CITY FOCUS ❘ GRENOBLE
“HERE, IN THE ALPS, CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING TWICE AS FAST AS IN THE REST OF EUROPE, SO WE HAVE TO BE TWICE AS AMBITIOUS”
Appart’City Confort Grenoble Inovallée and the Auberge de Jeunesse HI Grenoble Agglomération. Another 11 hotels and restaurants are hoping to make the list this year. “The Clef Verte label distinguishes establishments that demonstrate effi cient, continuous and dynamic environmental management as well as responsible practices,” explains Cédric Léchelle, the director of Appart’City Confort Grenoble Inovallée, a three-star apart-hotel on the outskirts of Grenoble. “It provides a guarantee of confi dence for travellers who favour responsible tourism.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Clockwise from top: The award-winning eco-district of Caserne de Bonne; the gardens of Saint-Egrè ve, one of many beautiful spots across the Grenoble region; Mayor of Grenoble Éric Piolle, who says there is still a long way to go in tackling climate change
facilities for a city of its size. No wonder, then, that so many residents choose bicycles over station wagons, as is the case with local plumber and heating engineer Antoine Laperche, who conducts his entire business by bike. “My choice to travel only by cargo bike comes, above all, from the desire to have the lowest possible carbon footprint – everything with the strength of the calves!” says Antoine, who is even able to transport a bathtub in his trailer. “The cargo bike also solves other issues encountered in the city centre: parking problems, congestion and the increasing cost of energy. On a bike, all these problems disappear. “I’m not saying that all jobs can be done by bicycle, but some, like mine, can be done in city centres without great diffi culty. There is still a long way to go to achieve the objectives set by the COPs, but it is by showing that changes are possible and desirable that we will be able to maintain a viable planet.”
ECO-FRIENDLY TOURISM Of course, it’s not only the residents of Grenoble who benefi t from all these green initiatives but visitors to the city as well. From taking a zero-carbon trip on the cable cars, with their spectacular view over the mountains, to discovering the dedicated eco-districts, such as the award-winning Caserne de Bonne, to visiting pioneering projects like the new Le Bar Radis, with its greenhouse, market-gardening space and café- restaurant on the top of a car park, there is much here for the eco-conscious traveller. Find out more on one of the eco- themed guided city tours by Grenoble Alpes Tourisme. Not surprisingly, much of the tourist accommodation is eco-friendly, and two establishments have recently been awarded the coveted international eco-label, the Clef Verte: the
36 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2023
So, with its year as European Green Capital now over, what does the future hold for Grenoble? Well, despite all its impressive achievements, it turns out it’s just getting started – with some ambitious goals ahead. While the city’s heating is already generated by almost 80 per cent renewable and recovered energies, the target is to make that 100 per cent by 2033. Similarly, although some 10,000 trees have been planted since 2014, the aim is to plant a total of 30,000 before 2030. And overall, the plan is for the city to be carbon neutral by 2040. Certainly, as a place that is very much on the front line of the climate crisis, it has never been more important. The average temperature in the Alps has already increased by 2°C since the start of the 20th century – compared with an average of 1.4°C in the rest of France. Equally, the surface area of the glaciers in the French Alps has shrunk by 38 per cent in about 50 years. Then, of course, there is the recent lack of snow. “Here, in the Alps, climate change is happening twice as fast as in the rest of Europe, so we have to be twice as ambitious,” says Éric Piolle. “We are very proud of all the work we have done, but we also know that there is a long way to go. So, we refuse to rely only on our past achievements; the work here has just begun.” FT
GRENOBLE ESSENTIALS GETTING THERE
BY PLANE
Fly to Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport; and 55 min from the centre of Grenoble, Lyon
Saint-Exupéry Airport serves the whole of Europe. Geneva’s international airport is 1h 45min away.
BY TRAIN 8 TGVs per day link Paris to Grenoble in 3.5 hours.
www.sncf.com/fr
BY BUS
Ditch the car in favour of the greener option. There are plenty of buses daily by various operators. www.fl
ixbus.fr |
carsisere.auvergnerhonealpes.fr
USEFUL CONTACTS Grenoble Alpes Tourisme
www.grenoble-tourisme.com/en
Grenoble
IMAGES © LUCAS FRANGELLA/GRENOBLE ALPES MÉ TROPOLE, PIERRE JAYET/AGENCE GRENOBLE ALPES, SYLVAIN FRAPPAT/VILLE DE GRENOBLE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132
