The Climate Fresco: developing a sustainable mindset at Rennes School of Business
A Corporate Social Responsibility workshop for IBPM1 students at Rennes School of Business to work together to explore the critical topic of climate change.
Teamwork, collective intelligence and creativity
To kick-off the year on the 10th September 2020, 250 first-year bachelor’s students at Rennes School of Business participated in a creative and collaborative workshop with the aim of raising awareness about global climate change. The event was facilitated by “La Fresque du Climat”, a French non-profit organisation created in 2018, whose aim is to educate as many people as possible about climate issues using workshops based around teamwork, collective intelligence and creativity.
A sustainable mindset in students
The students were split into groups in which they dissected and considered the climate issues that threaten our planet as a group in order to better understand the role of every individual in the protection of our ecosystem. Each group was given a selection of cards representing the main components of climate change and had to organise them in an order of cause-and-effect, starting with human activity and ending with the resulting effects on our global biodiversity.
According to Don Minday, Associate Professor and Chief Sustainability Officer at Rennes School of Business: “One of our main CSR objectives is to develop a sustainable mindset in students. This starts with becoming aware of societal problems, and what better way to do it than through a hands-on activity like ‘the Climate Fresco.’ Instead of reading or hearing a lecture about the climate change crisis, students work together to line up cards showing the cause-and-effect relationships between humankind’s activities and its negative impact on the environment. By physically touching and moving around cards with their teammates, students retain more readily the challenges of the climate crisis, and have fun doing so. An added advantage is that the game was organised by two Rennes SB alumni who work for the association “La Fresque du Climat.” We are very satisfied with the results and plan to use the climate fresco with other incoming groups of students.”
Innovative and responsible managers
CSR and sustainability are at the heart of Rennes School of Business’ priorities as the School seeks to prepare its students to become innovative and responsible managers in a global environment. A key element of the 3-year International Bachelor Programme in Management is training students to understand the managerial challenges associated with responsible and sustainable development. This bachelor’s degree in management is designed to enable students to develop knowledge in management subjects and acquire soft skills, teamwork, interpersonal and linguistic skills by working on practical group projects and business plans.
Jean Couhard, IBPM Programme Director, tells us more about what students were able to draw from the event: “This event was multifaceted, combining individual thinking and creativity, enabling new students to get to know one other and work together, all whilst reflecting on an issue which directly affects their generation and the generations to come, by finding lasting and innovative solutions to preserve our planet. The climate fresco was a highlight for these first-year students and fully in line with the CSR dynamic and values advocated by Rennes School of Business.”
