Les Villages Nature Paris - creating a 'One Planet’ holiday
Les Villages Nature® Paris aims to create a new kind of holiday – immersing its one million visitors a year in nature while minimising its impact on the planet
Major eco-tourist destination in Paris is a ‘globally significant’ project
The One Planet Annual Review for Villages Nature® Paris has revealed that it is on track to meet its targets outlined in its One Planet Action Plan
Les Villages Nature Paris is a pioneering, low-impact tourist destination delivered in partnership between Euro Disney and Group Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs, which will host up to 900,000 visitors a year. With around 900 holiday homes and easily reached by train, it offers a low-carbon holiday with a 2,500m2 hectare open air swimming lagoon heated to 30°C by carbon-free geothermal energy.
Over the last 10 years, Bioregional has provided Villages Nature Paris with support and advice in using the One Planet Principles throughout the design and planning stages. The resort became an official One Planet Community in 2013, with an Action Plan outlining how all of its targets will be met. Its Annual Review for 2014/15 reveals that its key successes in 2014 were:
- Construction site waste management achieving more than an 80% material recycling rate, 17% energy recovery and less than 1.5% waste to landfill
- Low carbon concrete used for the Aqualagoon resulting in a 25% reduction in embodied carbon
- Over 75% of contracts (by value) with companies within 100km of the construction site
- Development of a sustainability training programme for potential employees in collaboration with the local authorities.
The resort is also on target to achieve all of its key targets by 2020, including:
- 100% heat demand met by onsite renewable energy from day one
- Net zero carbon emissions from operation of the site
- Zero car site
- 30% of visitors to make the majority of their journey by public transport
- 100% certified timber
As the date of opening draws closer, Villages Nature Paris will be implementing its operational ambitions, such as finalising its energy monitoring system, promoting the employment opportunities locally and undertaking recruitment and training. They will also be defining the guest engagement plans to minimise waste, encourage sustainable purchasing habits and create incentives for water efficient behaviour.
Dominique Cocquet, Villages Nature General Manager, says: “Villages Nature Paris is an innovative project demonstrating that it is possible to reconcile large-scale tourism and sustainable development. Our ambitions for 2016 include ensuring that One Planet Living is integrated into all processes and procedures and that we develop a unique and transformative guest experience that provides deep sustainability engagement while leaving the space for a relaxing holiday.”
Pooran Desai, Co-Founder of Bioregional and International Director for One Planet Communities, adds: “Ten years ago, Villages Nature Paris was one of the first projects to embrace the One Planet Principles and embed them into its concept, design and construction. Today it is a truly inspiring example of how sustainable tourism can support a better way of living. Villages Nature Paris is, without doubt, a globally significant project. It can help give others the confidence to make the environmental commitments we require, especially in light of the Paris Agreement."
Sustainable tourism, French style
Les Villages Nature® Paris is proving that truly sustainable tourism is possible. Olivier Robin, Director of Operations, explains the vision behind the One Planet Destination and how it aims to engage its guests with sustainability in a new light.
Villages Nature Paris – bringing sustainable tourism to the masses
For our Bioregional away-day 2017 we were delighted to visit Villages Nature® Paris, an innovative tourist destination that’s used One Planet Living in its development. Ben Gill shares what it was like seeing its sustainability vision brought to life