Counteracting insect mortality requires the commitment of many parties: From politics to business, research, the public and civil society. The Day of Insects Switzerland is intended to make actors and activities related to insects and biodiversity visible immediately, but also in the long term, and to promote the networking of all interested parties. In this way, a network of committed people grows who work together for the well-being of insects.

It is high time to respect insects - precisely because they are sometimes fought. The animals perform many valuable functions. Edward Wilson, the renowned American entomologist, has calculated that humans could survive only a few months without insects. But the number and diversity of insects are declining dramatically: In Switzerland, Red Lists show that over 40 % of insect species are endangered and 5 % are already extinct.

In some German-speaking areas, their numbers have declined by as much as 80 %.

Ten good reasons to respect insects:
1. ecosystem: insects give nature more resilience.
2. pollination: insects keep the plant world alive.
3rd cycle: Insects are an important part of the food chain.
4. forage and food: Insects secure the world's food supply.
5. hygiene: insects rid us of "garbage".
6. soils: insects make our earth fertile.
7. clothing: Insects are indispensable for textile production.
8. industry: insects produce chemicals.
Medicine 9: Cure insects.
10. research: insects are extremely valuable scientifically.

At 1st Insect Day Switzerland more than 220 people from all over the country took part a year ago in order to network and join forces. This great response encouraged the organizers to hold the conference again.

The contributors this time include:

• Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE (Video Ambassador)
• Prof. Dr. Josef H. Reichholf, zoologist (keynote speaker)
• Dr. Yves Gonseth, info fauna
• Ulrich Veith, Mayor of the pesticide-free municipality of Mals (South Tyrol)
• Fredy Hiestand, bakery owner
• François Turrian, BirdLife Switzerland
• Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus, Insect Respect
• and more more
•  

Day of the insects Switzerland:
September 19, 2019, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Culture and Congress Center Aarau
Keynotes, Lunch, Networking, Workshops, Panel, Apéro Riche

Eve: Small helpers with a big effect
September 18, 2019, 4 - 9 pm
Naturama Aargau
16:00 - 18:00 Lectures. Location: Naturama Aargau. Cost: CHF 20.-
19:00 - 21:00 Excursion. Meeting point: Naturama Aargau. Cost: CHF 20.-

On the eve of Insect Day, the interested public meets at Naturama at 4:00 p.m. for presentations on the diverse functions of insects in our ecosystems. After a break with refreshments, a bat excursion will begin at 19:00. Here the importance of insects as food for other animals will be shown. The two events can be attended separately.

www.birdlife.ch/tag-der-insekten

Some 33,500 insect species are native to Germany - but their numbers are steadily declining due to widespread intensive agriculture. Of the 189 butterfly species currently found in Germany, 99 species are on the Red List, five species are already extinct, and a further 12 species are threatened with extinction.

In Switzerland, the situation is not far different as far as the impact of intensive agriculture on insects is concerned. Prof. Jan Christian Habel from the Chair of Terrestrial Ecology at the Technical University of Munich and Prof. Thomas Schmitt, Director of the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute in Müncheberg, Brandenburg, have worked in their teams to examine how the intensity of agricultural use specifically affects the butterfly fauna.

Reduced biodiversity in the vicinity of sprayed fields

For this purpose, the researchers recorded the occurrence of butterfly species on 21 meadow areas east of Munich. Seventeen of these areas are located in the middle of agricultural land, four in nature reserves managed in a near-natural way. The entomologists counted a total of 24 butterfly species and 864 individuals in all areas.

"On the meadows within the agricultural fields, we found an average of 2.7 butterfly species per visit; on the four study sites within the two protected areas "Dietersheimer Brenne" and "Garchinger Heide", the average was 6.6 species," adds Prof. Werner Ulrich from Copernicus University in Thorn, Poland.

Especially the specialists among the butterflies, which depend on the near-natural areas, suffered from the new conditions. The group also found more adaptable animals on the other grassland plots.

