The Library
for a Happy Future
Neuchâtel Library
The Library
for a Happy Future
The Library
In 2022, we began to see climate change not only as a threat, but also as an opportunity. We launched our journey with the first Library for a Happy Future in Zurich by asking: What positive changes can come out of the current crisis? Could this change even be called 'climate happiness'? We spent a year exploring these questions - and came across the concept of One Health.
One Health emphasises that human health is inextricably linked to healthy wildlife and ecosystems.
From this perspective, climate change becomes very personal: how does it affect our health and wellbeing?
Taking water as our starting point, we continued our work with communities in the Swiss mountains and along its lakes, developing a research strategy in partnership with Science et Cité of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences a+. It quickly became clear that it was not enough to work on water from a scientific or artistic point of view - we also needed concrete data and action that would initiate and make visible changes on the ground.
This is how the Library for a Happy Future was born - an action research project and a social enterprise that collects and implements visions for living in harmony with One Health and One Wellbeing.
Collaboration with
the Atelier du Futur
The Ateliers du futur is a project of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences under the leadership of Science et Cité. The planned duration is 2023 – 2028. The first implementation of the Ateliers du futur is planned for 2024 with the “Library for a Happy Future” on the topic of “Health, Wellbeing, Bienêtre and Buen Vivir”.
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The edition of the “Library for a Happy Future” in Vals was developed as part of the “Ateliers du futur”. It will be on display at the Amöebe in Vals (May–September 2024) and at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Neuchâtel in Neuchâtel (Sept–December 2024).
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The “Ateliers du futur” are participatory events in collaboration with the Swiss population, universities, cultural institutions, initiatives and other partners who are committed to a diverse Switzerland worth living in. “Ateliers du futur” seeks out effective initiatives that promote sustainable development, helping to promote and shape them and linking them across regions. They stand for a belief in the co-creation of a good life in Switzerland and in a global context within the planetary boundaries. The “Ateliers du futur” are designed to overcome fear of the present and the future and to release positive energy. The “Ateliers du futur” projects are low-threshold and invite as many people as possible from different backgrounds to participate.
Pilot project in Zurich
From summer 2020 to December 2023, the Klimapavillon on Werdmühleplatz in the center of Zurich hosted events and exhibitions to encourage people to reflect on various facets of the climate crisis. From December 2, 2022, to December 23, 2023, it was home to the Library of a Happy Future.
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In 2023, the Library of a Happy Future was a place to find inspiration, recharge your batteries and meet people. Visitors and organizations created a collection of positive visions for the future and answers to the question of how we can overcome the climate crisis while retaining joy and a zest for life. How do we create a happy future that lifts our spirits, opens up new possibilities, and gives us joy? How do we move from a starting point of facing the challenges ahead to a positive attitude?
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The library for a happy future encouraged people to take action with solutions in the areas of mobility, construction, energy, nutrition, agriculture, consumption and cycles. Together, we set out on the path to a vision for the year 2043. Events in the library, on Werdmühleplatz and in the city highlighted ways to achieve
a socially acceptable future without greenhouse gas emissions that is fit for our grandchildren.
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The Library for a Happy Future was a stimulating stopover on the way to the city's Net Zero 2040 target and
a climate-friendly future, to which the city of Zurich is committed.
Topics covered
More information about our
traveling library in Vals
