra, Classicon, Cassina, Brokis, Creation Baumann and many more with their unique furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories. However, during the "neue räume 19" there is much more in the way of special shows and presentations and crafts from domestic climes.

BAUHAUS - Wonderhome

Van Bo Le-Mentzel is a committed lateral thinker. His latest project, a 16m2 apartment, is a research project of the Tiny Foundation and designed as a mini-house for two people. If necessary, it can be expanded in a modular fashion. The Wonderhome is the smallest room module in a city vision called "Circular City" and the successor to the prototype "100 Euro Apartment". The mobile show apartment with its Bauhaus facades, built for the international Bauhaus Year 2019, will cause a stir. In addition, furniture and lighting from the Bauhaus era will be on display.

FERTIGHÄUSER - Living in the smallest of spaces

Society is changing and with it building and architecture. In order to be prepared for the future, new ideas and concepts are needed. These considerations have given rise to a series of works with ten designs for small residential buildings. Four basic approaches from the history of art, building and crafts form the basis and are consistently applied to architecture, construction, materials, interior design and furnishings. At "neue räume 19" will be "mini-one" presented the smallest possible housing concept, the prototype of the mini house idea.

FORMFORUM - Swiss Craft & Design

Visitors to the 10th edition will also gain an exciting insight into product design and get to know the faces and stories behind high-quality craftsmanship and design. Formforum is the largest Swiss association for contemporary arts and crafts and design. It supports its members in marketing, awards outstanding designs with the quality seal formforum Masterpiece and promotes networking and mutual support.

AESOP - Fragrance and sensuality

The Australian cult label Aesop provides a seductive , olfactory experience right in the entrance area together with the well-known Swiss design studio Atelier Oï. The "Hélicoïdale" fragrance diffusers developed by Atelier Oï, which hang down and rotate and are made of thin wooden wings, exude a subtle and spicy bouquet with deep, earthy accords. The two companies Bodenschatz and Laufen complement the staging with the materials chrome steel and ceramics, which in combination with the exhibited liquid soaps by Aesop and the rotating fragrance diffusers by Atelier Oï transform the entrance area into an atmospheric airlock.

MOBILGLIAS - Regional Ideas

Graubünden is looking for design", renowned designers and schools submitted projects with reference to Graubünden. Designs were sought for furniture and furnishings suitable for everyday use, which should be made from predominantly local materials, primarily solid wood, but also iron/steel, ceramics. Leather and textiles and sustainable design objects made from local materials and produced by Graubünden craftsmen are the focus here.

The winning designs are made as prototypes by members of the Mobiglias association and are exhibited in the special show of the same name.

www.mobiglias.ch

Art without walls

Anca Munteanu Rimnic performs in the hall during "neue räume 19". She ignores walls in the process. This is not a figure of speech for Anca Munteanu Rimnic, but it describes the effect of her works. Her tool is irritation, which she sometimes uses like a demolition tool and sometimes like a scalpel. Regardless of the medium, whether sculpture, video, performance, installation or photography - the viewer is almost always presented with a situation that seems random or even arbitrary.

With enigmatic humor, she ignores walls, ceilings, and floors as well as the function of objects that are assigned a specific function in everyday life. Nothing is safe from her transformations, be it the carpet, which in the photo series "Simulanta" is a cloak, curtain, cave and creeper at the same time for the dancer, or "Ursu", the iceberg of debris from kitschy glass vases of varying degrees of dustiness, on which a shaggy creature rumbles. Anca Munteanu Rimnic,

The artist has had numerous international solo and group exhibitions, including Kunsthalle Wien, Kunstverein Braunschweig, Mönchehaus Museum Goslar, and her directorial debut at Schauspielhaus Zurich. In the context of "neue räume 19", works such as photographs, sculptures and videos can be seen.

www.neueraeume.ch

A revolution is currently taking place in secrecy, writes Rebecca Wyss in a Post in the "Blick". The newspaper has an exclusive copy of the minutes of the meeting, according to which the ETH Board wants to reorganize the federal research institutes that are subordinate to it, it continues. This should include "two of the most renowned institutes in Switzerland", WSL and Eawag, will be merged.

The ETH Board justifies the plans by saying that the merger will create "a world-class institute," the communications department of the Board of Directors in the ETH Domain is quoted as saying in the report. In particular, it is planned to "meet the major environmental problems of our time with answers from cutting-edge research," spokesman Gian-Andri Casutt explains there.

According to an anonymous letter leaked to the newspaper, however, the ETH Board primarily wants to save funds with the merger. "With the reorganization can be saved so with the federation places" is quoted from the letter. The author, who according to the newspaper belongs to the inner circle of the institutions concerned, also accuses the ETH Board of having drawn up the plans on its own without consulting the research institutes.

According to the newspaper, the ETH Board wants to tackle further planning together with the institute managements in the coming months. In the end, "politics will have the final say," the report says. Whether WSL and Eawag are actually merged will be determined in the final instance by the newly elected parliament.

Since its foundation, the VCS has been committed to environmentally and climate-friendly mobility. At the recent symposium, the transport club showed that various solutions for fossil-free mobility already exist.

Flagship models 

There are no insurmountable hurdles in the way of implementing the energy transition in transport. Since December 2018, Bernmobil has been operating a bus line with battery-electric buses. Markus Anderegg, Head of Technology at Bernmobil, reported on the first experiences with the new technology at the symposium organized by the VCS at the Stade de Suisse in Bern.

It has great potential to replace diesel buses - yet the high cost and range limitations (still) stand in the way of its widespread use.

Dr. Philipp Dietrich, CEO of H2 energy, reported in his presentation on how his company is driving the development of hydrogen mobility in Switzerland. To this end, the H2 mobility promotion association was founded, in which filling station operators and transport companies also participate. By procuring hydrogen trucks and building hydrogen filling stations, they are ensuring both supply and demand for the energy carrier.

An outlook on the long-term technical potential of solar energy and battery technologies was offered by Roland Loos, CEO of Solarstratos. With the project of a two-seater solar airplane that is to ascend to the stratosphere, Solarstratos wants to demonstrate the potential of electric drives in air traffic.

In addition to the aforementioned technological improvements to drive systems, the VCS calls for consistent measures to avoid unnecessary traffic and to shift as much traffic as possible to environmentally compatible means of transport - for example, through incentive taxes on fossil fuels, minimum shares for renewable fuels, or stricter fleet targets for new cars and for delivery vehicles and trucks.

www.fossilfreie-mobilitaet.ch