Ecological Transition in the Mountains

Humid areas in altitude are a part of the richest ecosystems in the world: they limit the intensity of floods, filter water, slow run-offs, and, more importantly, provide valuable carbon sources.
The Alpi’Mares project extends on 3 years (until 2025), and focuses on mountain zones between 800m and 2,200m altitude, in Rhône-Alpes. It is an operational project that consists of creating and restoring mountain ponds (the objective is 100 ponds in three years) to protect endangered amphibian and dragonfly populations.

More than 50% of the carbon footprint of mountain resorts is due to tourist transportation. In Haute-Savoie, half of foreign visitors are English, Belgian, and Dutch, who travel here mainly by plane and by car. This is why the association is aiming at convincing foreign visitors and tour operators to prioritise the train when heading to the North Alps with the help of a link guide and practical tips for organising their trip using public transport. Today, there is no initiative to guide tourists from one train to the another, and to buses for the last kilometres, with instructions in their language.

In the context of global warming, another relation with mountains needs to be thought of, with proximity to nature and development of a sustainable and biodiversity-friendly ‘4-season’ tourism. These changes involve a real reflection exercise on mountain-related professions that are developing and adapting to these goals of preserving the natural heritage. CIMME started a discovery journey on future mountain-related professions, for groups of 8-10 young people. The aim is to bring about understanding and to accompany young people towards a professional project in this sector.

The first ambition is to create a recycling centre and a resource-café with access and recovery of local products, access to territory-related information, valorisation of local inhabitants’ skills, and offer a convivial place, where people can connect. The association will also raise awareness towards solidarity, transfer and ecological transition through events and participative projects.

‘Change Your Approach’ is a campaign that takes a new direction, aiming at mountain clubs, private climbing gyms and mountain leaders, to trigger a change of behaviour, by means of a kit designed for raising awareness. This kit is an invitation to accessing mountains in an eco-friendly way. For this, the association will instruct volunteers to organise raising awareness events in the evening, within the clubs and climbing gyms. The raising awareness kit will be available online, free of charge, on the Mountain Wilderness website.

‘Mountain Fresco’ is a project organised and coordinated today by Educ’alpes, Mountain Wilderness, and a volunteering facilitator of Climate Fresk. The objective of this workshop for the adult public is to provide comprehension as to why and how climate change impacts the natural environment and human activities in the mountains. Then, participants imagine what they could do if they were the territorial actors, to project themselves towards optimal future scenarios, imagining adaptation solutions. The project started in 2021, and in 2023 it managed to create a complete prototype of the workshop, ready for testing. This educational game for raising awareness will officially be out in 2024, and a group of facilitators will be organised to promote it.

The support of our foundations will be directed towards the organisation and the coordination of two series of three events (Transition Workshops), opened to everyone, for exchange on practices. Here are the planned workshops: ‘Gardening naturally in the mountains’ and “Visit to a low-consumption house, at 1,000m altitude’. In addition, the association equally proposes six events ‘I have a new project:…’ (Choosing my solar panels at 1,000m altitude, saving water at home, reducing my electricity consumption, building a low-tech solar oven by myself, etc.)

The Recycle programme targets the creation of a national collection and recycling network for rock climbing shoes. It helps minimising the environmental impact of waste storage (150 tons yearly) of the 300,000 pairs of shoes coming out on the market every year. In a single year, the association has launched the challenge by opening the first eight collection points in Île de France during the summer of 2023, in climbing gyms. The latter ones are responsible of a third of the national waste storage. (Through their rental climbing shoes) In 2024, the association should reach more than 90 functional collection points. 
Once collected, climbing shoes are transformed:
– In cycling lanes with a high drainage capacity, that favour the transfer of rain water in the groundwater tables, and that provide a partial soil permeability in urban areas.
– In floors that support sports equipment. (High schools, gyms, training areas, etc.)
These two outlets have been measured by ACV (Analyse du Cycle de Vie – Life Cycle Analysis) to guarantee that the entire process (from collection to the new product) has a positive impact on the environment.
A research programme is on-going for the creation of rubber soles for climbing shoes. 
Winner of the first edition, the association benefits from a new sponsorship to continue its climbing shoe collection and recycling actions.