EcoN’UM: UM’s week dedicated to digital sobriety

Digital technology is an integral part of our daily lives, but its environmental impact often goes unrecognized: equipment production, server energy consumption, invisible digital pollution, etc. Adopting more moderate usage habits is a major challenge for the ecological transition.

From March 16 to 21, 2026, the University of Montpellier is organizing the second edition of ÉcoN’UM, its week dedicated to responsible digital technology.

This initiative is fully in line with the institution's commitment to ecological transition as part of its Master Plan. It aims to:

• better understand the environmental impacts of digital technology;
• encourage collective reflection on our practices;
• identify concrete solutions that are accessible to everyone;
• Act individually and collectively to reduce our digital footprint.

Participating in ÉcoN’UM is an opportunity to learn, understand, and take action together for a more sustainable and responsible digital world.

Program

Two digital frescoes

On Friday, March 20, 2026, two digital frescoes will be organized:

• from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Faculty of Law and Political Science;
• From 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Triolet Campus.

A collective challenge

This challenge is part of a drive to reduce the environmental impact of digital technology: this year, it will once again involve reducing the storage volume of UM email accounts, requiring each of us to sort through and delete emails in our Zimbra mailboxes.

For assistance, please refer to the tutorial"Reducing the volume of your email"available on the digital website. This guide has been updated following the integration in 2025 of a new feature in Zimbra that allows you to delete large attachments without altering the essential content of messages. It is accompanied by a video.

We are counting on your mobilization and commitment to collectively reduce UM's digital footprint and to ensure that our practices are sustainably aligned with environmental responsibility.

Resources

For further information, resources (podcasts, videos, infographics) are available on the Responsible Digital page of the University of Montpellier's digital website to better understand and adopt a more sober approach to digital technology.

We are all digital users. Taking action for ecological transition and sustainable development also means rethinking our digital habits.

Together, let's make digital technology a lever for responsible transformation.