Transforming Employees and Citizens into Climate Leaders

At the end of 2023, the Occitanie Regional Energy and Climate Agency (AREC Occitanie) partnered with a financial institution – Banque Populaire Occitane – to educate and engage its employees on climate transition challenges. After collaborative meetings to define objectives, the mission focused on two goals: empowering the bank’s employees and raising awareness among its members.

Educating bank employees

For employees, the goal was to transform them into “impact employees” – individuals actively contributing to climate action personally and professionally. AREC developed and implemented several tools and initiatives to achieve this transformation:
• A quiz to assess behaviours and practices;
• Training modules based on a “Green Mission trip”, covering key climate figures, regional objectives, the bank’s commitments, and actionable steps for employees;
• Communication materials such as an umbrella stand, booklets, and posters;
• The creation of a community of ambassadors, featuring monthly ‘Talks’ and ongoing exchanges through dedicated tools like Microsoft Teams and Klaxoon.

Over 12 months, AREC trained 28 ambassadors who engaged their colleagues, resulting in 150 employees trained to co-facilitate activities and a total of 2,000 employees reached.

Raising awareness among bank members

The second objective was to engage the bank’s members by encouraging practical climate action in their daily lives. AREC organised dynamic and participatory meetings covering topics such as housing, travel, food, consumption, and entertainment. These short, end-of-day sessions provided concrete advice and showcased “Green solutions” offered by the bank.

In total, 120 members attended these sessions, designed to be easily replicated by other organisations.

Expanding Impact Through Participatory Workshops

Building on its experience with the bank, AREC was later approached by the municipality of Le Grau du Roi to organise a climate meeting for municipal residents. This event included two participatory workshops:
• “My Climate Game”, which explored daily actions for becoming a climate actor through themes like housing, food, and travel;
• “Embarkation to Be an Impact Citizen”, which introduced participants to regional, local, and individual actions for climate engagement.

These workshops attracted over 80 citizens, many of whom committed to adopting more sustainable behaviours.

AREC’s work highlights the importance of tailored education and engagement initiatives. Whether transforming employees into climate ambassadors or empowering citizens through interactive workshops, AREC demonstrates how collaboration can drive meaningful climate action.

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!