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«Thurgallien» wins Climate Prize 2014

Zurich November 27, 2014

The village of Hohentannen defies the energy companies and goes on to win the Zurich Climate Prize 2014. Second prize goes to the electric truck by E-Force; the 18-ton truck is already in use by Coop and Feldschlösschen. Third place is won by the start-up company Batte.re – with batteries that are delivered to your home.

We are now in 2014. All of Switzerland is being controlled by energy companies. All of Switzerland? No! The stubborn village of Hohentannen in Thurgau is fighting back like Asterix and Obelix once did. The 600 locals started the project «GemeindePower» («Community Power»): The goal is to remain independent and to produce all energy for the village themselves. The plan is making headway: Three-quarters of the popula-tion use wood from the community forest for their heating and a third of the required electricity is produced by the sun. With this project, the people of Hohentannen have earned the prize money of CHF 60,000 for coming first in the Zurich Climate Prize 2014. 

Joachim Masur, CEO Zurich Switzerland: «GemeindePower is a ground-breaking pro-ject for the whole of Switzerland. It shows how a community can remain independent and keep value added in the village. We heartily congratulate Hohentannen for this achievement.»

The electric trucks are on their way

18 tons in weight but as quick as a flash. These are the trucks from the start-up compa-ny E-Force One that have been converted to electric. They are faster, quieter and more environmentally friendly than any diesel ones. This makes them perfect for delivering goods. Coop and Feldschlösschen are so excited by this that they have already started to convert their own fleets of HGVs. The jury was also impressed by them: The gentle giant from Fehraltorf (Zurich) has succeeded in gaining second place together with Coop and Feldschlösschen. The three are sharing the prize money of CHF 30,000.


Free home delivery of stored solar energy

What should you do with empty batteries? Take them back to the shop and buy more. Or get them collected by Batte.re. The start-up company charges the empty batteries using solar power and returns them by bike to the customer. Very practical. And, in any case, cheaper than buying new batteries. The jury has placed Batte.re in third place and awarded it CHF 20,000.

Special prizes

  • The four special prizes of CHF 10,000 each are awarded to:

Buildings & Housing
  • «Zernez Energia 2020»: The community of Zernez is
    applying the latest research results to serve climate protection. 

Production & Consumption
  • Myclimate Foundation: The project «Klimawerkstatt» is
    enabling students to realize their own ideas for protecting the climate. 

Transport & Mobility
  • Bikesharing velospot: Now you can jump into the saddle
    on the spur of the moment and drop off your hired bike
    again at any station. 

Special start-up prize
  • The start-up company ImagineCargo is offering an ingenious alternative to traditional courier services.
    Using bike and rail, it is revolutionizing the sending of packages and significantly reducing CO2 output.

New record in the number of projects

With the 108 projects submitted from all over Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Cli-mate Prize 2014 is celebrating a new record. «Switzerland is full of great ideas. Ideas that are hatched in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are evidence of a great spirit of innovation,» says Joachim Masur, CEO Zurich Switzerland. Since the first invitation to enter in 2009, almost 400 projects have been submitted. «I am impressed by the range and quality of the projects. This shows the determination of the people of Switzerland and Liechtenstein to tackle climate change in an impressive way.»

The total of CHF 150,000 in prize money honors projects that make a contribution to climate protection. The jury headed by ETH professor René Schwarzenbach makes independent decisions about the prize winners. Three main prizes and four special prizes are awarded. The winners were announced on November 26, 2014, in the Umwelt Arena in Spreitenbach.



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www.climateprize.zurich.ch

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