In Zurich on 30 November 2008, it was approved by a 76 per cent majority that energy consumption should be reduced to 2000 watts of power per capita by 2050. The value in Switzerland is currently 6000 watts on average. The 2000-watt society has since been enshrined in the municipal code. "What is particularly special is how this is to be achieved," says economist Angelika Zahrnt (honorary chair of the environmental association BUND, former member of the Council for Sustainable Development and expert on the post-growth debate).
Zurich's city leaders explain that the 2000-watt society cannot be achieved through technical progress and more energy-efficient appliances alone. Progress also leads to the well-known rebound effect - increased efficiency often motivates consumers to consume more because of cost reductions. Often, more and larger appliances are then used and the savings are partially cancelled out. Even a switch to renewable energies alone does not help. According to the city of Zurich, "sufficiency is needed. That means using less energy, material and space and using resources more sparingly". As one of the few cities worldwide, Zurich is thus anchoring the question of what is the right measure in its policy.
More and more cargo bikes can be rented throughout Germany. For good reason: if you only need a transport bike occasionally or want to test it out in detail first, you don't need to buy one right away. For this case, cargo bike sharing systems or rental offers are particularly attractive.
An up-to-date list of cargo bike sharing systems in cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can be found on the blog cargobike.now.
Anyone looking to buy a cargo bike will find a comprehensive overview of the market here: Nutzrad.de. Interesting transport solutions with trailers are also presented there.
The discussion about climate change and the growing demand for living space have increasingly brought timber construction into the focus of planners, architects and developers over the past year. After all, sustainable timber construction can make a significant contribution to climate protection and the creation of living space. The increased interest in timber construction is also reflected in the industry figures: the turnover of companies grew by 7 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year, the number of employees increased from around 68,000 to around 70,000 and the timber construction rate continued to grow in both residential (new construction) and non-residential (new construction) construction.
Holzbau Deutschland has published these and other facts, figures and forecasts on the structure of the sector, market and economic trends, the business situation and financing, as well as training and careers in the carpentry and timber construction trades in its "Situation Report Carpenters / Timber Construction 2020" published. It can be downloaded free of charge from the Association's website in the Business Administration section.
Even after Corona: Continue to drive forward climate protection
At the conclusion of the 11th Petersberg Climate Dialogue last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed that in the period after the Corona crisis, "when we launch economic stimulus packages, we should always keep climate protection firmly in mind and make it clear that we are not cutting back on climate protection, but investing in technologies that are fit for the future."
Timber construction has long been one of the sustainable technologies that can make an essential contribution to achieving climate protection goals. "Ecological, sustainable and resource-saving construction with wood must therefore continue to be the focus in residential construction as well as in redensification and gap filling in existing buildings. In order for timber construction to be recognized as an alternative on an equal footing with other construction methods, the framework conditions must be further improved and the building codes of the federal states must be adapted to the current state of the art," demanded Peter Aicher, Chairman of Holzbau Deutschland.
The current and further development in timber construction
Until the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the mood in the timber construction industry was good. The satisfaction of carpentry and timber construction companies is also reflected in the Holzbau Deutschland business survey, in which almost 370 companies took part at the turn of the year 2019/2020. Their order backlog at the beginning of the year already averaged 17 weeks (previous year 15 weeks). The current exceptional situation in the wake of the Corona pandemic has not changed this much: According to recent surveys, most businesses are going about their work without any significant restrictions and in compliance with clearance and hygiene rules. Builders are also sticking to their construction projects. Many timber construction companies are currently benefiting from the existing high order backlog. For some of them, the workload will last until next year.
How turnover in timber construction will develop in 2020 and beyond, and what impact the Corona pandemic will have, cannot be reliably assessed at the present time. Regardless of the current situation, the timber construction industry has assumed a further 5 percent increase in sales by the beginning of March. The value is also based on the cautious confidence of the entrepreneurs from the economic survey of Holzbau Deutschland.
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