Florianne Koechlin

Florianne Koechlin (born April 26, 1948 in Pasadena , California ; resident in Basel ) is a Swiss biologist and chemist who, as an author of non-fiction, primarily deals with the topics of genetic engineering , epigenetics , plant communication and the ethical implications of modern biology.

Life

Florianne Koechlin studied biology and chemistry . She graduated with a chemistry degree from Middlebury College , Vermont , and a senior teaching degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Basel . From 1979 to the end of April 1984 she represented POCH in the district administrator of the canton of Basel-Landschaft . In the 1980s she played a key role in the protest against the planned construction of the Kaiseraugst nuclear power plant . In 1988 she was one of the founding members of the Basel appeal against genetic engineering . In 1990 she was one of the founding members of the Swiss Genetic Engineering Working Group (SAG), an umbrella organization of around twenty Swiss associations from the fields of the environment, nature conservation, animal welfare, medicine, development work, organic farming and consumer protection. In 1992 she was a member of the initiative committee of the Federal People's Initiative "to protect life and the environment from genetic manipulation (gene protection initiative)" , which was rejected in 1998 with 66.7 percent no votes. In 1995 she played a leading role in founding GENET, a Europe-wide network of NGOs critical of genetic engineering. In January 1999 she founded the Blue Institute, which deals with the “critical assessment of genetic engineering projects and developments” and of which she is the managing director to this day. Since 2000 she has been the editor in charge of the fortnightly published Genech-News.

For many years (from 1972 to 2000 at the latest) she was a member of the board of trustees of WWF Switzerland . She has been a board member of Swissaid since 2007 . She is a member of the board of trustees of the Agriculture Foundation (Germany). From March 15, 1999 to the end of 2011, she was a member of the Federal Ethics Commission for Non- Human Biotechnology (ECNH), which advises the Federal Council and the federal and cantonal authorities in the field of non-human biotechnology. She has been a member of Swisscanto's sustainability advisory board (formerly the environmental advisory board ) since 1999 .

In 2015 Koechlin gave a lecture on the subject of plant communication at the TEDx conference in Zurich .

Koechlin lives in Münchenstein .

Journalistic work

In numerous articles and books, Florianne Koechlin dealt with the problematic aspects of the use of genetic engineering in agriculture. The limited success of green genetic engineering led to the idea that the previous rather mechanistic plant picture and the almost exclusive focus on the role of genes is not appropriate to the complexity of the plant. For several years now, Florianne Koechlin has been working intensively on questions of epigenetics, plant communication and the image of plants in European and non-European cultures. The focus is on the attempt to add the latest research results and cultural and philosophical dimensions to the traditional image of plants, which is perceived as too limited. She is the project initiator of the Rheinau theses on the rights of plants.

