EGU25-13165, updated on 15 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13165
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A Collective Experimental Approach to Sustainable Practices at the Research and Teaching Centre for Environmental Geosciences (CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France)
Irene Schimmelpfennig, Olivier Cavalié, Perrine Chaurand, Blanche Collin, Yoann Fagault, Xavier Giraud, Anouck Hubert, Anne-Lise Jourdan, Clément Levard, and Leslie Monnier
Irene Schimmelpfennig et al.
  • Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France (schimmelpfennig@cerege.fr)

CEREGE is a renowned French Research and Teaching Centre for Environmental Geosciences, employing approximately 220 staff members. In 2019, the carbon footprint of CEREGE’s research-related activities was estimated at around 7 tons of CO2 equivalent per person. This footprint primarily stems from three sources: 1) purchases that are e.g. necessary for various analytical methods, 2) commuting between home and CEREGE’s remote location, and 3) international travel for sampling campaigns and conferences.

Since 2019, a group of about a dozen volunteers has been actively implementing awareness-raising initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of CEREGE's research activities. These initiatives include promoting sustainable transportation options, waste sorting, responsible energy consumption, and the effective use of digital technology.

In 2023, these small-scale incentive actions evolved into a more collective approach. One notable initiative was the organization of a serious game session, titled “Ma Terre en 180” (Gratiot et al., 2023; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000049), which aimed to halve the carbon footprint of a fictitious research team. Approximately 100 CEREGE staff members participated in this serious game.

The question then arises: how can we effectively achieve this Environmental Transition while maintaining or even enhancing the quality of professional activities and work-life conditions? To address this, the management team of CEREGE, which has been in operation since January 2024, has integrated eco-responsibility as a key policy guideline and established a new eco-responsibility committee within CEREGE’s organizational structure.

To formally validate staff approval of the environmental transition project and initiate a collective approach toward more sustainable research practices, a manifesto for CEREGE’s eco-responsibility was adopted through a vote at the beginning of 2024. Since then, the committee has been conducting a participatory process, applying facilitation principles and collective intelligence tools to ensure that all voices are heard and that decisions are widely accepted by the staff.

Moreover, small groups are conducting various experiments to test the effectiveness and feasibility of proposed changes in practices. Examples of these experiments include: 1) adjusting laboratory procedures to reduce consumables and waste, and 2) implementing a carbon quota system for travel and purchases within one of the research teams.

At the end of 2024, an eco-responsibility charter was approved by CEREGE staff, achieving high participation (79%) and acceptance rates (77%-97%) for each of the ten commitment articles.

In this contribution, we will present this collective experimental approach, explore advantages and challenges, and discuss the initial results regarding its effectiveness in reducing the environmental impacts of CEREGE’s activities.

 

How to cite: Schimmelpfennig, I., Cavalié, O., Chaurand, P., Collin, B., Fagault, Y., Giraud, X., Hubert, A., Jourdan, A.-L., Levard, C., and Monnier, L.: A Collective Experimental Approach to Sustainable Practices at the Research and Teaching Centre for Environmental Geosciences (CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France), EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13165, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13165, 2025.