By Scoutisme Français
“Leave this world a little better than you found it,” said Robert Baden-Powell. Today, this translates into the need to work towards a more just and sustainable world. This is why we decided to initiate an eco-design approach for the 4th World Scout Education Congress. Eco-design assumes that sustainability issues are not an afterthought, but are an integral part of the design of the event.
Cité internationale and CROUS
A major challenge of the eco-design for the Congress was the choice of location. For this Congress, we chose the location of Cité Universitaire Internationale. This site, established in 1925 during the pacifist period of the inter-war period, aims to participate in the construction of a peaceful world, where young people from the four corners of the world could learn together. The management of the site, and in particular its surrounding park, is part of a desire to preserve biodiversity.
Thirty-four hectares of park interrupt the urban density of the city of Paris. The park is home to around 400 different plant species as well as 52 bird species, or 25% of the species known in Paris. As part of responsible park management, no pesticides have been used since 2009. With Cité Universitaire Internationale reflecting the values of Scouting, the site then also became the ideal location for the Congress.
In this same spirit, lunch will be provided by the CROUS restaurant, which welcomes more than 1,000 students every day. CROUS is committed to promoting healthy, quality food for its visitors, and has signed several partnerships to promote the sustainability of the products offered. Thematic weeks allow you to discover local specialties.
An international evening committed to ecology: “zero waste”? That depends on you!
The Congress, like any global event, will allow us to meet wonderful people. The international evening on Friday is an opportunity to highlight your country and your association. You are invited to prepare a small stand which will present your country, with its flag, as well as local culinary specialties, photos of your country, or Scout activities in your country, and local traditions: songs, games, ceremonies, etc.
When you prepare this stand, we invite you to consider the environmental impact, usefulness and lifespan of the objects you will offer there. Sharing and discussions are often more enriching than yet another mass-produced keychain or pin. Remember that each object requires the extraction of resources and the use of energy, which today should be considered wisely. Try to limit the number of objects brought to exchange, prefer objects without packaging, "homemade", or recipe or game cards which allow concrete sharing of traditions.
Regarding food, we invite you to chose homemade specialties rather than industrial purchases that use bulk packaging instead of individual packaging. Also consider sharing specialties that suit as many diets as possible.
Finally, in France, tap water is drinkable everywhere. To limit disposable tableware and cups, we ask you to come with a water bottle and a reusable cup for the duration of the event.
Evaluation - journeys and accommodation
An eco-design approach also requires taking stock of our environmental impacts, such as carbon and waste. This is why we are committed to tracking what can be traced during the event. With major sources of emissions at global events including transport and accommodation, help us get an overview of our environmental impact by filling out this survey.