In France, a theme park devoted to climate change
There were a few scary moments at Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park near San Francisco over the weekend as a wildfire in the U.S. state of California edged up to the grounds. Guests were kept inside while access roads to the 262-acre park were temporarily closed because of the fire, then encouraged to leave as evacuation plans evolved.
Amusement parks usually aren’t at the top of anyone’s climate change list of issues, but they’re essentially small cities that are hit by severe storms and summer heat just like anywhere else. The Tbilisi Zoo in Georgia and the Zelyony Ostrov Park Zoo in Russia met with flooding tragedies; the haunting images of a twisted and submerged roller coaster became an icon of Superstorm Sandy on the U.S. East Coast. Disney World at Orlando, Florida, is planning for how to deal with a warming world, and the new Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi – where heat is often excessive – is built as an indoor park.
Yet few theme parks have considered climate change in their plans quite like DéfiPlanet in France. That’s because the entire park on a 123-acre estate in Dienné, in the west-central Vienne district, is dedicated to climate change. The park and its adventures are built on the values of a circular economy, waste management, resource management for water and energy, and corporate responsibility. It’s designed to be fun for families and children, but it’s also a destination for company retreats, conferences and workshops.
That fun has a purpose, and it’s to educate people about climate change and the natural world. The journey begins with the accommodations at DéfiPlanet, which feature unusual settings including treehouses that sleep up to 10 people, and fairy-garden mushrooms that sleep six. There are yurts. There are cabins shaped like a rabbit or snail, and huts designed for leprechauns though the French would know them as farfadets, the mythical pixies or fairy-like creatures of the local regional folklore.
Those mythical creatures have a big job, though, as they guide visitors on an interactive journey through the farm and forest to visit different themed villages and their animal residents. It becomes a life-sized game focused on saving the planet, as guests stop at various stations to answer questions or sing songs, or listen to the lament of creatures endangered by environmental crisis.
“We really want to show our customers and our visitors that everyone in his daily life, by doing small actions or changing his way of doing things, can contribute to the preservation of the planet,” said park director Stéphanie Brunet in a recent interview with CityLab.
The local tourism bureau promotes DéfiPlanet as “edutainment,” with an emphasis on learning ancient practices that allowed humans to live in harmony with nature. As part of that experience, the animation and interactive stations feature “Petit Sabot,” a mascot guide who compares those lives to how humans live today and how much that’s changed in the past 50 years – along with the climate crisis we have created.
There’s a big emphasis on learning how behaviors contribute to human carbon footprints, and what changes can help to reduce climate impacts. That’s supported by an aerial park, mountain bike rides, swimming, archery and an equestrian center among the activities that celebrate the natural world.
The park sees about 130,000 guests per year who encounter a different kind of theme park. There aren’t any world-famous rides or celebrities, but it is “the theme park to learn how to save the planet.”
