|
The city of Rennes has always stood out for its active energy and environmental policy. Back in 1973, the city had already started up a series of energy efficiency measures such as the energy valorisation of wastes from the local incinerator and the installation of control systems in industrial boilers. Over the succeeding years, the municipality has made a number of different commitments for improving the environment. In 1981 the Mayor established eleven working groups with the task of proposing a multi-year plan of action regarding energy. In 1995, an agreement was signed with ADEME which placed environmental and social concerns at the centre of the city's development strategy. Two years later, a local energy agency was created with the support of the European Commission, the main goal of which was to raise awareness among key municipal agents including local collectives, SMEs and citizens in general. In 1998, the city participated in a LIFE initiative aimed at designing energy indicators; ten of the resulting energy monitoring statistics are currently in use. The process finally culminated in 2001, when Rennes established an "energy" working group, whose mission is to design, apply and evaluate a package of measures aimed at transforming the city into one that is entirely supplied with renewable energy sources. |