Negative effects of industrialized agriculture require rethinking

"Our results show a clear trend: near intensively cultivated, regularly sprayed fields, the diversity of butterflies and their numbers is significantly lower than in meadows near little to unused land," says the study's lead author, Dr. Jan Christian Habel

"Our study underscores the negative impact of industrialized conventional agriculture on butterfly diversity and shows that more environmentally sound farming methods are urgently needed. Further on-site investigations can also help to identify individual factors responsible for insect mortality and counteract them accordingly," concludes Schmitt.

Publication: J.C. Habel, W. Ulrich, N. Biburger, S. Seibold, and T. Schmitt
"Agricultural intensification drives butterfly decline"
Insect Conserv Divers, Feb. 7, 2019 DOI: 10.1111/icad.12343

Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12343

The amount of sawdust for the ESAF will only be produced in half a day, according to an official press release for the big festival, which will be held in Zug from August 23 to 25, 2019. Around 300,000 festival visitors are expected at the ESAF 2019, and more than 56,500 enthusiastic supporters will watch the wrestling competitions in the seven sawdust rings live on site in the specially built temporary arena, the largest stadium in Switzerland.

The Zug Method

For years, the Zug Wrestling Federation has purchased sawdust from Schilliger Holz, a traditional company in Haltikon, which belongs to the district municipality of Küssnacht am Rigi. Thanks to its wood pallet production, Schilliger Holz is able to supply a large quantity of sawdust (equivalent to approx. 400 to 500 trees). Schilliger Holz also supplies sawdust for the ESAF. The approximately 40 cubic meters of sawdust will be brought to the Zugerberg after the festival, so that the bog in Eigenried can be regenerated.

The canton of Zug has agreed to cover the transport costs. According to the so-called Zug method, bog regeneration with sawdust has been taking place on the Zugerberg for several years. Philipp Gieger, biologist and project manager for bog regeneration at the Office for Spatial Planning and Transport (Canton of Zug), developed the method together with Peter Staubli and Peter F.X. Hegglin. In the meantime, this method has been successfully applied internationally, for example in the large peatlands of northern Germany.

To regenerate peatlands, it is central to re-dam the drainage ditches. Various methods are used for this, depending on the type of peatland, soil properties and drainage technique. The Zug method is particularly suitable for simple ditches and peat soils without a large amount of wood and roots. Sawdust is low in nutrients, dimensionally stable and easy to install. The method is inexpensive and effective.

After a few weeks, water stands in the regenerated areas. Then the growth of peat mosses quickly resumes.

Example Eigenried

The Canton of Zug, Office for Spatial Planning and Transport, Nature and Landscape Department together with the Zug Corporation use the waste product from wood as a replacement for the former peat cutting. In Eigenried on the Zugerberg, the sawdust is used to fill in ditches, creating new habitats in the protected moorland in the long term.

The Eigenried is a typical rainwater raised bog. It lies on a compacted glacial moraine through which no water seeps. The peat body is not fed by groundwater, but exclusively by rainwater. Therefore, it is promising to close the drainage ditches. There are also enough remnants of the peat body to ensure the sponge function and the low nutrient content of the soil. Thus, 40 cubic meters of sawdust from the ESAF are completely returned to the natural cycle and form the basis for new peat generations in the long term.

The remaining sawdust from the ESAF is also used by the farmers in Zug. They used it for bedding the fields.

More about the "Zug Method":

https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=hoc-001:2015:28::1415

 

 

All details about the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival:

http://www.esafzug.ch

 

 

 

 

 

The scientists of this "self-control" study were able to show that people who decide "by instinct" rather than rationally perceive high self-control as inauthentic and consciously decide against it. The study has now been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Eating fruit instead of sweets, using the stairs instead of the elevator, working and studying instead of lying in the sun: self-control and discipline are seen as key success factors for achieving long-term goals such as less body weight, more fitness or even the next rung on the career ladder. But do we really always feel better and stronger when we resist temptations? Does self-control also make us happier? This question was explored by WU researcher Michail Kokkoris from the Institute of Marketing and Consumer Research together with Erik Hoelzl from the University of Cologne (GER) and Carlos Alós-Ferrer, University of Zurich (CHE).

