CRIEC in Nantes > Nantes and sustainable development

Nantes and Sustainable Development

The city of Nantes is fully invested in sustainable development, as demonstrated by the numerous local and regional initiatives.

Since 2017, 40 events labelled "Grand Débat" (Great Debate) allowed for exchanges between citizens on the upcoming initiatives regarding energy transition. From the "éco-appartement" (green appartment) to the extension of the heating network of Centre Loire, many projects aims at transforming the city to make it more in adequation with today's expectations regarding sustainable development and ecological transition.

The city of Nantes has numerous green areas, amounting to 100 parks and gardens spreading over 218 hectares, yielding green areas located at less than 500 meters from any housing location. Moreover, 40 collective gardens exist through the support of associations and the active participation of inhabitants, which allows developping bio-agriculture, mainting biodiversity, contributing to the health and well-being of inhabitants as well as raising awareness among the population about sustainable development.

Regarding transportation, the city is looking to favor modes of transport that are more eco-friendly by, for example, promoting the use of bicycle through a city-wide bicycle rental service, the rental and purchase of bicycles at low prices via Nantes Metropole, numerous cycling tracks, existing or upcoming, etc. Nantes Metropole aims at reaching 12% of transport using bicycle by 2030. Moreover, the use of public transportation is largely favored, car access to the downtown area being limited in order to guarantee a pleasent environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

Some projects of the Centrale-Audencia-Ensa incubator also reflect these concerns et seek to respond in different ways to the challenge of ecological transition. Let us cite the Ernest project which aims at designing and manufacturing in France bicycle made out of bamboo and hemp fibers in order to enhance the comfort of the user while offering a more eco-friendly solution. Furthermore, the company SMARTENON offers to renovate building in order to make them more digitally connected and reduce their impact on the environment. The Zéphyr & Borée project is looking to drastically diminish the environmental impact of marine transport by designing hybrid cargo ship with sail-based propulsion. This 24th edition of the CRIEC will give you the possibility to discover in more details these incubator projects through talks and prototype demonstrations.