Swiss Style Sustainable Living

In Switzerland’s Val Lumnezia, or Valley of Light, villagers have beaten the odds to preserve both their culture and the environment.

The 3500 residents spread across the valley have little in the way of natural resources, tourism or political clout to ensure the survival one of their villages but a move towards innovative, sustainable development has reversed a trend towards economic decline and depopulation that has plagued many similarly isolated alpine regions.

Appropriately, the Valley of Light has embraced solar power and provides incentives for residents to stay even if they choose to commute outside the valley for work. Funding has been found to prevent the closure of village shops and bakeries and to set up a butcher / slaughterhouse.

A trickle of tourists is starting to flow to the eco-tourism opportunities for the area with the expansion of the valley’s network of hiking trails including an outdoor recreation and conservation area. The new recreation area was formerly a swamp but, without disturbing the natural setting, it has been dug deeper and transformed into an attractive swimming hole.

Source: Swiss Info