The results of the study make it clear that self-control does not always lead to greater satisfaction with a decision. Rather, it depends on what a person sees as the legitimate basis for his or her decisions.

Type thing: temptation versus authenticity
In a total of 11 studies, the study authors investigated whether people's personality type plays a decisive role in their perception of self-control. The so-called "lay rationality" describes the tendency of a person to make decisions primarily on the basis of rational reasons rather than feelings. The results of the study showed: People with low lay rationality, i.e., who make decisions more intuitively and emotionally than rationally, find self-control or resisting temptation less satisfying than rational decision-makers.

The study authors also found the reason for this - Michail Kokkoris explains: "People who tend to rely on their feelings when making decisions feel less authentic themselves when they abstain. They feel they are suppressing their needs and desires and thus cheating themselves. Paradoxically, therefore, for them the loss of self-control simultaneously means self-discovery. Conversely, people with high lay rationality see self-control as a recipe for happiness."

Giving in to temptation does not always mean loss of control
According to the study, self-control is not just a skill, but also a person's conscious choice and preference. "It can be concluded from our study that we may not simply lose control of ourselves and eat chocolate, for example, but that we consciously choose not to exercise self-control in order to remain true to ourselves," Kokkoris said. "It remains undisputed that self-control is an important pillar of our society, yet research has so far completely ignored the fact that self-control is not perceived as exclusively positive."

About the study:
To answer their research questions, the study authors used several methods for a total of 11 studies with around 3,000 participants. For example, in one of the experimental studies, students on a diet had to choose between chocolate and carrots in a laboratory and were then asked about their feelings. For another study, study participants in the U.S. were asked shortly before Easter to keep a daily diary for a week about their temptations and feelings over the past 24 hours.

About the paper: Kokkoris, M.D., Hoelzl, E., & Alós-Ferrer, C. (2019). True to which self? Lay rationalism and decision satisfaction in self-control conflicts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117(2), 417-447.

Since the beginning, pom+Consulting AG supports its customers in the provision and management of the corresponding data throughout the entire life cycle - from the initial idea to the deconstruction or further development of real estate. In the course of digitalization the importance of data and methods like BIM grows enormously. pom+ therefore focuses on the strategic expansion of this area.

http://www.pom.ch

Alpiq and H2 Energy plan to produce hydrogen for around 50 fuel cell electric trucks using electricity from hydropower from the end of 2019. The 2-MW plant, which will be located at Alpiq's Gösgen hydropower station, is to be built by Hydrospider AG. Alpiq and H2 Energy hold equal shares in the company. A corresponding building application was submitted to the Niedergösgen municipality at the beginning of July 2019. Commissioning is planned for the end of the year.

Fuel cell electric trucks move quietly. Their ranges and payloads are comparable to diesel trucks. Since they emit only water vapor, they are environmentally friendly and travel without CO2 emissions. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks therefore play a major role in the decarbonization of heavy-duty transport, provided the hydrogen is produced from renewable energy sources.

In the future, Hydrospider plans to produce climate-friendly hydrogen for the first 50 or so of a total of 1600 fuel cell trucks in Gösgen using electricity from 100 percent hydropower. Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, a joint venture between Hyundai Motors and H2 Energy, will put these on Swiss roads by 2025.

www.alpiq.com

 

Starting the meetings with the most unimportant things

If you start with unimportant things, there is a risk of getting lost in discussions and in the end the meeting ends without you having discussed the really important things in the team.

Not thinking through and pre-planning the meeting

For me, the invitation should include a structure. And by that I don't just mean the tops (agenda items) and the start and end times, but also how much time is allocated to each item. This already leads to a good orientation and discipline when there is a lot of discussion.

So if everyone knows that only 10 minutes were planned for the current discussion point, but you are now already talking for 8 minutes, the rule is: postpone further discussion and decision or finally come to the result.

The other thing you have to think about is what are each of the points about?

Is it about informing? Is it about discussing? Is it to make a decision?

I like to mark the respective agenda item with the letter I for informing, D for discussing and E for decision. Of course, this can also be D and I: first we discuss, then we decide.

