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Episode 1 – When teachers commit to more sustainable IT practices

27 May 2025

By Vincent Loiseau

Introduction

After a 2024 dedicated to learning — filled with training, reading, and certifications on digital sustainability — 2025 marks for me the shift toward real-world action.

In this series of articles, I’ll take you behind the scenes of an inspiring project carried out at the Jeanne d’Arc institution (Gex/Cessy), where both students and teachers engaged with key topics such as:

  • the environmental impact of digital technology,
  • the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence,
  • and the influence of social media.

My goal: to share feedback from the field, the educational methods we implemented, the insightful questions raised by the students, and — I hope — to inspire other schools, professionals, and curious minds to launch similar initiatives. Let’s dive in!

Episode 1 – When teachers commit to more sustainable IT practices

A big thank you to Mr. Duvivier, principal of Jeanne d’Arc Middle School in Gex, and his deputy Ms. Sintès, for their trust and warm welcome regarding my proposal to raise awareness about sustainable IT practices.

We decided to start at the very beginning: by raising awareness among the teachers. Why? Because they are the ones who, every day, shape the minds and imaginations of our youth. And their involvement is key to fostering a culture of digital responsibility within the school.

On February 10, 2025, around twenty teachers gathered for a two-hour participatory conference. On the agenda:

  • An introduction to the environmental and social impacts of digital technologies
  • Debunking common “false good ideas”
  • Concrete actions that can be taken at both individual and educational levels
  • And finally, a dive into future challenges:
    • A decarbonized yet highly mineral-dependent world
    • The depletion of non-renewable resources
    • Geopolitical tensions surrounding Data
    • AI: a powerful yet energy-hungry tool that must be better understood and managed

The discussions were rich, the questions plentiful, and the curiosity palpable. Most importantly: the desire to take action was real. A few days later, I learned that several teachers had been deeply impacted by the session. To me, that’s the best reward there is.

Next step: co-designing a 90-minute course on sustainable IT use for the school’s eight 8th-grade classes, in connection with their Technology curriculum. But more on that in the next article!

Once again, a huge thank you to the Jeanne d’Arc Middle School and its teaching staff for the warm welcome and genuine engagement. I can’t wait to be back for the next phase!

And of course, heartfelt thanks to SoKube, my company, for encouraging and allowing me to dedicate time to such meaningful and impactful initiatives.

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