Today as I walked I could see clear evidence that Switzerland is now dry. As you walk by the side of the road you see that it is yellow, and that there is no growth. Crops are withering away and water gauges are now filling with dust, rather than rain....
Posts tagged “environment”
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Signs of Drought — Aug 30, 2021 -
Earth Day - Some Simple Acts — Apr 22, 2023Today is Earth Day, as Google, Moleskine and other companies are reminding us of. Earth Day is an opportunity to think about how to reduce our carbon footprint and ecological impact.... -
Road Works that Forget About Pedestrians — Nov 27, 2025For two years they worked on a motorway bridge. For two years they cut down trees, added tons of soil, and then widened roads for cars. Never during that time did they consider that people might want to walk along the most direct route from A to B.... -
On Being Able to Walk to a Recycling Centre — Jun 11, 2025For a few days I fled from the Caribana music festival because during this event it is impossible to sleep due to noise pollution. Switzerland, despite being so strict about other forms of noise pollution is lax about the noise pollution from music festivals. Most people plan holidays to flee it. I did too, but I still denounce it. Having said this I stayed in a small village half way up the Jura and was able to walk a short distance to recycle cardboard, cans and PET bottles.... -
On the Benefit of Using Trains Instead of Cars — May 13, 2025On Sunday I took the car rather than the train. This allowed me to wake up slightly later, and to drive up to the meeting point within an hour. By train I would have had a half hour walk, followed by a two hour train ride. On the way back it was meant to take an hour and ten minutes but didn’t, because of a crash on the A1. I didn’t see any news about it so I don’t think it was a bad crash. It did however block the motorway. A drive that should have taken an hour then took two hours.... -
Tempted to Camp in Gruyère — May 8, 2025Yesterday while I was looking for a Via Ferrata I came across this hike and I am tempted to do it. I will be in the area to do this hike on Saturday and if I camped overnight then I could do the second hike as a solo hike.... -
Electricity Maps and HomeAssistant — Jan 27, 2025The building I live in has solar panels on the roof and a heat pump. This allows it to be more energy efficient than other buildings. It also has thick insulation on the walls and more. Recently I have been playing with Homeassistant and electricity Maps. Electricity Maps is a real time representation of energy flows showing which countries are using green energy as well as how much of that energy is currently green. In Switzerland as I write this it’s about 97 percent green.... -
The Unceertain Train Journey — Nov 6, 2024For years I automatically took the car for everything I did, or almost. Over the last seven or eight years that habit has changed as I grew used to walking locally, and catching the train to activities. This shift in habits is due to two things....
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Spontaneous Publibike Ride — Oct 18, 2024We are all familiar with it. We get a phone call. “I will be in Nyon in 20 minutes, do you want to meet”. We think, duck, that’s short notice. Do we take the bike? No, because we don’t want to leave it unattended. Do we take the car? No, because then we’d pay for the parking. Do we walk? No, because the meeting is in ten minutes and the walk will take 30 minutes. do we run? No, because then we’ll be hot and sweaty and clothes might smell.... -
Practical Thoughts on Publibike — Oct 7, 2024Yesterday I finally tested Publibike after years of considering these bikes. There is a paradox. I think nothing of spending three francs, for a coke, rivella, hot chocolate or coffee but the idea of paying 3 CHF to use a bike for a six minute ride is disturbing. I didn’t pay for six minutes, because that was my first ride. I paid 3 CHF for 11 minutes....
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To drive or Travel by Train — Sep 14, 2024Tomorrow I will be heading to Gruyère. I saw that if I take the train it will take two hours but if I take the car it will take one hour. I am currently toying with the idea of suggesting that I pick up some people in Nyon and others in Fourmi, before going to Gruyère....
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The Decision Not to Drive For Sports On a Sunday — Jul 14, 2024This weekend I could have gone to Bellevaux for the VF, Thones for the VF, Kandersteg for the VF, and gone to Charmey, Rocher de Naye and one other places for hikes and climbing. I chose to do none of these things. My reason for this is to save money on petrol, after driving quite a bit last week but also to recharge.... -
CloudNeo Environmental Impact — Jul 5, 2024Last year I tried Cloudneo shoes. I paid a monthly fee to use shoes that were made from beans that were processed into ‘environmentally friendly recyclable shoes’. In reality this is a con. According to an RTS article the shoes are made from natural products, that are treated in a manner that is dangerous for humans and nature. The shoes themselves, at the time the article was written, are still not recycled.... -
Stress Testing the Ocean Drive Street E-Scooter — Jun 12, 2024Yesterday I had to drive from Nyon to Founex to do a favour for someone. Normally I would have used the car but it was in for a tire change. I was switching from winter to summer tires at last.... -
Meetup Silence Due to Rain — Apr 28, 2024Yesterday it rained so consistantly that I didn’t leave the house. I stayed indoors the entire day. I wanted to go out but because of the never-ending rain I never set foot outside.... -
Of Rain and a Pi 5 4GB — Apr 28, 2024Rain was forecast today. If rain had not been forecast then I would have driven to Ins, near the Lake of Murten near Neuchatel to go around the lake at a slow up. I didn’t go, not because rain was forecast, but because rain was expected although not quantified. I like to drive and do things, sometimes, but if I drive so far, especially to do something in relative solitude I would prefer to do it when the weather is good, rather than rainy. By driving so far in the rain I am contributing to global warming for very little... -
Switzerland and Renewable Energy — Sep 16, 2023Yesterday while driving the radio was on. Usually I would turn it off because people usually speak about unimportant things. Yesterday was different. Yesterday someone was speaking about solar power and Switzerland. He said that at the moment just 6 percent of houses have solar panels, when it should be closer to 20-30 percent. He also said that instead of destroying pristine nature we should add solar panels to train stations and other buildings.... -
The Environmental Impact of Construction Noise — Sep 13, 2023When people speak about construction they always think of the carbon footprint of construction but I’d like to take a look at the noise footprint of destruction of old buildings and construction of new buildings....
