Paris La Défense recommits to reducing its energy consumption

A year ago, Paris La Défense adopted a new strategic direction with the ambition of becoming the first post-carbon business district in the world. To achieve this goal, the public institution has committed its employees and partners to adopting more responsible actions. A new step has been taken in this direction with the signing of the Ecowatt charter, which will help to promote the actions taken and optimize energy consumption.

By 2030, Paris La Défense aims to halve its territorial greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve this, four major fields of action have been set, including one concerning the mobilization of all Paris La Défense actors on environmental issues to ensure that this objective is reached,

It is in this context that the public establishment has just signed the Ecowatt charter. Supported by RTE and Ademe, this scheme allows Paris La Défense to reaffirm its commitment to better control its energy consumption and to provide itself with an action plan to achieve this.

The public institution has made a dual commitment. As a manager of public spaces, it will, for example, have to reduce the impact of public lighting, or even program the extinction of computer tools. As a public player and employer, Paris La Défense will be responsible for raising awareness among its users, partners and employees of the Ecowatt system, thanks in particular to the website www.monecowatt.fr, but also to everyday eco-actions.

It is indeed possible for everyone to act at their own level, in the towers of La Défense or at home. Some very simple gestures are known to all, but others, which can nevertheless have a significant impact, are less obvious. Let's take a look at these small everyday gestures that allow us to adopt a more ecoresponsible attitude.

Eco-actions in the office and at home

• Favour the dematerialization of documents, avoid printing, and when necessary, print on both sides on recycled paper.
• Adopt good practices concerning Internet browsing such as: creating favorites, limiting the number of open tabs, choosing the right keywords for an efficient search. It is also possible to change your browser to a more ethical one.
• Delete your emails frequently or set up an automatic sorting system.
• Reduce the time your computer is on standby and choose a black, non-animated screen. While keeping a comfort of use, it is also possible to lower the brightness of its screens.
• Think of taking with you a water bottle, reusable cups or even a cup to avoid plastic cups. You can also suggest to your company to adopt these new habits.
• In the office, as at home, consider power strips with on/off buttons to turn off the power when you are away, or so-called "smart" plugs that automatically go to sleep.
• And why not change your habits to come to work? Public transportation, scooter or bike, everything is possible to come to the area, especially thanks to the development of bike paths in the area since the health crisis. And of course, nothing prevents you from proposing to your colleagues, if this does not already exist, to launch challenges at the office to learn about or respect ecogestures !

Eco-actions at home

As in the office, certain eco-responsible gestures of daily life have become habits. Take a shower instead of a bath, sort your waste or turn off the lights when you leave a room. For those who have an outdoor space, we inevitably think of collecting rainwater to water our plants or installing compost bins. But some everyday gestures may seem a little less obvious:

• To avoid turning on the lights too often, place your desk or reading corner near a window and favor lights on the desk with LED bulbs rather than ceiling lights.
• Clean the bulbs frequently so that they are as efficient as possible.
• Unplug the box when you are away to avoid hidden standby or use a timer.
• In winter, turn down the heat when you are away and close the doors of rooms that are less heated. If you work from home, heat only the rooms you use rather than the whole house or apartment.