Eco-idea
Stops mountain brain-drain.
This content was published on
1 minute
![](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/12/julie-hunt-profileImage-42390985.png)
Julie worked as a radio reporter for BBC and independent radio all over the UK before joining swissinfo.ch's predecessor, Swiss Radio International, as a producer. After attending film school, Julie worked as an independent filmmaker before coming to swissinfo.ch in 2001.
Swiss mountain villages are shrinking. In the eastern canton of Graubünden alone, around half of the local communities experienced a population fall last year. Flerden was suffering a similar fate until someone came up with an eco-friendly idea that reversed its fortunes. (SF1, Julie Hunt)
Popular Stories
![two elderly people sitting on a bench in front of the sea](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/03/606082465_highres.jpg)
More
More and more Swiss are living abroad
![Zurich "Tram 2000" trams parked at depot](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/07/ZwischenlagerungVorDemErstenTransport.jpg)
More
Why Swiss trams have become sought-after vehicles in Ukraine
![Coal-fired power plant in Lünen, Germany.](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/06/532963040_highres.jpg)
More
Why Switzerland is diverging from Europe on a key energy treaty
![container](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/07/421535802_highres.jpg)
More
Who benefits from free trade agreements with Switzerland?
![Food label](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/07/067_357135.jpg)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.