I also find it important and helpful to note who is responsible for what.

Who informs this point: do you do it as a manager? Or a certain employee? Then write the name in question in the invitation.

You want the decision to be made by the team after the discussion? Then write to the E like decision also "team".

You want the team to discuss, but you want to make the decision alone?
Then stand by it and write your name already in the invitation at the E.

In this way, it is already clear to all invitees at the time of the invitation what the respective agenda item is about. Information, discussion or decision. And with whom the respective responsibility lies.

Believe me from experience. This leads to clarity even during the meeting.

Wait to start the meeting because employees have not yet arrived?

Personally, I find this tedious: I myself make an effort to be on time, maybe even take a train earlier so that I'm on time and then they wait another 5-10 minutes for other people. If I had known this from the beginning, I would have arrived later.
Why show consideration for the unpunctual here? Why not reward the punctual for showing up on time and start accordingly as scheduled?

Overrun the meeting?

Just as you start on time, you should also finish on time.

Since you started with the most important points at the beginning of the meeting, there should hopefully be no important points left open at the end.
And even if they do: most participants don't feel like overdoing it either and get nervous towards the end, because there's enough work waiting at the desk anyway.

Just talk yourself and maybe even cut off the participants word

If you're really one of those leaders whose speaking percentage in a team meeting is 90%, you should consider what the benefit of the meeting is for everyone involved.

In this case, you will probably only inform and that, sorry, is also possible in writing. I don't need to call a meeting for that.
In a meeting is discussed, that already requires several people who speak.

In a meeting, different people with different ideas come together, aspects are examined from different angles, and those involved contribute their many years of experience.

So if you are the one who talks almost exclusively, from my point of view something is going wrong

Always run the meeting yourself?

There is a danger of cutting off others or talking too much yourself, especially if you yourself are the one preparing and conducting the meetings, i.e. also leading the discussions.
The more you relinquish leadership and let each team member lead the discussion at times, the more responsibility is distributed.

This way, every team member notices how challenging it actually is to lead the meeting. Maybe this also leads to a more positive effect on punctuality and participation in discussions.

Not only chair the meeting yourself, but also take the minutes to the meeting.

Hey, it is not written anywhere that the meeting leader must also prepare the minutes. At least, I haven't found this rule in any organizational handbook or the like.
So, as the meeting leader, make it easy on yourself and focus on running the meeting and leading the discussion. Please delegate the writing of the minutes to someone else. And by the way, you can also rotate this job, so that everyone in the team has a turn at taking the minutes.

Leave silent employees out of the discussions

There is a lot of potential buried in quieter employees. Just because they don't speak up in larger meetings doesn't mean that they don't have ideas and opinions. It is therefore all the more important to use other methods that do not rely so much on verbal expressions, but instead ask for ideas and opinions in writing. Keywords: Brainwriting/collection of ideas via moderation cards or Post-it`s.

Never question your own meeting system

A daily morning round? A weekly team meeting? Plus a 14-day status quo meeting?

Often, certain routines have crept in over the years and hardly anyone questions whether the structures and processes are still really purposeful.
So take a self-critical look at which meetings are really necessary within your team; maybe it's time for something new.

www.fitforleadership.ch

 

The results on the global study "Productivity at work: The Fuze Communications Index" is available. It shows that the latest technologies help companies increase productivity by enabling a comprehensive change in work culture.

For the study, "Productivity at Work: The Fuze Communications Index," Fuze analyzed global metadata on the use of its communications platform. The data is from January 2018 to February 2019 and relates to the use of the Fuze platform by more than 5 million users from Germany, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, India, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. A total of 2.5 million (online) meetings, 20 million phone calls and 33 million chat messages were included in the analysis.

The study shows that differences in the workforce are reflected in different preferences for communication and collaboration. By understanding their employees' preferences, companies can offer their employees the right solutions. In doing so, they create a work environment for their employees that fosters collaboration.

