Nature & Economy Foundation

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The Nature & Economy Foundation (French: Fondation Nature & Economie, Italian: Fondazione Natura & Economia) is a nature conservation organization of the Swiss economy . It was founded in 1995 on the occasion of the European Year of Nature Conservation by the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN and business associations as a non-profit organization. The foundation has set itself the goal of motivating companies to design their company premises in a natural way. More than 350 companies now meet the foundation's own criteria for certification . The foundation does not have any capital; It is financed through annual contributions from the founders, certified companies, sponsors ( Migros , SIG ) and income from services.

Goal setting

In Switzerland there are 250 million square meters of industrial and commercial zone, where more than four million workers go in and out every day. The foundation has set itself the goal of realizing 1000 natural company areas. The environment and economy should complement each other better. On the one hand, the foundation wants to create ecological spaces as compensation areas for built-up landscapes and improve the living space and quality of life for people, plants and animals in urban areas. On the other hand, this promotes an ecological, sustainable corporate culture , stressed managers and all employees can enjoy a relaxing break from work in nature and are thus decelerated. Near-natural habitats should become part of entrepreneurial capital and make its sustainability strategy visible. From 2014, the foundation will also be honoring exemplary housing estates that have a natural environment.

effect

In the past 19 years, 37 million square meters have been certified as near-natural area. For comparison: the area of ​​all Swiss leisure facilities is 40 million square meters. The most important branches are industrial and gravel works, sewage treatment plants, institutions of the education and health system, the food industry, hotels and restaurants as well as banks and insurance companies.

Board of Trustees

The Nature & Economy Foundation was founded in November 1996 on the initiative of the biologists Reto Locher and Urs Hintermann and entered in the commercial register of the Canton of Bern on January 30, 1997 . The President of the Foundation is National Councilor Christine Häsler, and Manja Van Wezemael is the Managing Director. The board of trustees includes Heidi Oswald from the Federation of Migros Cooperatives , David Mastrogiacomo from the general planner Losinger-Marazzi AG, Markus Solinger from the Association of the Swiss Gas Industry , Martin Weder from the Association of the Swiss Gravel and Concrete Industry , Hans Romang from the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, as well as a natural garden expert Peter Richard from Winkler & Richard AG. Alain Stuber is responsible for the office in French-speaking Switzerland and Roberto Buffi in Ticino. Beat Flach holds the presidium .

Certification criteria

The quality label of the Nature & Economy Foundation is awarded to corporate and residential areas that, thanks to their special ecological quality, make a contribution to the preservation of natural biodiversity, especially in industrial and commercial zones.

Minimum requirements:

  1. At least 30 percent of the surrounding buildings (including flat roofs) are designed to be natural. In the case of housing estates, 40 percent of the surroundings must be close to nature.
  2. The near-natural areas are only planted or sown with native species that are appropriate to the location.
  3. No biocides or fertilizers are used on the near-natural areas. Herbicides are to be avoided in the entire area.
  4. The near-natural meadows are cut twice a year and not fertilized.
  5. Traffic areas are provided with water-permeable floor coverings made of regional materials, as far as this is possible for safety reasons (e.g. groundwater protection).
  6. Roof and rain water is drained as superficially as possible on the property, provided the water is not contaminated and the subsoil is suitable (GschG of January 24, 1991).
  7. The professional planning, implementation and maintenance of the near-natural area are guaranteed.

literature

  • Reto Locher (Ed.): Anniversary volume for the tenth anniversary of the Nature & Economy Foundation. Edition Commcare, Lucerne 2007, ISBN 978-3-033-01296-7 .

Web links

swell

  • Website and anniversary volume (see above)
  • Newsletter 1/2007 of the Nature & Economy Foundation