Cases

Sustainable Development Ministry "Grenelle de l'environnement"
How to get back quickly at the heart of the discussions on the web?

Background:

The “Grenelle Environement” is a project launched by the French government in July 2007 in order to initiate several major sustainable development’s reforms in France. The unique method initiated by the ministry in charge of Sustainable Development, was to create a dialogue between each actors concerned but also all the French society in order to choose the kind of reforms to be made in the 8 sectors: climate change & energy, biodiversity and natural resources, health and environment, sustainable production and consummation, environment & democracy, competitiveness and employment, GMOs, waste. Internet and the dedicated website www.legrenelle-environnement.fr, had a major role to play in the process, since the government asked the citizens to give their opinion on the web. At the beginning of the process, the influencers -i.e. associations, companies, bloggers- gave their opinion and launched the debate on the Internet, but much more on others sites than the Grenelle website, which was not open to dialogue.

Objectives:

The sustainable development ministry at the heart of the debate on the web. A website where every actors and citizens could find all the information's, propositions and debates, including contradictions, and where everyone could discuss.

Strategy:

Creations of 4 new sections on the existing website:

- I give my opinion: a global forum with 8 discussion rooms on the 8 categories treated by the Grenelle. Every citizen has the opportunity to give its opinion and debate during 15 days and nights. The synthesis of those discussions had a major role on
the final negotiations.

-Web review: daily, we posted a review of all reactions and comments read on the Internet. This was open to comments.

- I, you, he...we debate: during all the process, we invite a selected numbers of influencers (bloggers, sustainable development managers, opinion leaders, etc) to give their opinion on the Grenelle or any sustainable development issue, etc. We invite them to different events: a special rendez-vous with the minister for all bloggers, invitation to attend at the debate at the Parliament, a meeting with the New-York mayor, etc.

-The issues: 8 videos posted on the website the day after the conclusion in order to explain the majors issues, on a very simple and concrete way, and the reforms decided.

-Presence on influential social networks: Facebook, Twitter as well as on Daily motion.

Results:

-More than 14 000 people have written a post and 300 000 people have consulted the website.
-260 comments on the « Web review » and « I, you, he…we debate » sections.
-40 contributions carried out by influencers on the Grenelle issue or on its themes.