Nos vies bas carbone

What Nos vies bas carbone does

Nos vies bas carbone is a French nonprofit association (loi 1901) headquartered in Tours, founded around 2015 and registered under SIREN 894 165 976. Its core product is the "Inventons nos vies bas carbone" participatory workshop, a low-tech educational methodology built around 75 scientifically-sourced physical cards (plus a 41-card youth version) that teaches participants the orders of magnitude of carbon footprints and guides them to identify climate actions that are necessary, possible, and desirable. A 2024 enriched version extends the framework beyond carbon to biodiversity collapse and resource depletion. The workshop is delivered in four audience-specific variants: adults (general public), companies ("Inventons nos métiers bas carbone"), public institutions ("Inventons nos collectivités bas carbone"), and youth aged 9+ ("Atelier Jeunes").

The association operates a hybrid revenue model combining one-time kit and card sales (€32-€69 per kit, €20 for the methodological guide), professional training and facilitator certification (€250-€500 HT per person), direct workshop fees, donations and memberships via HelloAsso, Pass Culture-subsidized youth sessions, and large public-sector contracts including a DILA-managed program to train 25,000 French senior civil servants. Distribution occurs through an e-commerce boutique, direct enterprise sales, the Koncilio training institute for local elected officials, and Pass Culture for schools. The association supplements its small permanent team with a network of 2,000+ volunteer facilitators who delivered an estimated 15,000 participant-reach in 2024, supported by 3,000 volunteer hours. Additional offerings include forest immersion stays in the Amboise forest and the first climate device integrated into the French government's Pass Culture program.

Name

Nos vies bas carbone

Legal name

Nos vies bas carbone

Website

https://nosviesbascarbone.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

French nonprofit association offering participatory, low-tech card-based climate education workshops and facilitator training, serving individuals, companies, schools, and government institutions across France and recently expanding into English-language markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Education and Sustainability Training

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards) (EUABAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Forest Ecosystem Services & Carbon/Conservation Programs (AFAMAAAJ)

Keywords

• Climate education workshops
• Carbon footprint training
• Ecological transition services
• Sustainability facilitator training
• Low-carbon lifestyle programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tours

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Kit and Card Sales: Sale of workshop kits (cards for adults at 42€, youth at 39€, English at 69€, systemic extension at 32€), methodological guides (20€), and short formats (9.50€). Kits include cards printed in France on PEFC/FSC certified paper, shipped weekly.
2. Training and Formation: Inter-organization training sessions for facilitators (250-500€ HT per person) and specialized training for companies, public institutions, and educators. Includes certification and kit provision.
3. Workshop Participation Fees: Direct revenue from participants attending public workshops and forest immersion stays (3-5 day camping experiences in Amboise forest).
4. Donations and Memberships: Volunteer contributions, donations (HelloAsso platform), and membership fees support the association's mission. Gift cards available for forest stays.
5. Pass Culture (Education): The Youth workshop is eligible for Pass Culture funding (French government cultural pass for students), enabling schools to finance workshops at no cost to institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Nos vies bas carbone designs and delivers participatory climate education workshops ("Inventons nos vies bas carbone") using a low-tech card-and-string methodology that teaches carbon footprint orders of magnitude and enables participants to collectively identify necessary, possible, and desirable climate actions. The association sells physical workshop kits (cards, guides) and facilitator training to individuals, companies, public institutions, and schools, and operates forest immersion stays in the Amboise forest.

