On Thursday, October 14, 18 projects were awarded as part of the first Green Deal call for projects, open to associations and municipalities (with the exception of Antibes, Cannes, Grasse, Menton, and Nice, already supported by the Horizon 2026 contracts).
The award ceremony was held in the presence of Charles-Ange Ginésy, president of the Alpes-Maritimes department, along with Jérôme Viaud, vice-president of the Alpes-Maritimes department in charge of the GREEN Deal, environment, and green growth, and Yannick Bernard, departmental councilor and president of the GREEN Deal, environment, and green growth commission.
In his opening speech, the president of the department notably referred to the fact that [Nice could be submerged underwater in a hundred years](https://www.nicepremium.fr/societe,149/ecologie,156/rechauffement-climatique-nice-pourra-se-retrouver-sous-les-eaux-dans-plusieurs-centaines-d-annees,31653.html), and that there needs to be awareness of these events. According to him, this awareness was “awakened” by the deadly events of 2015 and more recently by storm Alex a year ago.
This call for projects aims to support ecological transition initiatives by associations and municipalities, “a long-standing commitment” according to Charles-Ange Ginésy. The projects were grouped into three main themes: energy transition, territory resilience and cohesion, and finally, eco-responsibility and nature preservation.
Out of the 35 applications, 18 were awarded, including 12 associations and 6 municipalities.
Congratulations to the 6 municipalities and 12 associations that we will assist in carrying out their projects on sustainable mobility, protection of remarkable natural spaces, or promotion of short supply chains. [pic.twitter.com/RYirJ4Q0Sf](https://t.co/RYirJ4Q0Sf)
— Charles Ange Ginesy (@ca_ginesy) [October 14, 2021](https://twitter.com/ca_ginesy/status/1448707310860312582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
For instance, the municipality of Mandelieu-La-Napoule was awarded for its project on depaving and greening the exteriors of three school establishments.
The association Les Chiffonniers was recognized for its project to create a third place in Cannes La Bocca aimed at hosting, among other things, a recycling center specialized in event waste and workshops for upcycling artisans.
In the “energy transition” category, one of the selected projects proposed by the association “choisir le vélo” involves lending electric cargo bikes intended for transporting goods or people for one week.
The 18 awardees will share a total of 2 million euros—aid provided by the Alpes-Maritimes department—to successfully implement their projects.
“The small step we are making in the Alpes-Maritimes is a big step we are making for humanity,” declared Charles-Ange Ginésy during the award ceremony.
