Environment

• Promotion of biodiversity in Dänikon

  location

  Dänikon

  calendar

  29.11.2025

  
  environment user 8 places are still free time 16 days remaining until

  Promotion of biodiversity in the municipality of Dänikon – a model for private gardens. In the spring of 2025, a flower meadow was created on a 230 m2 plot of land owned by the municipality. In a second step, small structures will be created to promote biodiversity, including sand lenses for insects that live in the soil, piles of stones and branches and reptile castles for polecats, reptiles, hedgehogs and other small animals. The facility is intended to encourage private garden owners to contribute to the promotion of biodiversity in their gardens with small structures. We are looking for volunteers who can lend a hand in setting up the small structures, and we are happy to share our knowledge on how to do so.

• Area sponsor against littering

  location

  The whole of Switzerland

  calendar

  Year-round

  
  environment user Free spaces available time Year-round recurring

  Do you want to help keep the environment clean? Then become an area sponsor and join the fight against littering! Area sponsorship is where individuals or groups (e.g., families, clubs) volunteer to help remove litter from an area of their choice. This plays an important role in keeping the environment clean and improves the quality of life in public spaces. It is an initiative which leads to noticeably less litter.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  01.12.2025

  
  environment user 14 places are still free time 19 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Making a difference in the mountains

  location

  The whole of Switzerland

  calendar

  Year-round

  
  environment user Free spaces available time Year-round recurring

  The aim of the “bergversetzer” (“mountain volunteers”) organization is to support people in the mountain regions in Switzerland by arranging for individual volunteers to help them with projects. This includes tasks such as maintaining pastures and forests, ensuring the upkeep of paths as well as more complex tasks such as building dry stone walls or constructing sheds and stables.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  09.12.2025

  
  environment user 15 places are still free time 27 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  13.11.2025

  
  environment user 14 places are still free time 1 day remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• National Hedge Day Switzerland

  location

  The whole of Switzerland

  calendar

  08.11.2025

  
  environment user Free spaces available time 1 day remaining until

  Do you feel like rolling up your sleeves and spending a meaningful day with like-minded people promoting wild hedges? Then join us for the next National Hedge Day on November 8, 2025. Wild hedges are particularly important habitats for many animal species, as they provide them with protected niches and diverse food sources. For example, birds like the Whitethroat can nest safely in thorn bushes, or weasels can take cover when being pursued. In winter, berry-bearing shrubs like the Common Snowball offer valuable food to birds such as the Bullfinch. Hedge Day Switzerland promotes these landscape elements with an annual National Hedge Day, as well as with advice, courses, and training materials on wild hedges.

• Commitment to wild honey bees

  location

  The whole of Switzerland

  calendar

  Year-round

  
  environment user Free spaces available time Year-round recurring

  Many people know the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) only as a honey provider, but it is much more than that. Originally native to our forests, it has adapted to natural environmental conditions over 10,000 years. Today it is highly endangered in the wild in Switzerland. The loss of old trees with natural cavities, diseases such as the Varroa mite and intensive beekeeping are among the factors that severely affect them. In order for honeybees to form stable populations again, they must be able to adapt naturally to environmental changes and require suitable habitats. They depend on our support. We must give them back the place in nature that is rightfully theirs. But their protection is currently still being subordinated to economic interests and ideologies. FREETHEBEES is committed to preserving the honeybee in the wild and therefore promotes its original habitat: the tree cavity. We are investigating whether honeybee colonies can survive for multiple years in the wild, what factors influence their increased mortality and what is needed for them to form stable populations again. This is not only about protecting honeybees themselves, but also about preserving natural biodiversity. Because tree cavities are not only a habitat for honeybees – many other animal species such as countless insects, birds and bats also depend on them. To achieve these goals, we work with two key projects: Swiss BeeMapping and the project ”Tree cavities – biodiversity for the forest”. For this, we rely on the support of volunteers.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  15.01.2026

  
  environment user 13 places are still free time 63 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  08.01.2026

  
  environment user 15 places are still free time 55 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Repair Café Lucerne: Fix it up, don't throw it out.

  location

  Luzern

  calendar

  Year-round

  
  environment user Free spaces available time Year-round recurring

  Both the Neubad and Bourbaki Repair Cafés in Lucerne are booming. Volunteer repair teams are looking for people who are good with their hands, no matter if they're already employed or retired. Are you good at fixing broken things such as electrical devices, gadgets, textiles, mechanical appliances, toys, jewelry and the like? Are you a people person keen on promoting sustainability? Then you've come to the right place! Our dynamic repair café team needs your help. Here's how it works: Visitors bring in their broken items and get to work fixing it in the repair café with the help of an expert. Tools and material are on hand to repair all sorts of gizmos. And on top of that you can talk shop over some coffee and cake.

• Promotion of biodiversity in Dänikon

  location

  Dänikon

  calendar

  06.12.2025

  
  environment user 8 places are still free time 24 days remaining until

  Promotion of biodiversity in the municipality of Dänikon – a model for private gardens. In the spring of 2025, a flower meadow was created on a 230 m2 plot of land owned by the municipality. In a second step, small structures will be created to promote biodiversity, including sand lenses for insects that live in the soil, piles of stones and branches and reptile castles for polecats, reptiles, hedgehogs and other small animals. The facility is intended to encourage private garden owners to contribute to the promotion of biodiversity in their gardens with small structures. We are looking for volunteers who can lend a hand in setting up the small structures, and we are happy to share our knowledge on how to do so.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  27.11.2025

  
  environment user 14 places are still free time 15 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  21.01.2026

  
  environment user 15 places are still free time 70 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  06.11.2025

  
  thumb_up
  environment user Target reached Enough volunteers time Takes place in 2 days

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Nature conservation willows-wattle

  location

  Neerach (ZH)

  calendar

  07.01.2026

  
  environment user 15 places are still free time 55 days remaining until

  With its 105 hectares, the Neeracherried is one of the last large fens in Switzerland and is a nature reserve of national importance. It provides a valuable habitat for countless birds, plants, amphibians, reptiles, and small ani-mals – and serves as a stopover site for migratory birds, a wintering area, and a breeding ground for rare species. To ensure that we can continue to observe these fascinating animals undisturbed from our observation hides, the willow-wattle-fencing in front of the hides need to be re-newed. For this, we are looking for active support with harvesting and debranching the willows, as well as weaving the willow walls. Depending on the season, different tasks may arise.

• Wild neighbors

  location

  The whole of Switzerland

  calendar

  Year-round

  
  environment user Free spaces available time Year-round recurring

  Many of the animals in local areas avoid people, live out of sight, in hiding or only coming out at night. The project Wilde Nachbarn (“Wild Neighbors”) aims to help us to see and experience these secret residents. To do this, we’re collecting wildlife observations with the help of members of the public. Over time, these chance encounters will give us a good idea of the presence and distribution of various species. According to the latest research, biodiversity in urban areas is astonishingly high, comparable to the diversity in an average forest or agricultural area. Those who take the time will discover an abundance of exciting and fascinating wildlife in their garden or on the way to work or school.