Odile Blanchard

1/04/08

Important The climate-friendly university project web site's address has changed : http://webu2.upmf-grenoble.fr/UniversiteCitoyenne/                           Initiated by Odile Blanchard, the Climate-Friendly University Project was launched in September 2003 at Grenoble University of Social Sciences, Université Pierre Mendès-France (UPMF), after agreement by the Dean of the university. At that time, as a follow-up to the French commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, the project aimed to bring UPMF to take on a greenhouse gas emission reduction commitment and implement actions to comply with its commitment. Since its launch, the project has been developed along the following lines: - construction and analysis of the greenhouse gas inventory of the University [more] ; - energy audit of the university buildings, suggested actions to reduce energy consumption, quantification of the gains from specific energy saving actions [more] ; - analysis of the contracts signed by UPMF with its energy suppliers [more] ; - survey to better assess the University's greenhouse gas emissions due to daily commuting, 2005 [more] ; - energy conservation campaign 2005 : "Energy conservation : small actions, big effects" [more] ; - analysis of the consequences of the electricity market opening : opportunity for UPMF to choose another power supplier ? - energy conservation campaign 2006 : "Climate change : a future without seasons ?" [more] On May 30th 2005, UPMF officially signed the Local Climate Action Plan of the "METRO" (a pool of 26 communities including Grenoble and its suburbs). As all the signatories of the Plan, UPMF committed to stabilize its greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 relative to 1999. The project now aims to define and implement a strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the university that are on a rising trend. An action plan for 2005-2006 has been proposed and agreed by a steering committee [more]. Benefits of the project for UPMF: Internally, the energy budget of the university is positively affected. The actions undertaken on the energy supply contracts have already yielded a net benefit. Other advocated actions also show net budget benefits over a very short period. The students contributing the project testify that they adapt a more climate-friendly behaviour than before working on the project. It is thus expected that the annual energy conservation campaign on the campus will gradually generate a more climate-friendly behaviour from all the students and the university staff: reasonable office heating, turning off lights when leaving rooms, deep sleep mode of computers, increasing use of public transportation versus car driving, etc…. The commuting survey results underscore the need for actions to improve the traffic flows into and out of the campus. Externally, UPMF showcases its pioneering work in France to fight against climate change and serve as a model for other universities through the use of the developed methodology and its own field experience. Numerous universities have expressed their interest in following a similar path. Moreover it is likely that the climate-friendly behaviour expected from the students and the university staff will spread beyond the university boundaries into their homes. Finally the project generates a "green picture" of the university and puts UPMF on a sustainable development track. Contributions: The Project manager is Odile Blanchard. Many students participate in the challenge. In 2003-2004, Sylvain Parodi, a graduate student at the Professional Institute of Economic Engineering (Institut Universitaire Professionalisé d'Ingénierie Economique), benefited from an apprenticeship contract with the Local Energy Agency (ALE) to work on the project. In 2004-2005, the 14 following graduate students at the Professional Institute of Economic Engineering devoted part of their time to the project: Jules Boudrand, Julien Chichignoud, Thomas Delorme, Ibrahima Doumbouya, Nicolas Faure, Estelle Frith, Emmanuel Granon, Fabien Panzarella, Alberto Ricchiutti, Jean-Baptiste Roets, Géraldine Roux, Pierre-Olivier Spinelli, Constantinos Talianos, Romain Vecchi. In addition to the initial funding of the project, the Local Energy Agency (ALE) frequently contributes its technical expertise.