Excursion on the topic of energy
The Young Impact sustainability project was launched last May with an initial workshop in collaboration with the eduLAB innovation center. At that time, the students worked out topics from the field of sustainability that particularly interested and affected them. On the second project day on Tuesday, 14 November 2023, the aim was to delve deeper into one of these topics. Students from the OSZ Ebnit, the John F. Kennedy School and the Institut Le Rosey explored the topics of sustainability and renewable energies on an excursion to Lausanne.
The trip first led to the test centre of the energy start-up Voltiris. Coloured mirrors that filter sunlight and reflect it onto small solar panels are tested there in greenhouses. In this way, the proportion of sunlight that the plants cannot utilise is captured and converted into electricity.
In the afternoon, the tour continued to the EPFL Plasma Centre, where research into nuclear fusion is in full swing in the reactor. If the energy required to fuse the particles could be brought under control, this would be an almost infinite source of energy without major risks or radioactive waste products.
The young people were amazed by the developments of the high-tech start-up and the complex machines at the renowned university. They asked the experts many questions and discussed what the achievements mean for them and the world.
The idea behind Young Impact
Young Impact is a project initiated by Impact Gstaad with the aim of bringing the topic of sustainability closer to the younger generation and to better understand their concerns and problems. As the first cross-institutional project, Young Impact creates a unique meeting platform for students from public and private educational institutions. In addition to the public school, the J.F. Kennedy International School and the Institut Le Rosey also participate in the Young Impact workshops. The project promotes dialogue and interaction between students and teachers and facilitates an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability.
