The site strategy

From commitment to strategy

The urgency of climate change requires every public player to hold an active role in the energy and ecological transition of France.

To this end, the Université de Lyon adopted an ambitious strategy on March 13, 2018, choosing to get organized to limit its environmental footprint and permanently strengthen its development.

By signing the energy and ecological transition charter in November, 2015, the Université de Lyon and its member institutions committed to making the energy and ecological transition of the Lyon Saint-Étienne university site a success. In light of the urgency of climate change, this transition holds all public players responsible. The Université de Lyon is particularly concerned about making its first mission educational to teach citizens about these issues and help to improve their understanding.

The site strategy is a document that offers a vision and framework of actions; it defines the objectives and identifies ways to mobilize. It identifies three time horizons, 2020, 2030 and 2050, which refer to the main national deadlines outlined in the French law on energy transition for green growth, in regional and territorial energy strategies and in France's involvement in international climate agreements.

The strategy covers the entire site, irrespective of the institution. It was designed collaboratively between multiple stakeholders, by gathering opinions and suggestions. The site strategy is the result of consolidated work, which has enabled it to confirm the operational feasibility of the path it intends to follow.

The document presents the strategy's various driving forces:

The most-effective means of action lies in continuing to renovate the site's real estate, accompanied by a strong energy conservation policy. Renewable energy will play an increasing part in our energy consumption and will eventually be partly produced on the Lyon Saint-Étienne university site.

Firstly addressing climate and ecological challenges, the energy transition of the Université de Lyon will also enable the site to reduce its operational costs for the benefit of its primary mission: education and research.

The Université de Lyon is adapting the way it operates to the need to protect the environment and health, in partnership with regional authorities and Crous de Lyon.

Because the awareness of its environmental impacts, particularly with regard to water, waste and travel, must be improved, the Université de Lyon's objectives, as well as the type of action to take in order to meet them, have been clearly identified.

The main challenge of the ecological transition consists in placing health and the protection of natural resources at the heart of use and management practice.

Its educational mission confers the responsibility of raising students' awareness of the issues involved in the energy and ecological transition at the Université de Lyon. Their university careers must prepare them to be enlightened and responsible citizens in both their individual behavior and future professional lives, regardless of the degree they are taking.

The Université de Lyon's energy and ecological transition would be impossible without the active involvement of everyone who visits the site and breathes life into it each day.

Beyond its strategic coherence, this principle has direct economic benefits, since the energy efficiency of buildings largely depends on users making proper use of equipment. Generally speaking, eco-friendly action contributes considerably to reducing environmental costs.

Governance, cooperation and organizing skills. It is on these foundations that the Université de Lyon and its member institutions have committed to working together to make their energy and ecological transition a success.

To meet the ambitious objectives that it has set itself, cooperation is a means of accelerating success. In particular, it will enable the site to pool vital skills to implement its action plans.

The Université de Lyon will draw on its experience and on the best practice from collaborations with the institutions' departments as part of the Campus Plan and the State-Region Planning Contract.

It will use feedback and expertise to develop innovative funding solutions.

The next stage will be defining action plans for each institution, the Université de Lyon and the Centre Régional des Oeuvres Universitaires de Lyon (Crous de Lyon), the initiative's partner, to meet the objectives.

• Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1;
• Université Lumière Lyon 2;
• Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3;
• Université Jean Monnet;
• ENS de Lyon;
• École Centrale de Lyon;
• INSA Lyon;
• Sciences Po Lyon;
• VetAgro Sup;
• ENTPE;
• ENISE;
• CNRS.

The Université de Lyon would also like to thank Crous de Lyon, the initiative's partner, and the Caisse des Dépôts, the initiative's financial and technical partner.