EDF - Environment and energy

Raising awareness and informing the public, protecting our natural heritage and landscapes, while making them accessible to everyone… these commitments are deployed through our partnerships with key players, in our EDF Diversiterre Foundation, and in a wide range of additional activities:

• Some key players: the Nicolas Hulot Foundation; the Nature Reserves of France (Réserves Naturelles de France); the International Union for Conservation of Nature; the French League for the Protection of Birds (Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux); the French Coastal Protection Agency (Conservatoire du littoral); and the National Union of Permanent Centres for Environmental Initiatives (Union Nationale des Centres Permanents d’initiatives pour l’Environnement).
• Public events like the French Fête de la Nature festival and other cultural conferences or events also enrich our efforts to understand and protect the natural world.
  
• Continuing the work of the French National Conference on the Sea (Grenelle de la Mer), EDF supports major efforts to explore and better understand our planet, including:
  
• The TARA Océans scientific expedition, which aims to assess the state of the Earth’s oceans and measure the impact of climate change on plankton biodiversity
• The expedition of La Boudeuse (a vessel chartered by the French Ministry of Environment, Ecology, Sustainable Development and the Sea), to evaluate the relationship between humans and the environment, notably by studying the inhabitants of the banks of the main South American rivers: the Amazon; the Orinoco; the Paraná; and the Patagonian canals.
  

The Group has strong links with the international scientific community, notably through its partnerships with leading organizations such as the French Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), as well as the main French and European engineering colleges and universities. These links are fostered and supported by the company and its European Foundation for the Energies of Tomorrow.

The EDF Group encourages research into the energies of tomorrow by supporting professorships, Masters programs, and scholarships, and through various prizes, including:

• The Prix Ampère: sponsored by EDF for more than 30 years, this is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the French Academy of Sciences.
  
• The Prix Fem’energia: the EDF Group and WiN France have created partnerships to encourage the employment of and to increase the level of information available to young women who want to break into the nuclear industry, EDF’s leading sector.
  
• The Habitat bas carbone competition: organized by EDF, the competition is open to architects. Its objective is to promote a new generation of energy-efficient, renewable energy-based housing.