On 3 October, we had the pleasure of meeting again with the citizens of the eco-neighbourhood community we refer to as Le Trapeze. Using the format of a citizen jury, this community explored issues concerning the “human and societal dimensions” of the energy system. The aim of this citizen jury was to provide a space for debate on the topics such as the role of citizenship and social cohesion in the energy transition, renewable energy and energy conservation, particularly micro-generation and community-based RES amongst others.

The citizen jury focused on Le Trapèze as an eco-neighbourhood community: Vision – Reality – Future, as the event aimed to give continuity to previous citizen engagement exercises conducted in this community. The citizen jury process involved 11 participants from different backgrounds and ages, a planning team, two facilitators and expert witnesses. The day was structured into three sessions with three available experts. In each session, the group were organised in two round tables where they received specialised information and then deliberated and brought their own ideas and experiences to the discussion.

In the first session, we focused on what makes Le Trapèze an eco-neighbourhood community and on the “eco” aspects of this neighbourhood. An expert of the community took the floor and opened up very interesting discussions on the development of the area. The second session was dedicated to citizen engagement and innovation for sustainable development. We hosted Marie-Laetitia Gourdin, Vice-President of Entreprendre Vert , which is a platform for entrepreneurs involved in sustainable development and brings loud and clear the voice of responsible and ecological entrepreneurship in France. Social innovation initiatives were presented and the role of innovation in the energy transition was discussed among participants.

The third and last session covered the role of citizens in local energy initiatives, kicking off with Albert Ferrari, Head of Institutional Relations in Enercoop, a cooperative supplier of 100% renewable electricity in France. Issues such as energy self-consumption and investment options in local energy initiatives were debated in this session.

The citizen jury successfully concluded with the examination of the Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats of an eco-neighbourhood community like Le Trapeze and produced potential recommendations for decision makers to help progress the evolution of a sustainable energy system.

We are grateful for Le Trapeze Community who gave, once again, their time and energy to this project!

Contact:
Daniele Kielmanowicz

Trend Watcher

For more details visit the ENTRUST website:
http://www.entrust-h2020.eu/

About ENTRUST

The ENTRUST project contributes to an effective transition to a more sustainable energy future by achieving a deep understanding of the social aspects of the energy system. Recognising the importance of escaping the ‘energy as a commodity’ paradigm, ENTRUST develops the concept of energy citizenship as a theoretical lens through which the human factors of the energy system are explored. The project takes an intersectional approach to consider the effects that gender, age and socioeconomic status have for transitioning to low carbon energy system.