ASTER Forum: the responsible forum of Institut Polytechnique de Paris

How was the ASTER forum born and what are its objectives?

The climate emergency has been talked about for a long time, especially in our generation. There are many commitments, not only in terms of activism but also in terms of everyday actions and our relationship with the planet. On the other hand, if the will to act is present, the levers of action are less obvious, so much so that many people consider this fight as distant from their own life and do not think they can be a stakeholder.  

In reality, our status as future engineers allows us a multitude of actions and possibilities. We just need to realize this, and this is the ambition of the ASTER Forum. About thirty students from the Institut Polytechnique de Paris gathered to achieve this project. 

Can you give us an overview of the companies that will be present and the program of the day? 

The various organizations we have brought together are for us models for a new approach to work, a new mentality. All of our companies and associations are committed to environmental and societal issues in different ways. Some of them propose innovative technologies to advance the ecological transition, such as new heating methods using geo-storage and intelligence to reduce consumption by up to 80%, digital solutions to reduce food waste, off-shore wind turbines or green hydrogen technology. Others propose different ways of operating within their company, such as a company with no established hierarchy, another offering menstrual leave, one in which the majority of the capital is held by the employees 

What are the events proposed by the forum? 

It seemed important to us to introduce a time of exchange, between students or young graduates and professionals, by a conference on this subject. It will be animated by speakers from The Shifters, the association resulting from the Shift Project, which aims to achieve concrete plans for the transformation of the French economy for the ecological transition. We will then leave room for students to come and meet our 32 organizations, which cover several sectors, from consulting to environment, digital or civil engineering. To initiate less formal discussions, we will close the ASTER Forum with a cocktail reception for speakers and students.