Setting up for a barbecue at one of Lake Zürich’s barbecue sites isn’t just a source of local pleasure, but also causes a lot of work and expense for the city.

Starting Point

When in the summer in Zürich the sun shines, sometimes the staff at Cityparc Management Zurich are brought to tears: the result is hot coals tipped into the bushes and lawn surfaces completely scorched in many places. In the heavily used sites around the Lake Zürich basin, this makes for an unattractive image and much expense. In order to find a remedy to this situation, Kampagneforum has been employed to come up with some solutions.

Objectives

Given resounding agreement that no repressive measures ought to be implemented, means and ways must be found instead to how open fires on the lake sites that can be conducted with fewer problems. These must be both realistic and financially feasible.

Implementation

Kampagneforum observed Lake Zürich’s barbecue sites and their users. In addition to this we stepped, perhaps, outside convention, and spoke to municipalities within both Switzerland and abroad in regard to the problem areas they experience and the solutions they have come up with. Ultimately we were led in our quest to the other end of the planet. There we discovered the Australian solution to the problem. From a report for a municipal office there we were able to highlight three different ways that barbecuing in public lakeside sites can be offered with appropriate checks and balances. In the end the powers that be decided, by means of a pilot experiment, to test whether electric grills based on the Australian example might reduce the bulk of the damages. The result was our acting as contact partners with the producers in Melbourne, to arrange that a preliminary such grill installation would be delivered to Switzerland and subsequently tested, approved and certified.

Success

Since May 30, 200, the electric-grill pilot site has been up and running in Savera-Areal in Zürich Wollishofen. It is being enjoyed come rain or shine. Here up to 20 people at a time can set up their barbecue necessities, as brought by themselves. Feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’m happy to pay taxes for this” was one response, for example. After this pilot test ends at the end of this summer, it will be decided whether this unconventional approach is suitable for widespread implementation and whether electric grills will be installed on a comprehensive basis. We await the results eagerly; stay tuned!