UBO has been pesticide-free for its green spaces, since 2012. Service providers working under public contracts are also obliged to respect this choice. Our gardening and green space teams focus on alternative and natural methods, for example, white vinegar for weeding.
This is a virtuous approach aimed at preserving biodiversity, and it also makes sure that everyone’s health is protected: gardeners, users, local residents, etc.

UBO manages a 280,000 m² building stock, comprising 84 buildings. From environmental footprints to economic aspects, including user comfort, there are many issues surrounding this building stock.

• Several years ago,  UBO adopted a centralized technical management system allowing it to supervise the technical installations on the various sites: heating, electricity and water. To extend this approach even further, meters will be gradually installed on each campus. The aim is to monitor energy consumption in real-time for each building.
• The university uses urban heating from the recycling of waste from the greater Brest area.
• The energy renovation of the building stock is an powerful lever for reducing its energy footprint and improving the working conditions and facilities for staff and students. Major renovation projects are planned or already underway. In particular, these are the Bouguen university library and the Faculty of Sciences G building: external heat insulation, installation of presence detectors for LED lighting, etc.
• UBO is a signatory to the Biomass Heating Network (Réseau de chaleur chaufferie biomasse) project, led by Brest Métropole, which will supply the Brest Iroise Technopole campus at Plouzané in 2023. The key objectives and benefits are to use mostly renewable energy sources and to reduce CO2 emissions.

Between research, training courses and education, administration and everyday activities, over 293 tons of waste are collected per year at the university. This poses a challenge for the university, so it has put in place various systems and toolsto try and manage this issue:

• Communal collection points for paper and cardboard are located around the different sites and campuses. Since 2021, a pilot collection system run by the Estates Department (service général d’entretien) has been in operation for the Faculty of Sciences C Building. It is currently in the test phase, after which time it will be extended to other sites.
• Waste electrical and electronic equipment is collected and then recycled. This is carried out by ÉCOTRI, a company based on creating lasting employment for people with disabilities, and people who are on an access-to-employment scheme or who are socially excluded and have difficulties finding employment.
• Collection bins for used batteries are installed around the sites and campuses.
• Hazardous waste (chemical, biological and radioactive) is collected by specialized service providers.

To extend this approach even further, the waste management system is currently being reorganized. The long-term  objective is to provide more sorting and collection stations so that waste recycling becomes systematic.

Conscious that public procurement is a powerful force for action, the UBO aims to systematically integrate environmental and/or social clauses into its public contracts. This is the case for many supply contracts (office supplies, paper, printer cartridges and toners, maintenance products, network equipment, etc.), and also services or works contracts.
Certain purchases, under the public procurement threshold, are also made through ESATs (workplace integration structures). These organizations employ people with disabilities who are unable to work in an traditional/adapted companies or to exercise an independent professional activity.

The digital master plan (schéma directeur du numérique) was adopted in 2019 and incorporates the notion of digital responsibility.
All year round, the Department of Digital Uses (Département des usages du numérique) carries out awareness-raising activities among students and staff about good computer practices. These campaigns cover topics such as the simple gestures that can go some way to helping us to reduce our digital footprints, for example, regular and effective email housekeeping (cleaning up mailboxes) and making good use of email signatures.

Mitigating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This is the major challenge facing all of the region’s stakeholders: public and private organizations, associations, scientists, citizens, etc. UBO has therefore chosen to join forces with Brest Métropole through the TOMORROW European project.

To improve the quality of life and work for its staff and students, UBO has put in place several measures to ensure that everyone benefits from an optimal environment. These include:

• an action plan drawn up by the Quality of Life at Work working group (QVT),
• measures to help balance work and family life: remote working, parenthood charter, limiting out of hour emails, holding meetings only at certain hours, etc.

There university’s gender equality mandate has been in place since 2012. It oversees the implementation of the Charter for Gender Equality in Higher Education (Charte pour l’égalité femmes-hommes dans l’Enseignement Supérieur) signed in January 2013 by the presidents of the CPU (former conference of university presidents, now France University), presidents of grandes écoles and engineering schools, and by the Ministers for Women's Rights, Culture and Communication, and Higher Education and Research. It works in particular towards:

• parity in representative bodies
• career equality
• parity in training courses

In accordance with the agreement (of 30 November 2018) on professional equality between women and men in the civil service, UBO has drawn up an action plan aiming to reduce the inequalities that exist between women and men in the university. In particular, it clarifies the situation (as at the first quarter of 2021) based on analyses and actions that have already been carried out.

MARINE AND COASTAL SCIENCES

• Master’s in Biology - Pathway: Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences
• Master’s in Biology - Pathway: International Master’s degree in Marine Biological Resources
• Master’s in Biology - Pathway: Biology of Organisms and Populations
• Master’s in Biology - Pathway: Marine Ecosystems
• Master’s in Applied Economics - Agriculture, Sea, Environment
• Master’s in Environmental Management - Pathway: Coastal Environment Consultancy and Management

LAW, ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT

• Master’s in Land-Use Management and Local Development - Pathway: Management and Engineering of Land-Use Development in Europe
• Master’s in Law - Pathway: Vulnerable Persons Law
• University Diploma (DU) in Animal Law

SCIENCES, TECHNOLOGY, HEALTH

• Master’s in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution - Pathway: Biodiversity Management and Conservation
• Master’s in Urban Planning and Development - Pathway: Urbanism and Development
• Master’s in Urban Planning and Development - Pathway: Environment and Planning

HUMAN AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

• Master’s in Adapted Physical Activity and Health - Pathway: Preventive Health/Health
• Master’s in Gender Studies - Pathway: Discriminations
• Master’s in Gender Studies - Pathway: Body and Biopolitics
• Master’s in Psychology - Subjectivity and Unconscious Processes: trauma, suffering and exclusion (SPI)
   

RESEARCH PROJECTS

• COOL FOOD Pro
  European project to assist the private and public catering sector with sustainable changes in their practices in England and France. University of Western Brittany (UBO) is the main project leader. It manages the administrative, financial and research aspects of the project through the participation of LEGO laboratory.
• PPP: Preventing Plastic Pollution (LEMAR)
  

UNIVERSITY CHAIRS

These chairs have been shortlisted as part of a call for projects by the Fondation UBO.

• MEGADORE (MEdical GADOlinium REcycling) led by Pr Douared Ben Salem, LaTIM, UMR 1101 (associated laboratories: CEMCA and LEMAR).
• Sustainable Food Practices led by Morgane Innocent, Research Engineer, Doctor in Management Sciences, EA 2652 - LEGO.
• Noz Breizh (public lighting at night) led by Edna Hernandez-Gonzalez, Lecturer in Geo-Architecture, EA 7462 - Géorchitecture.

PARTICIPATORY SCIENCES

• CoastAppli
  Application developed by ISblue and LETG researchers to raise awareness and engage the general public on the issue of coastal erosion.
• SensOcean
  Scientists and navigators collaborating to study ocean currents and climate. This project brings together several partners: AMURE (Development of the Uses of Marine and Coastal Resources and Spaces – Centre for Law and Economics of the Sea), LOPS (Laboratory of Physical and Spatial Oceanography), UBO Open Factory and the association Astrolabe Expeditions.