Product overview

Nos vies bas carbone is a French 1901-law association offering a portfolio of participatory climate education workshops under the 'Inventons nos vies bas carbone' program. The core product is a low-tech card-based workshop (using string and cards) that teaches participants essential carbon footprint orders of magnitude and enables them to collectively design low-carbon lifestyles. The main workshop has three audience-specific variants: Grand public (Adultes), Entreprises (for organizations/companies), and Collectivités (for public institutions). A separate Atelier Jeunes variant targets schoolchildren aged 9+. Physical card kits and methodological guides are sold as products to facilitators. The association also offers forest immersion stays (Séjours d'immersion en forêt) and professional training programs for facilitators. The portfolio is anchored by the adult card kit (Version enrichie 2024, 75 cards), the youth card kit (v2, 41 cards), an extension/systemic approach add-on kit, a short debrief-format card deck, an English-language adult kit, a methodological guide, and a Pass Culture-eligible youth workshop format. The organization does not offer software products, APIs, or AI-powered features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inventons nos vies bas carbone (Designing our sustainable lives): The core workshop format for adults focusing on carbon footprint awareness and low-carbon lifestyle design using cards and string.
• Inventons nos métiers bas carbone (Designing our sustainable jobs)
• Inventons nos collectivités bas carbone (Designing our sustainable communities)
• Inventons nos vies bas carbone - Jeunes (Youth version)
• Séjours d'immersion en forêt (Forest immersion stays)

Products and services

• Inventons nos vies bas carbone – Atelier Grand public (Adultes) The flagship participatory card-based workshop where participants learn essential carbon footprint orders of magnitude and collectively imagine necessary, possible, and desirable climate actions. Uses 75 cards (string-and-cards low-tech method) covering Constats, Solutions, Illimités, and Influence categories. Designed for general public adults.
• Atelier Jeunes (Inventons nos vies bas carbone) A version of the workshop adapted for young people aged 9 and above (school, collège, lycée). A 2-3 hour playful and pedagogical workshop designed to help young people envision desirable low-carbon lives without guilt, identifying necessary, effective, and exciting actions. Developed by Delphine Grinberg and Arnaud Brulaire. Eligible for Pass Culture funding.
• Inventons nos métiers bas carbone – Entreprises A version of the workshop adapted for corporate/organizational contexts. Helps companies collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling employees to design low-carbon jobs and identify company-level action levers.
• Inventons nos collectivités bas carbone – Institutions publiques A version of the workshop adapted for public institutions and local authorities. A powerful educational tool for identifying effective action levers at the level of services and public policies.
• Séjours d'immersion en forêt Forest immersion stays lasting 3 to 5 days held in the Amboise forest. Offerings include family stays (3 days, 2 nights, ages 6+), adult weekend stays (3 days, 2 nights), and adult week stays (4.5 days, 4 nights). Activities include nature walks, naturalist observations, nature crafts, cooking, and campfire evenings.
• Cartes Inventons nos vies bas carbone – Version enrichie 2024 – Adultes Physical card kit (75 cards) for the adult workshop in its 2024 enriched version. Cards are categorized into Constats, Solutions, Illimités, and Influence. Includes new systemic approach content covering climate warming, biodiversity collapse, and resource depletion. Printed in France (Loir-et-Cher) on PEFC/FSC certified paper. Sold at €42.
• Cartes Inventons nos vies bas carbone – Jeunes Physical card kit (41 cards) for the youth version of the workshop, for young people aged 9+. Sold with an animation guide. Version v2 added a new biodiversity card. Sold at €39.
• Formation inter-organisations – Animation en contexte professionnel Inter-organization online training sessions for professionals who want to facilitate the Inventons nos métiers bas carbone workshop within their own organizations. Two half-day sessions with practical exercises. Price range €250-€500 HT plus kit cost. Next session: September 17-18, 2025 (online).
• Formation Transition Écologique (FTE) – 25,000 hauts fonctionnaires Government contract training program. Association delivers approximately 3,200 ecological transition awareness workshops to 25,000 senior civil servants across French ministries (Fonction publique d'État).
• Formation élus locaux – Partenariat Koncilio Specialized training program for local elected officials and territorial agents, delivered in partnership with Koncilio (an ESUS-agréée training institute). Uses the Inventons nos collectivités bas carbone workshop adapted for local authority competencies. Can be financed through DIF credits and local authority training budgets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pioneers who participated in workshops reduced their emissions by a factor of 6
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pass CulturecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024The French government's cultural pass for students enables schools to finance workshop delivery at no cost to institutions. The Youth workshop is the first climate education device integrated into Pass Culture, covering 6ème to Terminale students with budgets of 20-30€ per student.
• KonciliocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2023Koncilio is an ESS (Social and Solidarity Economy) training institute specializing in local authority training since 4 years. The partnership trains specialized facilitators to deliver workshops to local elected officials and territorial agents, with content adapted for local action contexts. Training financed through DIF credits (400€ per elected official annually) and mandatory municipal training budgets.
• French State (DILA/IGPDE)coreOthers · 1 September 2023Won a public procurement contract to deliver ecological transition workshops to 25,000 senior civil servants across ministries, representing approximately 3,200 workshops through the Ecological Transition Training (FTE) program managed by DILA.
• Green-GotminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2023Green-Got, a green neobank, allows members to activate rounding-up donations. Nos vies bas carbone was selected as a potential recipient project for monthly donations from 15,000+ potential supporters, subject to member voting.
• France 3minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2023Regional TV station that produced an infomercial segment during the 19/20 news journal on carbon footprint orders of magnitude, reaching millions of viewers and generating national visibility.
• 1% for the Planet / Rencontres pour la PlanèteminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Event connecting 40 associations with entrepreneur sponsors (1% members). Nos vies bas carbone presented its youth education project to win funding and visibility in the Climate and Energy category.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ADEME: France's national agency for ecological transition, a broad incumbent producing climate education and training content (including 2tonnes) and funding civil-service ecological-transition programs. Comparable mission to NVBC at much larger scale and with direct state backing.
• Greenly: French-founded carbon-accounting and climate-engagement platform extending into employee training and awareness modules. Compares as a digital, broader-portfolio incumbent overlap with NVBC's corporate carbon-awareness offering.
• Sweep: Carbon management and ESG data platform with employee engagement and training features for enterprises. Adjacent incumbent serving the same corporate sustainability buyers that NVBC targets with its 'métiers bas carbone' workshop.

