From August, 2020, more than 5,000 guests from a broad range of backgrounds have been invited to Arles to share their different approaches and skills for the first edition of Agir pour le Vivant. As part of its Biodiversity & Ecosystems programme, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès supports this collective initiative, which seeks to propose concrete and sustainable solutions to build a society more respectful of nature.
Philosophers, gardeners, botanists, agronomists, writers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and activists working to preserve ecosystems came together to discuss the transition of businesses and policies towards sustainability, to demand social and climatic justice, and to imagine the rewilding of humanity. These constructive approaches were conceived at every level, from the local to the global.
The Agir pour le Vivant festival returned with an even more ambitious programme in 2021, taking place in Arles and Paris and continuing with events across France. With this edition, Agir pour le Vivant aimed to broaden even further the body of expertise on the protection of the environment, through the design and testing of new experimental approaches and increased awareness around biodiversity.
For its third edition in 2022, the Agir pour le Vivant festival adopted multiple formats. Alongside a week of encounters and debates open to the public from 22 to 28 August, different residency formats were offered to professionals including artists, entrepreneurs, and researchers, as well as workshops and walks. Since spring, some projects have already been launched, both in Arles and further afield, while others will develop and grow over coming years. In this way, the Agir pour le Vivant festival continues to take root and spread its innovative approach over an ever-wider area.
The 4th edition of Agir pour le Vivant was centred around the theme of "pluriverses." More than 250 speakers from various disciplines and nationalities shared their thoughts. From economics to law, from agroecology to issues of citizenship. This edition also welcomed 30 young people from the first cohort of the Université du Vivant.
