{"id":181855,"date":"2025-11-13T17:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ieseg.fr\/?post_type=news&p=181855"},"modified":"2025-11-24T16:07:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T15:07:39","slug":"students-europe-cycling-sustainable-development","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.ieseg.fr\/en\/news\/students-europe-cycling-sustainable-development\/","title":{"rendered":"A cycling tour across Europe to promote sustainable development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marine CHENAIN and Marion CADU, two students from the Grande \u00c9cole Program<\/a> at I\u00c9SEG, turned their gap year into both a sporting challenge and an environmental commitment. They cycled across parts of Europe\u2014covering 3,000 km\u2014to meet local sustainable initiatives. Their goal? To highlight innovative environmental projects and ecological transition efforts, encouraging similar initiatives to emerge in France.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaking Action for the Environment, One Way or Another\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to take action for the environment, one way or another. After many discussions about the gap year project we wanted to pursue, we decided to create our own association, \u2018Ride2Change,\u2019 aimed at promoting sustainable projects and, more broadly, a more sustainable lifestyle through a sporting challenge that advocates eco-friendly mobility<\/em>,\u201d explains Marine CHENAIN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For three months, the two students cycled across Europe, covering over 3,000 kilometers, to discover sustainable projects <\/strong>rooted in local strengths. Their journey took them through Finland, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and other European countries, moving at the pace of local projects and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Marion CADU & Marine CHENAIN<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to create a kind of map of Europe highlighting innovative and inspiring sustainability projects, to encourage the emergence of similar initiatives here in France<\/strong>\u2014or elsewhere in Europe. It\u2019s by multiplying efforts that we can rise to the challenge of sustainability!\u201d <\/em>adds Marine. \u201cAs both of us are facilitators of the Climate Fresk, we also took the opportunity to visit schools and companies to run workshops and raise awareness about environmental issues.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspiring projects across Europe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Throughout their journey, Marine and Marion met 13 experts and project leaders.<\/strong> Among the initiatives that particularly impressed them was Evyon<\/a> in Sweden, tackling a major environmental and industrial challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe company focuses on recycling electric vehicle batteries<\/strong> into energy storage systems for commercial and industrial use. They noticed that many electric vehicle batteries are discarded even though they still retain at least 60% of their capacity\u2014insufficient for vehicle range, but still functional. Evyon extends the batteries\u2019 life to reduce technological waste,\u201d Marine explains.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another favorite was Rebread<\/a> in Poland: \u201cRebread recovers unsold bakery products and transforms them into other items<\/strong>, like fermented foods such as kombucha, or even new types of bread! They also use them to make cosmetics, spirits, biodegradable packaging, and bio-filaments. They turn a resource that\u2019s often wasted into something new and sustainable. I loved this innovative and creative approach, developed in a lab in Poland,\u201d <\/em>adds Marion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One euro for each kilometer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Marine and Marion managed everything themselves: creating the association, finding sponsors, handling social media, and managing logistics and administration. \u201cIn a way, we built a mini-startup!\u201d says Marion. \u201cOur project was supported by several partners, including Chef de File, Slo\u00e9, and even the city council of Paris\u2019 16th arrondissement!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symbolically, their challenge aimed to raise one euro per kilometer cycled\u20143,000 euros in total\u2014to support a sustainable initiative upon their return to France.<\/strong> Through an online fundraiser, a unique promotional event (a 24-hour pop-up restaurant), and help from sponsors, they reached their goal.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Marion CADU & Marine CHENAIN<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The funds were donated to Neolitik<\/a>, a young Normandy-based company developing sustainable alternatives to concrete using 100% recycled materials. <\/strong>By repurposing orphan plastics destined for incineration and construction waste, they created a new raw material that combats both plastic pollution and the environmental impact of the construction sector\u2014one of the most polluting industries in the world, with concrete alone responsible for over 8% of global CO\u2082 emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A very enlightening experience”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the sporting challenge and the discovery of inspiring projects, Marion and Marine especially value everything this adventure has brought them on a human and personal level:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This project has contributed to both my personal and professional growth.<\/strong> It has made me very adaptable, able to find solutions and stay calm even in difficult situations, despite fatigue. I’ve learned to keep my composure and self-control. For me, the biggest challenge was the accumulation of fatigue, cold, and unexpected obstacles. The real challenge was managing myself in these extreme conditions. You can never predict everything, and you have to accept uncertainty, like not knowing where to sleep at night if no one opens their door for you!” <\/em>explains Marion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think, overall, it\u2019s an incredibly enlightening experience<\/strong>. During these three months cycling, it was mostly the human encounters that moved us. We were constantly interacting with strangers and realized how fundamentally kind and willing to help people are. It\u2019s something we sometimes forget in our daily lives,\u201d <\/em>adds Marine.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n

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<\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\r\n\t

13 projects across Europe<\/h3>\r\n\t
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1. Eco Up: Recycles insulation materials and demolition waste to produce zero-emission concrete<\/p>\n

2. Malm\u00f6 City: Eco-friendly cities with bike lanes, rooftop gardens, biogas for buses, and wind turbines<\/p>\n

3. Evyon: Refurbishes used electric vehicle batteries into energy storage systems<\/p>\n

4. Earth Miles: An app that rewards your eco-friendly actions, like a loyalty card for the planet<\/p>\n

5. Offshore wind turbines: Installation of wind turbines in the North Sea to reduce CO2 emissions<\/p>\n

6. Bikeflip: Subscription to a circular bike for children with exchange and repair service<\/p>\n

7. The Climate Mural: A creative workshop to raise awareness about climate change using fun methods<\/p>\n

8. Rebread: Recycles unsold bread into reusable raw material<\/p>\n

9. CZS: Ecological gardening and awareness of local fruits and vegetables<\/p>\n

10. GoodBag: A connected bag that encourages you to adopt ecological behaviors<\/p>\n

11. Cargonomia: Research and implementation center for degrowth that distributes local fruits and vegetables by cargo bikes<\/p>\n

12. Viaplant: Transforming organic waste into creative materials for architecture and design<\/p>\n

13. Waste management in Ljubljana: Zero waste city model with a recycling rate of 68%<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marine CHENAIN and Marion CADU, two students from the Grande \u00c9cole Program at I\u00c9SEG, turned their gap year into both a sporting challenge and an environmental commitment. 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