Clean, green Switzerland

Switzerland is a country synonymous with scenic Alps, posh pocketknives, fine chocolate, world-class watches, and of course, a clean environment.

According to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, Switzerland tops the global list of countries ranked by environmental performance. The country's achievements and measures in environmental protection can be seen in people's daily lives.

Swiss pavilion

The country's concept on environmental protection will be carried out in the Swiss pavilion on the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The pavilion adopts a series of hi-tech and energy-saving designs.

For example, the curtain that veils the entire 4,000-sq-m structure contains red dye solar cells. The curtain can be transparent enough to allow air and light to pass but opaque enough to cast a shadow.

The surface materials of the pavilion are bio-resin, edible materials made from fermented bean fiber. After use, the resin can be broken down into water and carbon dioxide with the residue left as fertilizer.

A natural water cycle is used to cool the cinema in the pavilion. A waterfall behind the transparent screen extracts heat, while water condensation forms on the surface, reducing the humidity of the air.

In accordance with the theme of the expo "better city, better life - city of harmony", the Swiss Pavilion is designed to show unity between city and country.

The building is divided into two parts to present "city space" and "country space" respectively. With chairlift from the ground to roof, visitors can enjoy the country sighting on the roof and feel the interaction between city and country.

"The final design of the Swiss pavilion was selected out of 120 proposals and the total investment is about CHF 24 million. This piece of work aims to best show the characteristics of modern Switzerland-pursuing excellence, innovation and high-quality life," said Manuel Salchli, deputy commissioner general of the Swiss pavilion in the Expo.

In Bern

In the streets of Bern, capital of Switzerland, you can find many buses pasted with a huge white leaf, which means they are powered by methane. The fuel cost of buses equipped with the clean fuel can be 40 percent lower than diesel oil and the methane can be produced from sewage plants. Currently, about one third of buses in Bern have adopted the clean energy.

The Swiss are the No 1 users of railways worldwide when measured by covered distance, with an average of 1,929 km per year. With advanced and dense rail networks, half of the country's adults are regular train travelers.

People's passion for trains is especially strong in Zurich, the country's biggest city and the European financial center. Although four out of five people in the city have private cars, 60 percent of residents prefer public transportation in peak hours.

Switzerland has promoted energy-saving standards and environmentally friendly buildings for many years. The buildings that use eco-friendly materials consume 25 percent less energy than ordinary buildings receive a "Minegrie" label, a certified energy-saving label issued by the government. Westside, a big shopping center in Bern, is a typical "Minegrie" complex.

In Westside, with 141,500 sq m of used space, around 50 percent of its thermal energy production is obtained from a wood chip heating system, 35 percent of its energy is from recovery of air conditioner waste heat and only 15 percent from traditional fuel.

Switzerland also takes strict measures to protect water. In the country, 97 percent of its sewage is decontaminated and all tap water can be drunk directly.

Switzerland is one of the world's top recyclers. Recyclable materials are classified considerately, and even the glasses are divided into different bins according to colors, white, brown or green.

People in Switzerland are required to buy special garbage bags for rubbish and to classify recyclable materials according to detailed regulations.

According to Swiss Info, an official website, if people throw the rubbish at random they can be fined as much as about $170.

According to the country's Federal Office for the Environment, in 2007, the recycling rate for glass bottles, pop cans and batteries reached as high as 95 percent, 90 percent and 65 percent respectively.

Childhood education

Besides government and citizens, some non-governmental organizations (NGO) are also involved in energy-saving activities. The Swiss Foundation for Environmental Management, a NGO founded in 1949, has been engaged in popularizing environmental protection courses for children for the past ten years.

With 120 teachers the foundation provides environmental protection education for students at primary and secondary schools for free. Every year, the foundation visits over 3,000 schools to teach about 70,000 students and one fourth of the students in the country have taken the course.

In Andelfingen, a primary school of Zurich, the foundation showed an environmental protection course for fifth-grade students.

Gathered in a circle, about 20 students learned about the life cycle of pop cans, from extraction of raw materials, manufacture, bottling, transportation, sale, drinking to recycling. They use cartoon trucks to "transport" the pop cans in different stages and put corresponding pictures in sequence.

"With these kind of vivid courses, it's easier for children to learn the importance of classifying rubbish to save energy and reduce environmental pollution," says Lon Karagounis, managing director of the foundation.

"Currently, students can have a three-hour environmental protection course in their second, fifth and eight grade. We aimed at students of different ages to institute different courses. Next year courses related to global warming and energy savings will be added," he says.

(China Daily 12/15/2008 page5)