In Mouans-Sartoux, this town in the Alpes-Maritimes of nearly 10,000 inhabitants, there are countless distinctions received for projects related to ecology. The first dates back to 1989. The city won the “environmental trophy awarded by the Council for Architecture, Urban Planning and the Environment for the forest protection policy”. More than 30 years later, it has reached the highest level for the regional label ” Sustainable territory, one Cop ahead “. It is the first to obtain this “exemplary” level and the only one so far.
“It’s important for us, it shows that the municipalities can develop initiatives, that the territories have answers and solutions to climate change”, exclaims Gilles Pérole, deputy mayor of Mouans-Sartoux, promoter of the food and sustainable travel. He recognizes without problem that receiving titles, “it’s in the genes”. Next week, the city will have another “international” one. “We are not racing for medals, underlines the chosen one. This kind of ceremony is above all an opportunity for us to have visibility and thus show that it is possible in addition to sharing our successful and recognized actions with others. »
A political will for years
Between Grasse and Cannes, this municipality has distinguished itself since André Aschieri’s first mandate in 1974, after the mad cow crisis. The mayor at the time decided to improve the sanitary quality of collective catering with organic vegetables and fruits, grown on site. But it was especially at the end of the 1990s that the municipal strategy took another turn, in particular with the parliamentary mission of which the mayor, deputy from 1997 to 2002, was a member.
“André Aschieri worked with scientists who were already alerting us at the time to what awaited us. He became aware of the dangers and tried to put in place a precautionary principle to counter the announced risks”, develops Gilles Pérole. The deputy mayor also points to “the strength of events like the book festival”. “It’s a place of sharing where we welcome scientists, thinkers, specialists who present their research and knowledge to us and we try to transform them into concrete things. »
The projects have therefore developed. Today, “the citizen feeds the city” with plots cultivated by the inhabitants, which make it possible to “create links, but also to reduce the cost of food by eating what we have produced”. In 2016, the municipality had a food autonomy of 86% for its citizens, which also includes the school canteen. The community was rewarded for this sustainable food project but also for its water management, its self-production of electricity, its waste management.
Forty-three times fewer emissions than the national average
“We did an impact study, continues Gilles Pérole. And Mouans-Sartoux emits 43 times less CO2 than the national average, just with the sustainable food policy. We show that these are effective projects. We are a bit of a pioneer of ideas and then we share them with other cities so that the ecological transition goes faster. »
Mouans-Sartoux then experienced an unexpected notoriety. It went from 3,600 inhabitants in 1975 to 10,200 in 2006. “There is an attraction that comes from this policy, we cannot deny it”, admits the one who is also delegate for childhood, education and food. But this increase in population creates a new phenomenon to manage: how to house everyone permanently?
“We decided to build more in the city, where the land already had buildings, rather than sacrificing nature, replies the elected official. We want to limit the artificialization of the soil and keep all species as much as possible. This point of urban planning is also revised in a participative way with the inhabitants to “call to build the city of tomorrow”. And it was also rewarded. Gilles Pérole concludes: “We are not visionaries, we simply want to preserve our planet for future generations. »