The Juno Beach Centre honouring fallen soldiers in Normandy

The Juno Beach Centre honours thousands of British and Canadian soldiers while offering visitors an eco-friendly and immersive experience.

During the Second World War, 21,000 allied soldiers – 14,000 Canadians and around 7,000 British – landed at Juno Beach in Normandy, France, and more than 5,000 died in the bloody battle to secure the foothold of this French coastline. 

The Juno Beach Centre honours 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during World War II

The Juno Beach Centre pays tribute to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the Second World War, including 5,500 during the Battle of Normandy and 381 on D-Day.

Now, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the landings, the Juno Beach Centre is providing an immersive experience to discover European history, adapted to the concerns of modern times in a museum promoting sustainable development. 

Founded in 2003 by veterans and volunteers, the museum presents the civil and military war efforts: “Its mission is to share this history through educational and commemorative activities.”

The Juno Beach Centre respects the heroes and the environment

The museum, “A place of remembrance and a cultural centre”, is also committed to reducing its carbon footprint, promoting the circular economy and preserving biodiversity, while honouring those fallen soldiers. 

The sustainable development project, with its slogan “They fought to protect our country and our freedom. Now let’s together save what they stood for,” has enabled the centre to reduce its CO2 emissions by around 14 per cent, between 2019 and 2023, according to Maxime Bouche, the centre’s deputy director.

“In 2019, we were at around 1,100 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted by the Juno Beach Centre’s activities, and in 2023 we were at around 950-960 tonnes of CO2 equivalent,” Bouche says.

The museum offers a ‘low carbon’ far as part of its sustainable development project

To achieve reductions in carbon emissions, the museum has implemented various initiatives, including reusing furniture between the exhibitions, creating carbon sinks by planting trees, and improving its accessibility by bike.

Additionally, as part of the sustainable development project, in 2021 the museum became the first in France to offer a ‘low carbon’ fare, giving discounts to those who don’t drive to the museum. 

As Maxime Bouche explains, “It’s a discount of around 30 – 33 per cent on admission to the museum on presentation of a train ticket for those coming by train to Normandy, a bus ticket for those coming by bus, and a photo of the bicycle parked in the centre’s car park at the museum reception desk for the bicycle section.”