A key finding of the study is that meetings with video (videoconferencing) and screen sharing increase employee engagement. It also improves meeting effectiveness by reducing opportunities for multitasking, a proven productivity killer. When video or screen sharing is used during a meeting, participants stay in the meeting for an average of 87 percent of the meeting time. Without screen sharing, the figure was just 75 percent. With an average meeting time of 38.7

minutes in Europe, this increase in engagement means an additional 4.6 minutes of engagement.

"Our research shows that today's leaders not only have a responsibility to invest in technology that increases engagement," said Roland Lunck, regional vice president, Germany, at Fuze. "They are also well advised to implement integrative policies that ensure the company culture is aligned with the collaboration solutions they deploy. Executives of large enterprises need an understanding of the differences between their employees. This enables them to inspire all employees to work as effectively and productively as possible, anywhere, anytime."

The study also shows how technology can improve communication and collaboration processes and increase employee productivity. The key data and findings are:

• International meeting productivity: On average, meetings with members from one country last 19 minutes, but when team members from another country join the meeting, the meeting duration doubles to 38 minutes. With four or more countries, the meeting duration triples to 57 minutes. Meeting duration should therefore increase for each additional country added to allow for maximum productivity. In addition, organizations should consider changing calendar settings to 25 or 50 minutes. This helps ensure that meetings start on time because it gives employees time to get from one meeting to another.
• Engaging distributed teams: Meetings with video and screen sharing increase engagement, but are only used by 23 percent of users worldwide. There is potential here for companies to shape a meeting culture that improves employee engagement and productivity.

"Technology is having a big impact on our work lives," says Roopam Jain, Industry Director, Connected Work Practice at Frost & Sullivan. "It also impacts the customer experience and will continue to impact the workforce. Similarly, it will impact employee preferences and desires for flexible work arrangements. Technology leaders must invest now in workplace innovation and redesign to support tomorrow's distributed, dynamic workforce that expands as needed. This will require unprecedented connectivity and world-class user experiences to keep engagement and productivity high."

For this study, global Fuze meeting data from one year (2018) consisting of scheduled meetings (both ad-hoc and regular) were analyzed. In addition, the characteristics of phone calls, messages, and meetings of Fuze users from three months (December 2018 to February 2019) in which a user participated in at least one call and one meeting and wrote or replied to at least one message were analyzed.

The complete study, "Productivity at Work: The Fuze Communications Index," is available for download here: https://main-de.fuze.com/productivity-at-work

Investment foundations are auxiliary institutions of occupational pension plans. They are collective investment vehicles for pension funds, pillar 3a foundations and vested benefits institutions. They are subject to the provisions of the Ordinance on Investment Foundations (ASV).

The amendment to the ordinance strengthens the investors' meeting as the supreme body of the investment foundation. In particular, it is now solely responsible for electing the board of trustees. In addition, the Federal Council expands the investment options and flexibility of investment foundations. For example, the amended ordinance allows investment foundations to invest more heavily in equities than before in certain vehicles, which is necessary due to the low interest rate situation. This makes up for the competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis investment funds.

The amendment to the Ordinance on Investment Foundations will enter into force on August 1, 2019.

Source: http://www.admin.ch

 

 

Organizer	Swissmem
Title	Basic course for environmental officers
Date	Part 1 (2 days): September 17-18, 2019 Part 2 (3 days): November 5-7, 2019
Seminar duration	5 days
Location	Swissmem, Pfingstweidstrasse 102, 8005 Zurich
Seminar Objective	Gain comprehensive basic knowledge of environmental protection relevant to operations
Target audience	Environmental officers and environmental managers of industrial and service companies
Conference language	German
Topics	The Swissmem basic course for environmental officers provides a comprehensive basic knowledge of company-relevant environmental protection. Participants receive an overview of the rights and duties of environmental officers, the relevant legal bases, environmental management systems, operational life cycle assessments and environmental communication.
Seminar management	Dr. Markus Braun, http://www.nachhaltigewirtschaft.ch/
Speakers	Within five days, 17 speakers impart the basic knowledge of environmental protection relevant to business: knowledge of the law, sustainable development, eco-design, environmental management systems, CO2 management, environmental psychology and mobility management.
Number of participants	max. 25
Costs for Swissmem members	CHF 2'300.00 for Swissmem members, plus VAT CHF 2'880.00 for non-members, plus VAT incl. course documentation, refreshments during breaks and lunch
Registration deadline	Friday, 23.08.2019
Conditions of participation	The number of participants is limited; registrations will be considered in the order in which they are received. In case of cancellations after the registration deadline (Friday, 23.08.2019), there will be no reimbursement of the course costs. The company can arrange for a suitable substitute without any further costs.
Partner	The basic course is credited to the environmental manager training at SAQ-QUALICON and is recognized as a basic module for the in-service CAS Eco Economics - Sustainable Economy at the PHW Bern.
Respondent	Nicole Auer
Detailed program	Download
Data 2020	Part 1 (3 days): March 10-12, 2020 Part 2 (2 days): 31 March/1 April 2020   Please note on registration if this is for 2020.

