History of the forum
2012. Creation of the forum, under the name “Shift to Green,” in connection with Switzerland’s decision to phase out nuclear power. The first edition was themed “The Transition to Green Energy: Mobilizing Local and Regional Resources,” with the notable participation of EPFL Professor Teddy Püttgen.
2013. The forum is renamed Eco-villages. This second edition focused on “Eco-innovations for a Sustainable Future of Mountain Villages,” bringing together, among other speakers, SECO Director Marie-Gabrielle Ineischen Fleisch and explorer and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard.
2014. “Architecture and Planning for a Sustainable Future of Villages and Small Towns.” A collaboration was developed with the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Some students took up residence in Les Diablerets alongside the Forum, under the guidance of architect and professor Toshiko Mori.
2015. “Sustainable Mobility at the Heart of the Economic Challenges of Villages and Alpine Valleys,” notably featuring a collaboration with EPFL’s ALICE laboratory and the temporary wooden installation “2055,” created at an altitude of 2055 meters near the Isenau pass.
2016. “Smart Villages: Between Technology and Mindset Change.” This edition also led to a workshop in Leysin, in collaboration with Swisscom and Aigle Region, as well as a Hackathon organized in advance of the Forum.
2017. “Smart Villages: What Sustainable Economy for Villages?” A symbol of the economy of the Ormonts Valley, the Diablobine, a playful reinterpretation of a cabin from the Isenau installation, was created by artist Pascal Bettex and then donated to the Municipality. It is now installed in front of the Tourist Office.
2018. “Supporting Climate Change: Managing Risks and Seizing Opportunities.” Mayors of Alpine resorts, cultural promoters, and sustainable finance actors shared their experiences. For the first time, the Forum organized a series of practical workshops. Leysin artist LPVDA created a wooden fresco on a barn belonging to the Municipality of Ormont-Dessus. Titled “Future,” it depicts the face of an ancestor gazing at the new generation.
2019. The Forum changes its name and becomes the Moving Mountains Forum to better reflect its function and ambition. It addresses the issue of knowledge sharing in the sustainable transition and explores, with sector stakeholders, whether recreational and competitive sports activities can be agents of this transition. It also examines the role of media in scientific popularization.
2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Moving Mountains Forum does not take place as such, but a series of videos documents the questions faced by the Municipality of Ormont-Dessus in renewing its public lighting, by the Municipality of Albinen (VS) in financing its demographic survival, and how environmental associations engaged in mountain regions are taking action.
2021. How can sustainable investment funds reach concrete projects in mountain regions? With a prestigious panel of speakers, including the inventor of Green Bonds, the Moving Mountains Forum presents several innovative solutions.
2022. For its eleventh edition, the Moving Mountains Forum gathered several leading figures in global alpine tourism, energy and environmental technology specialists, scientists, economic and political decision-makers to identify best practices for bringing the sustainable transition to the summit.
2023. Threats of shortages, massive price increases, development of solar parks, dam elevation, dependence on major distributors, net-zero carbon goals… Mountain municipalities are under intense pressure in the face of major energy challenges. The 12th Moving Mountains Forum took stock, featuring a Masterclass and intense debates.
2024. The 13th edition of the Moving Mountains Forum provided a concrete examination of how mountain communities are addressing the newfound attractiveness of high-altitude living in light of climate change. Housing, tourism repositioning, new economic activities, mobility, and energy challenges were all discussed in depth, offering mountain stakeholders pathways for development.