Welcomed in the French capital 10 years after COP21 and the Paris Agreement on climate, the European meeting of young people in Paris and Île-de-France is a time of prayer, sharing and fellowship.

As in every ecumenical approach, solidarity with creation has a central place, because our faith calls us to care for the world and the creation entrusted to us as a gift.

We are aware of the impact that such a large gathering can have on the environment. This ecological charter is a simple, practical guide to reduce our collective and individual footprint, foster simplicity of life, and root our spiritual journey in coherent ecological action.

By choosing simple, planet-friendly actions—in our travel, our consumption and our way of living together—we affirm that hope is also built through daily choices. May this charter help us make this gathering a sign of solidarity, respect for Creation, and a reminder of our commitment to act responsibly in the created world.

I – Prepare the European meeting with ecological coherence in mind

a – Be attentive during the preparation time in Paris

The preparation team, based in Paris since September, seeks to reduce its carbon impact, especially through digital simplicity.

The team aims to:

• travel in a simple, low-impact way;

• offer video calls with people who are far away;
• work on shared documents to limit emails and attachments;
• limit message recipients to those directly concerned;
• assess the event’s carbon footprint using a standardised system.

We invite all volunteers and participants to practise digital simplicity by applying these simple tips that save as much energy as possible without giving up the benefits of digital tools.

The preparation team recommends that host parishes:

• provide recycling and waste sorting in every host venue;
• favour water jugs over plastic bottles, and reusable containers over single-use ones;
• adopt more responsible use of resources: heating, lighting, water in sanitary facilities.

b - Make advance decisions that will affect the event

The preparation team commits to:

• set a clear course by adopting this charter;
• consider a partnership with a charity to donate unconsumed but still edible products;
• renounce the consumption, distribution and sale of accessories that are by nature short-lived;
• implement the City of Paris eco-responsible events charter.

II – Reduce our individual carbon footprint

About transport

Ways to come to Paris

• Participants commit to prioritising public transport (train, bus, carpooling) and to avoiding planes when an alternative is possible.
• Online platforms such as hourrail.voyage or interrail.eu can help by making it easier to plan rail journeys.

During the meeting

• Young people, volunteers and speakers commit to prioritising public transport and gentle mobility (on foot, by bike, etc.) for their journeys.

About your arrival in Paris

Participants commit to live the meeting as pilgrims:

• come with a bowl, a spoon and a water bottle;
• use the bag provided at welcome for picnics;
• dress warmly, as some gatherings will take place in places of worship that are only lightly heated.

About the way of life in Paris

Participants are encouraged to:

• show affection to loved ones through immaterial gestures rather than objects, and for souvenirs and gifts choose material goods that invite sharing;
• prioritise time with other participants and host families, living this gathering as a time for encounter rather than consumption.

III - Put in place responsible principles at the collective level

Aware that the scale of the ecological challenge requires more than a simple addition of individual answers, we are glad to set out together as a community, committing to the following collective guidelines.

Mobility

To reduce our collective impact, we need to go to the different meeting times using gentle mobility: on foot, by bike, or by public transport.

Journeys are also times of encounter. They can put us in touch with local residents and other participants, help us weave bonds with them, even brief ones, and show our presence and commitment. This can be through a smile, words, or even singing!

Meals

The organisers commit to:

• favour seasonality, the most local origin possible for products, and bulk sourcing to limit packaging;
• offer a vegetarian option;
• prioritise mains water at meeting places and the use of personal water bottles.

Reducing waste and recycling

The organisers commit to:

• study the different options for distributing meals and choose the one with the lowest impact over the whole life cycle;
• limit products packaged individually by favouring foods to share with others, such as cakes or fruit.
• distribute fabric bags to avoid the use of plastic bags. These bags will allow you to access meals and store your belongings. After the meeting, you may keep it or donate it to an association to give it a second life;
• sort and recycle unavoidable waste, with the help of young volunteers present at the midday meal distribution point.

Energy

The organisers commit and invite participants, as well as host families, to:

• reduce the meeting’s overall energy use: heating, lighting, water in sanitary facilities;
• be attentive to the length of showers in host families;
• not heat parish meeting places above 19°C.

Digital simplicity

Aware of the environmental impact of digital technology, the organisers commit to a digital simplicity approach based on moderation and limiting the resources linked to digital uses. They also invite all participants to learn good digital practices, to use technology responsibly, and to limit smartphone use during the meeting.

IV - Encourage individual and community ecological conversion

“We need a conversion that unites us, because the environmental challenge we are experiencing is an appeal to reweave connections. We can work together as instruments of God for the safeguarding of creation, each according to his or her culture, experience, initiatives and abilities.”

The working group that helped create this document now invites you to make it your own during the gathering, so that afterwards you can share what you have experienced.

We believe we are all called to act for the protection of our common home, and we offer you this charter as a first step towards such a commitment.