Ecology Week at École Polytechnique

NeXt, École Polytechnique's student association dedicated to ecological transition and environmental protection, organized an Ecology and Living Together Week (SEVE) from November 17 to 21. 

Emblematic of the involvement of students in implementing École Polytechnique's commitments to energy transition and its Climate Plan, this annual week aims to facilitate encounters between the School's different communities around sustainability, promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyles, and raise awareness and inform as many participants as possible.

A lecture by Olivier Thibault (X93), Director General of the French Office for Biodiversity, entitled “What role should public institutions play in preserving biodiversity?” was one of the highlights of the week. It was organized by the NeXt association in collaboration with the Energy4Climate (E4C) interdisciplinary research center, as part of the Coriolis “Engineer of Tomorrow” lecture series.

Several 2-ton workshops were offered during the week. The 2-ton method invites participants, working in teams, to imagine scenarios for individual and collective actions to achieve a per capita carbon footprint of 2 tons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2050, given that the current average annual per capita carbon footprint is 10 tons.

Throughout the week, several stands were open to visitors: a participatory library lending books on sustainability and environmental transition, a second-hand clothing store, an artistic mural workshop, awareness-raising games, and a carbon footprint calculation workshop.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the X's catering service offered low-carbon menus.

Around 20 engineering students are now actively involved in the Next association, which has been working since 2016 to promote ecological transition on campus and sustainability at the School.