By Timothée L’Angevin
Published on
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By making him the short ladder, Mathieu helps Louis reach the switch, which operates it down with his fingertips. Suddenly the three illuminated signs of the MMA of the avenue Janvier, in Rennes, sink in the darkness. “Considering the time, they were not really useful. “
This Wednesday January 27, 2021, from 6.30 am, the members of Wizzy Gang, a parkour group from Rennes, have carried out a small ecological action: turn off signs and other lighting devices in shops. An operation that they now carry out each session they do.
A #Rennes, the young members of Wizzy Gang, a parkour group, turn off the illuminated signs of shops???? https://t.co/TRF6qiQkoN pic.twitter.com/8qqeTBKI6j
– Timothée L’Angevin (@t_langevin) January 27, 2021
A box three, four meters high
“We always have our noses in the air, watching the switches and consider those that we could turn off“, Points Mathieu, 26 years old. All businesses with an exterior sign have an emergency box installed in the street, three to four meters high, which cuts off the electricity in an emergency.
Wizzy Gang members discovered it on a RAP association video (resistance to advertising aggression). They decided to associate their discipline (parkour) with this environmental approach.
What is parkour?
This acrobatic sport discipline was created by the Frenchman David Belle in the 1990s and was popularized by the films Yamakasi and Banlieue 13. It combines urbex (urban exploration), gymnastics and climbing. Parkour enthusiasts make figures on street furniture, jump from roof to roof, from bridges and climb to the top of buildings.
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The idea came to them during a stay in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône). For a whole evening, they turned off the switches. Their session, filmed, was massively shared on social networks. So much so that their action was taken up by two Marseillais, who made a huge buzz via TikTok.
Because of the humidity, no acrobatics
This Wednesday morning, they are moving with caution, the city being soaked by the overnight showers. “Humidity adds an error factor and at the slightest misstep, you can hurt yourself“, Insists Valentin, 23 years old. So no acrobatic figures or somersaults.
Some boxes are more difficult to access than others. This is the case with that of our colleagues from France Blue. To reach it, Mathieu climbs onto the awning and leans on the strut, plunging the radio logo into darkness.
Obligation to switch off between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Since July 1, 2018 and the application of the Grenelle law of 2009, all businesses are required to turn off their signs from one to six in the morning, and windows until seven (or one hour before the start of the activity if it is done earlier).
This measure aims to drastically reduce energy consumption estimated at 1,000 gigawatts per hour (equivalent to the consumption of 370,000 households). In addition, this light pollution has a cost (200 million euros per year) and can have consequences both on our metabolism and on the life of nocturnal fauna.
“No damage”
In order to respect the curfew, Wizzy Gang decided to carry out this action after six hours, when businesses are technically authorized to light their signs. “But we noticed, during our night sessions before the curfew, that many do not follow the law, specifies Louis, 18 years old. And even at 7 a.m., when there is no one in the streets, what is the point of leaving them on. “
Mathieu adds that they do not degrade anything: “We only lower a switch, which can be raised with a simple pole. ”
Other actions of the same kind are not excluded and Wizzy Gang has in the sights video billboards of bus stops, permanently on. And legally.
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