Master Plan for the Ecological Transition: “We all have a role to play”
On November 20, the University of Montpellier’s Board of Trustees approved its master plan for ecological transition. Four key areas and 48 actions to reinforce the measures already implemented in recent years at UM and to initiate and coordinate the implementation at each campus of an ecological transition policy that lives up to its ambitions. An overview of this new plan with Frédérique Carcaillet, Vice President for Environmental Issues.
A year ahead of the recommendations from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research the University of Montpellier approved its Ecological Transition Master Plan (SD TE) at its most recent board meeting.“We had already begun this process when, last June, following the Ministry of Higher Education and Research climate-biodiversity and ecological transition plan, the ministry’s guidance document was published, asking all universities to develop a master plan by the end of 2024,” explains Frédérique Carcaillet, Vice President for Environmental Issues.
In light of the climate and environmental emergency, and to align with the signing of our Contract of Objectives, Resources, and Performance (COMP), we have chosen to act quickly. We have developed a plan structured around four strategic pillars comprising 48 actions to be implemented over the 2023–2026 period, which is fully aligned with the institution’s 2021–2026 multi-year contract.“In this plan, we all have a role to play and a part to contribute,” emphasizes Frédérique Carcaillet.
Everyone: sorting, getting around, heating their homes…
Last January, the UM adopted an energy conservation plan (see: Moving Toward the Best Possible Balance) aimed at reducing its energy consumption and, consequently, its contribution to climate change.“The SD TE plans to support this initiative by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the UM’s greenhouse gas emissions, an action that has been planned and budgeted for in the COMP,” explains the vice president. The actions listed under the “Acting for the Environment and Changing Behaviors” pillar build on the numerous energy retrofit projects for the university’s buildings and connections to district heating networks carried out through the recovery plan and include the installation of solar panels.
These measures are complemented by a policy promoting sustainable transportation, including the gradual replacement of the fleet of internal-combustion vehicles with electric ones and the encouragement of cycling and public transit. A travel policy is expected to be introduced soon to encourage UM staff to choose trains over planes for their business travel whenever possible.“Another challenge now will be to raise awareness about digital frugality by providing information on best practices and encouraging the consolidation and rationalization of IT servers, for example.”
Another key focus of this plan is waste management. For several years now, the UM has been organizing the collection and refurbishment of computer equipment and certain office furniture. For general waste, recycling bins are available at various locations, but the recycling process needs to be streamlined and standardized.“The bar is set high. We need to map out current practices across the UM’s various sites and the surrounding areas and work with the various stakeholders to significantly increase our waste sorting efforts with a view to reuse and recycling.”
Regarding biodiversity, the SD TE plans to continue the initiatives already underway on campus:“zero pesticides, zero watering, and delayed mowing and pruning to support the reproduction of insects and birds, which have been severely impacted by the environmental crisis,” notes Frédérique Carcaillet. To help staff and students discover the richness of their campus, biodiversity workshops have been planned so that everyone can“discover the everyday biodiversity around them, participate in efforts to inventory, monitor, and promote it. By opening our eyes to our environment, we discover it in a new light, and this is a first step toward its preservation.”
Students: Training, Online Resources, and an Experimental Wind Turbine
The Education and Training pillar directly follows the Ministry’s policy guidelines forundergraduate students and comprises 11 initiatives. These include, notably, the requirement that all academic departments, schools, and institutes implement training modules on the ecological transition for sustainable development (TEDS). An educational engineer will be hired, trainers will be trained, and training content will be made available via the UM’s Moodle platform.“All students and staff will be able to access the resources of the Virtual University for Environment and Development of which we are founding members alongside other universities, observatories, and research institutes. There they will find courses in the form of texts and videos, as well as exercises, practical case studies, and bibliographies…,” explains the vice president.
Technology demonstrators will also be installed on campuses to actively engage students. Frédérique Carcaillet mentions the possibility of installing environmental sensors on campuses, or even a miniature wind turbine or experimental solar panels“to measure not only electricity production but also the environmental and societal costs and benefits associated with these systems.” The creation of an OpenBadge allowing students to highlight their community and civic engagement will be piloted in the formof “a certification they can add to their resume.”
Staff: Better training in laboratories and offices
Please note that general group training sessions will be offered to UM staff who wish to learn about the challenges of the energy transition. Specific training sessions related to the challenges of their respective fields will also be offered. Research units will be grouped under the second pillar, titled Research Innovation.”
“One of the main goals of this initiative is to encourage research laboratories to assess the environmental impact of their activities by taking into account business travel, resource consumption, procurement, and so on. Some laboratories are already deeply committed to this approach, and we will invite them to share their best practices with laboratories that are less advanced,” announced the vice president. To this end, adoption of the approach developed by the Labo 1.5 research consortium —supported by the CNRS, INRAE, ADEME, INRIA, and Sorbonne University—will be encouraged, and the available indicators will be provided to the laboratories.
The second objective of this priority area is to foster greater interaction between science and society by improving and expanding the dissemination of information.“This dissemination of knowledge is already well-structured and implemented within the UM, but we need to place greater emphasis on topics related to the ecological transition to support the necessary behavioral changes,” emphasizes Frédérique Carcaillet.
Governance: Promoting Responsible Business Practices
Since 2022, UM’s energy transition policy has been managed on a cross-functional basis by the Vice-Presidency for Environmental Issues, in collaboration with all other vice-presidencies and the University’s administrative departments. A dedicated office has been established within the Steering Department to support UM’s ecological transition initiative. Its implementation will soon be supported by a network of liaisons trained in ecological transition.“We would like every department, service, academic unit, institute, school, and laboratory to have its own liaison, whose role will be to circulate information and ideas and coordinate various actions with the aim of fostering greater buy-in from everyone,” suggests Frédérique Carcaillet.
Public sector spenders, who are already highly aware of these issues, will be encouraged to develop a policy for the procurement of sustainable goods and services by further integrating environmental criteria into the selection of contracts and bids (see Rouages: Projecting an Economic and Social Context). Adopting this approach is also accompanied by a commitment to certification to ensure continuous improvement by regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the actions taken.
“With its identity deeply rooted in the goal of addressing future environmental and societal challenges, its position as a global leader in ecology in the Shanghai Ranking, and its status as the top French institution in The Times Higher Education Impact Ranking—which measures commitment and performance in sustainable development (read Shanghai, Leiden, Reuters: UM at the top of international rankings), the University needed to adopt a master plan for ecological transition that matched its ambitions. That has now been done; the path has been laid out, and now it’s a matter of moving forward quickly and effectively in the right direction,” concludes the vice president!