At the end of June 2019, Coop had closed the Tro
penhaus in Wolhusen. The future of Central Switzerland's greenhouses with tropical plants, as well as the restaurant, was uncertain, and demolition was imminent. Then, in December, there was a turnaround: Gastronomer Gregor Vörös, who runs the Kräuterhotel Edelweiss on the Rigi, announced that he would take over the facility.
And now things are happening in rapid succession: the reopening is already scheduled for 29 February 2020. The new team wants to operate the tropical house as a so-called permaculture. This means that the tropical and now also increasingly Mediterranean fruits will not be produced as monocultures, but in a sustainable and ecological way.
Gas heating to be avoided
The goal is a CO2-neutral energy supply, says Gregor Vörös. How exactly this can be achieved is now being examined. Because currently only one third of the energy required is covered by the waste heat from the nearby gas compression station; the rest by regular gas burning. "This is not really sustainable or good," says Vörös, "but we are working with the Ecocoach company, to find an innovative solution."
Source: SRF