An introduction to Haute-Savoie

Haute-Savoie has 696,000 inhabitants and is a very dynamic region. The General Council of Haute-Savoie takes a proactive role in developing and implementing the environmental protection policies.

Through a programme of around 21 projects, Haute-Savoie is targeting energy consumption, reducing the use of resources, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and wants to increase energy efficiency as well as the development of renewable energy sources.

The Haute-Savoie Energy Plan was developed in 2008 to implement measures such as the shuttle system “Mobil'Alp” (also a European project) and the study of potential biogas or wood boilers to support collective heating. In line with these policies, the General Council decided to start the Haute-Savoie Climate Territorial Plan.

This plan is divided into two parts:

• The first part concerns the implementation of a mitigation and adaptation programme in the policies of the Council General and in its own management.
• The second is to facilitate a collective dynamism at the regional level, to involve communities, private sectors and civil society in the key issues concerning the struggle against climate change.

It is in this context that the General Council, wishing to assume its facilitation role in the departmental policies, agreed to be part of the European project EnercitEE. This project gives the opportunity to offer communities and the general public some ways of exchanging experiences, jointly developing strategies and implementing pilot measures.