Publications

• (with Anita Fetz and Ruth Mascarin ) Genes, Women and Millions: Contribution to the discussion on gene and reproductive technologies. Rotpunktverlag , Zurich 1986, ISBN 3-85869-036-8 .
• Controlled food - controlled existence. In: Claudia Roth (Hrsg.): Genzeit: The industrialization of plants, animals and humans - investigations in Switzerland. Limmat Verlag , Zurich 1987, ISBN 3-85791-127-1 .
• (Ed. With Christoph Keller ) Basel appeal against genetic engineering, material tape. Congress from 5./6. November 1988 in Basel. Rotpunktverlag, Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-85869-056-2 .
• (with Daniel Ammann and Christoph Keller) Danger zone: Risks of genetic engineering - investigations in Switzerland. Rotpunktverlag, Zurich 1992, ISBN 3-85869-078-3 .
• Live beautifully, healthy & forever. Rotpunktverlag, Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-85869-159-3 .
• (Ed. With Miges Baumann, Janet Bell and Michel Pimbert) The Life Industry: Biodiversity, People and Profits. Intermediate technology publications, London 1996, ISBN 1-85339-341-X .
• (Ed. With Daniel Amman) Tomorrow: Material volume for the gene protection initiative. Realotopia, Zurich 1995, ISBN 3-907586-16-6 .
• (with Daniel Ammann) Myth Gen. Utzinger / Stemmle, Rieden near Baden 1997, ISBN 3-908688-14-0 .
• (Ed.) The patented life: manipulation, market and power. Rotpunktverlag, Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-85869-145-3 .
• (Ed.) Switzerland's future model: Agriculture without genetic engineering? Research Institute for Organic Agriculture, Frick 1999, ISBN 3-906081-04-4 .
• Cell whispers: Forays into new scientific territory. Lenos, Basel 2007, ISBN 978-3-85787-704-9 .
• Plant Palaver: Overheard secrets of the botanical world. Lenos, Basel 2009, ISBN 978-3-85787-726-1 .
• (with Denise Battaglia) Mozart and the ruse of millet: Rethinking nature. Lenos, Basel 2012, ISBN 978-3-85787-424-6 .
• (Ed.) Beyond the Leaf Margins: An Approach to Plants. Lenos, Basel, 2014, ISBN 978-3-85787-776-6
• (Translation: Thomas Rippel) "Plant whispers: A journey through new realms of science." Lenos, Basel, 2015, ISBN 978-3-85787-939-5
• Chatty tomato, defensive tobacco: plants rediscovered. Lenos, Basel 2016, paperback 2018, ISBN 978-3-85787-803-9
• (with Denise Battaglia) What peas hear and what cows race for, Lenos, Basel 2018, ISBN 978-3-85787-490-1

Web links

• Literature by and about Florianne Koechlin in the catalog of the German National Library
• Florianne Koechlin's website
• Website of the Blue Institute by Florianne Koechlin
• Short biography and reviews of works by Florianne Koechlin at perlentaucher.de
• Deutschlandfunk nuances. Music and questions about the person , from February 28, 2016: The biologist and chemist Florianne Koechlin , conversation with Michael Langer. Audio file

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} WWF Switzerland  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Internet excerpt, Commercial Register of the Canton of Zurich , accessed on March 28, 2012.  
2. ↑ Personal details: Florianne Koechlin , Swisscanto website , accessed on March 28, 2012.
3. ↑ Members from 1832 (PDF; 240 kB), website of the District Administrator of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft, accessed on March 28, 2012.
4. ↑ Excerpt from the minutes of the District Administrator of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , District Council Resolution 736, April 30, 1984.  
5. ↑ Hannes Hänggi: "We will never be able to explain everything". bz Saturday interview. In: Basellandschaftliche Zeitung . October 1, 2005, available online under “Cell whispers”. Forays into new scientific territory: press reviews on the book by Florianne Koechlin ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Website of the Blue Institute, accessed on March 28, 2012. 
6. ↑ Unwaveringly critical for 20 years: Basel Appeal - The genetic engineering critics in the chemical city are facing an anniversary year. In: Basellandschaftliche Zeitung . December 15, 2007.
7. ↑ Announcements of the departments and offices (PP1651-1675). In: Federal Gazette . 1992 II 1652.
8. ↑ Federal popular initiative “for the protection of life and the environment from genetic manipulation (gene protection initiative)” , website of the Swiss Confederation, accessed on March 28, 2012.
9. ↑ About us ( Memento of the original from July 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Website of the Blue Institute, accessed on March 28, 2012.  
10. ↑ SWISSAID, Swiss Foundation for Development Cooperation  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Internet excerpt, Commercial Register of the Canton of Bern , accessed on March 28, 2012.  
11. ↑ Board of Trustees ( Memento of the original from June 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Website of the Agriculture Future Foundation, accessed on March 28, 2012.  
12. ↑ Activity report 1998–1999 , website of the Federal Ethics Commission for Biotechnology in the Extra-Human Sector, accessed on March 28, 2012.
13. ↑ Without year: Swisscanto Sustainability Advisory Board ( memento of the original from January 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Swisscanto website , accessed on March 28, 2012. 
14. ↑ TEDxZürich website ( Memento of the original dated February 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 11, 2016.  
15. ^ Website of the Blue Institute , accessed on March 28, 2012.