Holà! Happy
New Year!!!
I hope that
your year has properly begun!
2020 is the beginning of a new decade, which I hope will see humanity react in
order to save our specie, but above all, the planet. The planet is in an alarming
situation, and I believe that more and more people are becoming aware of this.
The thing is, what can we do about it?
When you are an ordinary person, and more
specifically, a student, it can sometimes be tricky to know what to do to help
the planet. This doesn’t mean that we can do nothing! I myself try to do
whatever I can to become more eco-friendly in my daily life. I am not perfect,
let’s be clear. But I think that if we all put ourselves into it, we can do a
lot!
I'm a bit late for New Year's resolutions, but I still wanted to present you a few of my tips and tricks that you can implement in you
daily life, in order to become increasingly more eco-friendly and help the
planet.
I would
also like to talk to you about a way to make things change massively, without
having to become a politician! It’s called consuming better.
What for?
« Consuming better » is the usual catchphrase when thinking about
ecology, I am aware of that. However, it can make things change for real.
Imagine that you decide to stop buying things that are wrapped up in a plastic
packaging. If everyone does the same, the companies producing what you used to
buy packed in plastic, will start to produce the same product without the
packaging. Then, the company producing the plastic packaging will start to sell
less and less products every day and will eventually have to close. And voilà,
no more plastique! Of course, this is very simplified, but the idea is that
being consumers, we have a lot of influence over the food industry. Consumers
can influence the production of products by making choices! This is the power
of consumerism.
If you are
alone making those changes, of course it won’t change much. But you are not
alone, and we must start somewhere!
Let the snowball begin its journey…
Now, let’s
move on to my tips:
1. Riding a bike
I don’t
know why, but in France people don’t ride bikes often. Maybe it’s the habits,
the culture, the infrastructures. It is obviously not easy everywhere, but as I
just explained to you, the more we ride, the easier it will become. The
adequate infrastructures will follow from the initiative if they don’t start
it. I am studying in Germany, and I can tell you that I was really surprised by
the number of bikes here. It’s incredible! There are parking lots for bikes,
roads where bikes have priority etc. Not only is it super beneficial for the
planet, but it also helps to make the city way more pleasant to live in.
Moreover, it allows everyone to do a little bit of sports in the middle of a
full day. So, let’s all start biking!
2. Buy second-hand
I started
doing this with my sister this year, mostly for our clothes. We registered on
Vinted (which is a second-hand app) to sell old clothes and make a little bit
of pocket money. We rapidly realized that there are many nice pieces on Vinted
and elsewhere. I also rediscovered thrift shops. I’m not talking about those
chic and expensive thrift shops, I’m talking about the Red Cross, Emmaüs
(similar to the Red Cross in France) etc.! There are also flea markets: those
are usually goldmines. You must only dig a bit more carefully, but I can assure
you, it is usually worth it!
3. Buying in bulk and organic
(This is
maybe the most difficult tip for students to put in place, especially in
France, but it’s all about making choices 😉)
I recently
discovered bulk food stores. Of course, I already knew about the concept, but I
had never been there, for the good reason that I didn’t go grocery shopping on
my own 😊. Well I can assure you that it makes one feel super good to buy in
bulk. Really, you have the feeling that what you are doing is good for the
planet. Moreover, I noticed that it is not necessarily more expensive than when
it is packed. Indeed, it is usually organic, and the fact that there is no
packaging, makes the price drop! So here’s one reason more to do it: it is a
good deal. You obviously don’t need to buy fruits and vegetables at the bulk
store, because they are more expensive there. For this I prefer organic
supermarkets or going to the market. In general, I can advise you to compare
the prices from different products in different stores. For instance, I noticed
that oatmeal is less expensive at my local bulk store than in the other
supermarkets. On the other hand, some drugstores in Germany propose some less
expensive organic tofu than the normal supermarkets…
You should
make your own conclusions, but keep in mind that you want to make conscious
choices!
In
addition, I recently replaced my makeup remover with coconut oil. Not only is
it better for your skin and the planet, but it is also way less expensive.
Indeed, I haven’t even finished my first little coconut oil jar yet! Also,
think about using solid soap instead of shower gel, solid shampoo instead of
liquid one, and solid face soap instead of classic cleanser. The planet will
thank you.
Now let’s
move on to the numerical part if I may say so.
4. Use Ecosia
If you
don’t know what Ecosia is, it is simply a web browser. Like Google, but better!
Why? I will
explain to you.
When you do
researches on the Internet, money is generated by adds and so on, and part of this
money goes to the web browser you’re using. Well Ecosia uses this money to
plant trees around the world, but also to implement sustainable development
projects in countries such as Kenya, Madagascar, Colombia and many others.
Furthermore, they don’t use or sell your data. If you’ve watched the
documentary about Cambridge Analytica (which I advise you to do), you’ll
understand how beneficial that is.
If you go
on Ecosia’s website, you will even be able to turn it into your default
browser. Nice right?
PS: I also
invite you to unsubscribe from useless mail newsletters, and to delete your
e-mails regularly. They take a lot of space on the server, which is a source of
pollution (more than what we imagine).
5. Use TooGoodToGo
This app
has been created by a French woman, who was astonished by the amount of food
waste in France and around the world. Therefore, she invented an app which
allows you to “save” food baskets, in bakeries, supermarkets, restaurants etc.
Basically, you buy a “surprise basket” on the app, and you go and get it during
the time interval set by the seller.
I have used
the app several times, and every time it was worth it. For example, I got 5
pieces of cake and additionally some pastries for 3,50€. Knowing that the piece of cake
usually costs 3,50€, I was really happy. Also, I have had some very
full vegetables baskets for 3€, with a majority of organic products. I believe
that it can be a really nice option for students, because it is way less
expensive than normally, and it is very satisfactory!
That’s it
for my eco-friendly tips for students. I could elaborate on certain points in a
next article. If you’re interested in that, please tell me! For instance, I
could write about transportation or nutrition.
Anyways,
these are things that I do on a daily basis, and which have come to be my
routine. In the end, it is not very complicated, everything is a question of
habit. Have you noticed that these 5 tips can be quite easily implemented? I
hope you have, and that it will make you want to get started in your
eco-friendly journey. If this is the case, it would be a pleasure to hear about
your experience 😊. Also, if you have other tips that you want to share with the other
readers, feel free to write them in a commentary, we’ll be happy to learn from
you!
Most
importantly, keep in mind that the consumer’s power is immense. It is by
pulling our efforts together that we will make things change.
On this
positive note, see you soon!
Mafral.
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