AURA... The greenest region in Europe?
It is not because we are young that we have no
knowledge about or ability to understand complex social and economic issues or political
situations. I hear sometimes that young people are not “mature enough” to hold
a political opinion or defend their interests, but, just look at pupils in technological
and professional “lycées”: they are confronted, during their apprenticeships, with
real problems such as the failure of businesses to respect collective
agreements, or unpaid internships and low wages. A 16-year-old is not so
disconnected from political life: during the last presidential elections, there
were “political” debates in class and pupils were encouraged to defend their
convictions. It is in high school that we begin to learn what it means to be a
citizen.
We are aware of socio-economic problems, and we do
have the imagination, the will-power and the civic commitment to come up with
solutions to those problems! As proof, examples of development ideas (concerning
the AURA region for the most part) can be found on:
Most of the suggestions listed of course concern what
we, lycéens, consider priorities (for ourselves), such as being given the vote
at 16 in local elections (so that adults, especially politicians, finally take
us a bit more seriously!). There are novel ideas such as a never-ending
travelling regional festival to help create a sense of regional identity. There
are also development projects that seem a bit crazy, such as the idea of having
just one University for AURA rather than several; these ideas need a little explaining,
but they are not so far-fetched…
I am going to describe just one feasible development
idea for our region that pupils have had and I will show that it could solve
several problems: the idea is to make AURA the “greenest” region in the EU!
Some say that the Auvergne (the western part of the
new Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) is remote and deserted, that there are just a
few cows wandering about on extinct volcanos… Well, they are quite right: the
Auvergne is not overpopulated, and Nature abounds! And where is the problem in
that? Did you know that the Auvergne was named one of the six most wonderful
destinations in the world by the Lonely
Planet guide in 2016? The Auvergne is one of the few unpolluted spaces in
Europe left: there is little light and air pollution, and the water is pure
enough to bottle (like Volvic water). It has been spared intensive
urbanization, and it is eco-friendly compared to other parts of France. As you
can see from the map below, little of the Auvergne territory is occupied by
towns (in black) and has many areas covered by forest (in purple), untouched by
any activity (other than forestry).
However, Clermont-Ferrand (the capital of the
Auvergne) is only the 23rd “greenest city” in France. Angers is n°1
and it is in the Pays de La Loire which is far more urbanized than the Auvergne.
So, we might be one of the greenest parts of our region, but progress has to be
made as regards the pollution levels of its main town, Clermont-Ferrand. The
problem of industrial activity (from factories such as Michelin) needs to be
addressed in an area whose mountain landscape keeps pollution “trapped.”
Perhaps investment in sustainable development projects for Clermont-Ferrand (only
€230,000 last year) needs to be increased?
The Auvergne is where a promising eco-friendly food
production technique called aquaponics was pioneered. It is a system which combines
raising aquatic animals and cultivating water plants in a closed circuit. The
growth rate of some plants is multiplied by three. Aquaponics is not very
water-intensive (10% of what it takes to grow plants in soil) and it produces
healthy plants that grow fast. In your own home, the system acts as a permanent
store of readily-available cheap provisions (no need to go to the supermarket
and so you help the planet by avoiding the production, processing, packaging, transportation,
marketing, sales, routing and recycling process!).
Rhône-Alpes, the central and eastern part of the new AURA
region, also wants to preserve its natural environment (despite having a
growing population and the most intense industrial activity in France). Lyon is
third in France in terms of cities that invest in improving parks and green
spaces. In addition, Lyon is second as regards preserving local biodiversity.
Rhône-Alpes is also making real efforts as regards
sustainable development. “Confluence,” one of Lyon’s eco-neighbourhoods, used
to be an abandoned industrial wasteland ten years ago. Its new facilities,
designed to meet sustainable development requirements, makes it an eco-neighbourhood
with a promising future for its inhabitants and the environment.
But sustainable development is also about responsible
nutrition. The association “La Légumerie” in Lyon promotes urban agriculture by
its inhabitants. Through friendly get-togethers, people share their
food-production knowledge. La Légumerie runs organic gardening workshops and
runs a mobile kitchen where everyone is invited to swap tips and recipes, and to
eat together of course! City dwellers, especially children, can (re)discover
fruit and vegetables and learn to eat more healthily.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has two of the ten
French National Parks (“La Vanoise” and “Les Ecrins”). The Regional Nature
Parks have recently set up the Association of Parks of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
(APARA). The creation of APARA will result in an increase in technical
exchanges, transfers of experiences and joint actions, which are already
numerous between the parks. The network of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes parks consists
of the nine Regional Nature Parks; almost 30% of the new region, when the four regional
parks that are planned are included, will be covered by park land (25% of the communes).
This is great news if we want to be the “greenest” of regions!
Although Laurent Wauquiez, the President of the
region, does not consider the environment a priority for the region, great
means have nevertheless been put in place to promote sustainable development in
AURA. Since the merger between Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes, €50 million of
eco-renovation work has already been carried out for the region.
I feel AURA could quite easily become the “greenest”
region in the European Union; what I mean, is that we need to:
continue to respect our outstanding and well-preserved
natural environment;
become ever-more eco-friendly, living close(r) to and
respecting the natural environment (especially the mountainous areas of the
Alpes and the Massif Central that give the region its identity);
lead the way in the EU with sustainable development
projects (like the “Légumerie” and aquaponics system in all European
countries).
The ambition to become the “greenest” EU region would
give us, the inhabitants of the region, a good cause we could contribute to,
individually and collectively, over the coming years. It would forge a regional
identity we would be really proud of. We would become an example for other
regions to follow. And young people could initiate and run sustainable development
initiatives and show the adults how to be more eco-friendly through practical and
daily actions like: switching off the lights, recycling, not wasting food,
choosing organic food and products, school gardens, etc.
It’s up to every citizen of our region to learn, act
and take part in its development. Everyone will find his own place in the new
region only if everyone finds the strength and the means to be involved and
invested in what is crucial: the development of the region within the framework
of sustainable development.
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