integrating Ecological Transition into Local Education Policies: An Interview with Damien Berthilier

Damien Berthilier, former Deputy Mayor in charge of Education for Villeurbanne, founded “Territoire éducatif” in 2020 – a consulting firm dedicated to fostering educational alliances as close as possible to the users. Ecological transition is now a major issue that many local authorities have embraced. He has kindly shared his experience regarding the actions undertaken.

Given your experience working with local authorities on education, do you believe ecological transition has found a lasting place within their priorities?

Yes, absolutely. Firstly, as local authorities are fully-fledged educational actors, a role strengthened by the 2013 Law on Educational Reform. The presence of Territorial Educational Projects means that local authorities are at the heart of coordinating educational policy within their area; thus, they are interested in the major educational issues that need to be addressed throughout a child’s life. In primary school, classroom time is a minority within a child’s life. They frequently enough spend more time in extracurricular activities. The idea behind educational projects – something I’ve worked on extensively in recent years – also exists with departmental educational projects. We’ve moved from a role as a developer and provider for the national education system to that of a partner. This is particularly evident in contemporary issues, and especially ecological transition. Carbon neutrality by 2050 requires them to play a major role in this area.Local authorities therefore have objectives both in terms of ecological transition and in terms of education. By combining the two, we can easily imagine an educational policy that appropriately includes the issues of ecological transition. Climate change, school buildings, and greening are central elements in the question of resilience and in combating climate change, and for biodiversity.

(Image: Damien Berthilier)

Is the transition limited to school buildings?

No, when I was a local representative in Villeurbanne, we were the first city to prioritize…

Collaboration, Mobilité, and Enduring Digital Practices in Ecological Transition

We must not appropriate these natural spaces. We are thus obliged to work between local authorities and the national education system on these issues. Mobility is becoming an educational issue in its own right. Such as, learning to ride a bicycle, a skill within the remit of national education, necessarily requires access to open spaces, wich local authorities must facilitate. Behind this lies also how families will move around in public spaces, equip themselves, and travel. Hear, it is not simply about teaching children to ride a bicycle if they cannot do so with their parents on weekends or independently to discover nearby spaces 10 or 15 minutes away or to go downtown.

can we talk about a just ecological transition with digital technology alone?

Digital technology is extremely captivating because it is an area where the role of local authorities is essential, as they will be the providers of equipment and its maintenance. We will have to plan for the purchase of the right equipment for the right use and its pooling. We must also think about something durable,recyclable,and repairable while maintaining good educational use. Training on the tool and the choice of tools must be done in the same continuum. The choice must be considered in association with all stakeholders. There is still a lot of progress to be made here. The State is initiating interesting but often short-lived dynamics.On the other hand, each local authority tends to wont to set up its own equipment.Digital Educational Platforms (ENTs) raise questions. Are we moving towards public or private ENTs, but recommended and labelled? What territorial scale is relevant? When there are 3 ENTs between school and high school, how can families appropriate them? The logic of sustainable development is also the logic of inclusion for everyone. Governance must be clear and the educational project must define its contours.

L’État, les collectivités et l’éducation à la transition écologique : un équilibre à trouver

Le fait que l’État soit donneur d’ordre, est-ce un repoussoir pour les collectivités territoriales ?

Oui, et non ! Je suis un décentralisateur raisonné, donc je suis toujours pour le fait qu’on laisse l’initiative aux collectivités. Là, aujourd’hui, dans la loi, elles ont l’initiative. Mais attention ne pas se laisser entraîner par les personnes avec lesquelles on a l’habitude de travailler. Cela passe inévitablement par une incitation financière. Pourquoi aujourd’hui les PEDT se sont effondrés ? Parce que,à part les taux dérogatoires et éventuellement des financements sur le plan mercredi,il n’y a plus de carottes financières. On ne peut pas demander aux collectivités de faire beaucoup plus sur cette question. Un accompagnement financier existe : la Convention territoriale globale (CTG) financée par la CAF. CTG et PeDT seront de plus en plus interconnectés. Cela peut être un vrai levier, sauf qu’aujourd’hui l’impulsion de la CAF sur la transition écologique est quand même très faible.Donc oui,il faut une intervention de l’État si on veut qu’accompagner les collectivités qui n’ont les moyens d’ingénierie,et inciter fortement celles qui n’ont pas envie de faire.

Pensez-vous que l’enjeu de la Transition écologique est aussi présent dans les petites collectivités territoriales ?

J’ai aussi travaillé sur des projets éducatifs dans de petites collectivités. Le Touvet en Isère par exemple où la question de la transition écologique est absolument essentielle notamment du fait du rapport à la montagne, au changement climatique, à la biodiversité.Ce sont des territoires sur lesquels les questions de transition écologique sont peut-être parfois encore plus prégnantes parce que la conversion du vivant, de la biodiversité et l’impact du changement climatique y seront plus fortement ressentis.La transition écologique doit être abordée avec les habitants. Le Zéro artificialisation est un sujet devenu extrêmement inflammable et politiquement compliqué à manier. Malgré tout la question de l’éducation à l’environnement reste consensuelle à condition qu’on arrive à l’aborder de manière scientifique, raisonnée, partagée, en associant bien les parents à ce qui est fait pour ne pas donner l’impression qu’on construit une éducation à la transition écologique en contradiction avec leurs pratiques notamment sur les mobilités.La question n’est pas de pointer les habitudes des familles dans l’utilisation de leurs véhicules mais de leur montrer que d’autres choix sont poss

Collaboration and training for Ecological Transition in Schools

Working on temperature measurements and climate change requires resources with a solid scientific basis. regarding the renovation of school buildings, local authorities can utilize the resources provided by the Banque des Territoires, which offers engineering support that fosters collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders. Educational projects and school- or establishment-level projects should align or at least complement each other to promote local engagement at the scale of a living area, neighborhood, or city.

What are your thoughts on training as a catalyst?

There are many obstacles to training. I believe we often focus on the obstacles before proposing solutions. Nevertheless, progress is being made, as we’ve seen with inclusion and secularism, for example. It’s essential to train all professionals working with children on ecological transition, and this is most effective when done collaboratively. This approach is valuable because it fosters complementary strategies. Local authorities have resources to fund experts who can work with teachers to empower them with autonomy.

Do you think local authorities understand how territorial authorities function?

That’s a valid question, and it goes both ways. I’ve always encouraged school principals to observe how an education director works within a local authority and understand why they don’t always respond immediately. Conversely, it’s important for local authority directors to understand how a school principal’s day is interrupted. This basic understanding is often lacking. Territorial leaders are frequently enough unfamiliar with school curricula, and education officials…