A coworking space is a place where work is done. That is, where the work infrastructure is available. But a coworking space is also a place where social interaction takes place and a creative breeding ground emerges. A colorful mix of listening, telling, exchanging, enriching. Similar to Couchsurfing, says Christian Amstad. There are different concepts and goals for coworking spaces. But successful coworking spaces all have one common denominator: utilization. The better a coworking space is utilized, the more successful it is.

Successful coworking spaces can be recognized by their use

It's 12:00. On the second floor of the Effinger Coworking Spaces no chair is free anymore. Shy crackling of sandwich papers, quiet fork-flipping in take-away containers. Excitement and anticipation build. "Success factors of coworking spaces in rural and urban communities outside major centers. This is the title of my master's thesis." Christian Amstad begins his brownbag. During the next hour, he enlightens the interested lunch eaters about what he has been using for the last eight months on behalf of VillageOffice for his master's thesis at the HSLU Economics has been busy. We were there. An insight.

 

We take away the key takeaways from his master's thesis and look forward to sharing the VillageOffice Vision further - together with the Communities, Real estate owners, Company and Coworkers.

 

 

The new HR and finance solution from Abacus Research covers all relevant processes and business cases in the area of finance and payroll/HR of the city of St.Gallen. The software is used by employees in the school and administration of St.Gallen's largest municipality. The solution includes fully integrated archive and dossier management and also networks the administration thanks to mobile solutions. The municipality will thus be able to sustainably reduce its administrative workload. Not least, all 80,000 residents of St.Gallen will benefit from this.

Successful cooperation

The cooperation between Abacus Research and Abraxas Informatik, which was communicated in mid-2018, was concretized in a sales partnership at the beginning of 2019. Abraxas has since expanded its offering to include the entire Abacus product range and built up a competent Abacus consulting team. This collaboration is already bearing fruit in the current year: Abraxas has won around a dozen new customers for Abacus software, including now the city of St. Gallen. The joint success in the software tender proves that the partnership has advantages for both companies. For their part, users benefit from tailor-made modular solutions.

"We complement each other in an ideal way" Reto Gutmann, the CEO of Abraxas, is convinced. "Abacus Research, as a leading Swiss software house, has been an established and reliable software supplier in the public administration market for decades". Daniel Senn, member of the Abacus executive board, doubles down: "Abraxas, for its part, is a competent and experienced integrator for the introduction and training of IT solutions."

www.abacus.ch

 

Abraxas Informatics AG
Abraxas Informatik AG is the largest provider of end-to-end IT solutions for the public sector in Switzerland. The company is headquartered in St.Gallen and employs around 800 people in all language regions. Abraxas connects Swiss administrations, authorities, companies and the population with efficient, secure and integrated IT solutions and services.

Abacus Research AG
The software company Abacus Research is the Swiss market leader in the field of business software. Since 1985, it has been developing standard software tailored to the needs of Swiss SMEs. Over 40,000 companies have chosen Abacus software to date. Abacus employs 425 people throughout the group. The headquarters are located in Wittenbach-St.Gallen, the French-speaking branch is domiciled in Biel, a subsidiary is located in Thalwil-Zurich and another in Germany with offices in Munich and Hamburg.