Direct peers

• 2tonnes: ADEME-supported individual carbon-literity program offering immersive workshops (notably a 3-hour '2tonnes workshop') to teach participants the orders of magnitude of personal carbon footprints. Direct competitor in the French individual carbon-awareness workshop market.
• The Shift Project: French think tank on decarbonization that produces widely cited reports and runs climate training and 'Climat Bocage' style workshops for organizations and public bodies. Overlapping audience and training mission in the French ecological transition space.
• La Fresque du Climat (Climate Fresco): French-origin participatory card-based climate workshop widely diffused across enterprises, schools and public bodies in France and internationally. Most direct functional substitute to NVBC's adult and youth workshops, with a similar low-tech pedagogical approach and a large volunteer facilitator base.
• Carbone 4: French climate strategy and consulting firm that also designs and delivers climate awareness workshops and training for companies and institutions. Comparable audience (corporates, public bodies) and comparable pedagogical mission, though delivered via consulting rather than a kit product.

Others

• Koncilio: French ESUS-labelled training institute specialized in local-authority training and an active channel/distribution partner for NVBC's 'collectivités bas carbone' workshop. Included as a direct ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.
• Green-Got: French green neobank whose round-up donation feature has selected NVBC as a potential recipient project. Ecosystem/partner relationship - includes NVBC inside its marketing-driven funding funnel rather than competing with it.

Emerging players

• Be Climat: Smaller French climate education and engagement provider running awareness workshops and corporate programs. Emerging peer partially overlapping NVBC's workshop-based offering for businesses and public institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nosviesbascarbone
• Facebookfacebook.com/nosviesbascarbone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nos-vies-bas-carbone
• Instagraminstagram.com/nosviesbascarbone

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nos vies bas carbone