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Calm and collected in a heated discussion: Pascale Poblet, CCP Project Manager "There's no stress involved in travelling by bus or by bike."
Oct 29, 2010
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CIPRA Internationale Alpenschutzkommission
With a commuter plan that encourages the use of modes of transport other than cars the STMicroelectronics and ST-Ericsson site in Grenoble/F is committed to eco- and climate-friendly mobility. For this initiative the company was awarded one of the cc.alps competition prizes worth 10,000 euros. Pascale Poblet, CCP (Company Commuter Plan) Project Manager, explains why the company's workforce is in such great shape and why the company's kitty has benefited as a result.
Image caption:
Pascale Poblet, CCP Project Manager: "When we won the cc.alps prize, we said: Great! We've won a prize: we can install a solar system to supply our electric vehicles." © Pascale Poblet
You're helping your company's people to exercise more. Is it altruism?
At the outset we encourage our people to get about in different ways for economic and environmental reasons: so we don't have to build car parks and to enable our employees to leave their cars at home. But ultimately the societal aspect is also covered; indeed there's no stress involved in travelling by bus or by bike. Our Company Commuter Plan therefore has its sights firmly trained on all three dimensions of sustainable development.
Was it difficult to motivate your workforce to cycle to work or take public transport?
We are located in a region that already has lots of cyclists, so right from the start we had plenty of people who were willing to get on their bikes. We offered these cyclists comfort and security kits as well as subsidies to buy electric bicycles. As a result we now have some 350 to 400 people who cycle to work. As for buses, people did not use public transport spontaneously; by helping them financially with their season tickets, which we subsidise by 80 %, our employees were won over by this mode of transport, which is now so developed at the regional level that is very attractive for our site.
What changes have there been in terms of mobility since the introduction of the commuter plan?
Quite simply the number of people who have signed up for the scheme: we have gone from 15% of people using public transport 10 years ago to 60% currently. That means around 1,400 people now use the bus, cycle or car-share to come to work. We have also seen big changes in mentality towards modes of transport such as buses and bikes, which some 15 years ago were seem as backward.
Has the Commuter Plan also had an economic impact on your company?
The economic impact of the CCP is an important point since it meant that we did not have to build parking spaces. Our plant is located on a peninsula and the space available is limited. Over the past ten years our workforce has almost doubled, so there were even plans to build a multi-storey car park for our employees' cars. By saving on 1,000 parking spaces thanks to the CCP we have been able to make do with the spaces we already have and have had to extend very little.
What were you able to do with the cc.alps prize worth 10,000 euros?
The prize enabled us to equip a bike garage with solar panels on a site we have earmarked for e-bikes and scooters. It means that during the day our bicycles, e-bikes and electric scooters are powered and recharged when they are on the site using the solar system installed on the roof of the bike garage.
Has the STMicroelectronics and ST-Ericsson site helped to combat climate change with its Commuter Plan?
Yes, of course, we have contributed significantly at the environmental level with the CCP. The Commuter Plan is part of a dynamic environmental approach initiated by our top management already in the 1990s at a time when our company was still called SGS-Thomson. For example we installed solar panels on the site and used the photovoltaic energy to heat the hot water on the premises. Our annual savings amount to the equivalent of 1,400 tonnes of CO2. That's a huge cut in CO2 emissions, but it also represent a reduction in the energy consumption used for cars, and last but not least we avoid traffic congestion when we come to work, allowing us to de-saturate our peninsula.
At the outset we encourage our people to get about in different ways for economic and environmental reasons: so we don't have to build car parks and to enable our employees to leave their cars at home. But ultimately the societal aspect is also covered; indeed there's no stress involved in travelling by bus or by bike. Our Company Commuter Plan therefore has its sights firmly trained on all three dimensions of sustainable development.
Was it difficult to motivate your workforce to cycle to work or take public transport?
We are located in a region that already has lots of cyclists, so right from the start we had plenty of people who were willing to get on their bikes. We offered these cyclists comfort and security kits as well as subsidies to buy electric bicycles. As a result we now have some 350 to 400 people who cycle to work. As for buses, people did not use public transport spontaneously; by helping them financially with their season tickets, which we subsidise by 80 %, our employees were won over by this mode of transport, which is now so developed at the regional level that is very attractive for our site.
What changes have there been in terms of mobility since the introduction of the commuter plan?
Quite simply the number of people who have signed up for the scheme: we have gone from 15% of people using public transport 10 years ago to 60% currently. That means around 1,400 people now use the bus, cycle or car-share to come to work. We have also seen big changes in mentality towards modes of transport such as buses and bikes, which some 15 years ago were seem as backward.
Has the Commuter Plan also had an economic impact on your company?
The economic impact of the CCP is an important point since it meant that we did not have to build parking spaces. Our plant is located on a peninsula and the space available is limited. Over the past ten years our workforce has almost doubled, so there were even plans to build a multi-storey car park for our employees' cars. By saving on 1,000 parking spaces thanks to the CCP we have been able to make do with the spaces we already have and have had to extend very little.
What were you able to do with the cc.alps prize worth 10,000 euros?
The prize enabled us to equip a bike garage with solar panels on a site we have earmarked for e-bikes and scooters. It means that during the day our bicycles, e-bikes and electric scooters are powered and recharged when they are on the site using the solar system installed on the roof of the bike garage.
Has the STMicroelectronics and ST-Ericsson site helped to combat climate change with its Commuter Plan?
Yes, of course, we have contributed significantly at the environmental level with the CCP. The Commuter Plan is part of a dynamic environmental approach initiated by our top management already in the 1990s at a time when our company was still called SGS-Thomson. For example we installed solar panels on the site and used the photovoltaic energy to heat the hot water on the premises. Our annual savings amount to the equivalent of 1,400 tonnes of CO2. That's a huge cut in CO2 emissions, but it also represent a reduction in the energy consumption used for cars, and last but not least we avoid traffic congestion when we come to work, allowing us to de-saturate our peninsula.
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