10 eco-responsible actions to adopt every day.
Climate change, erosion of biodiversity, acidification of the oceans, if all these ecological problems cannot be resolved solely by individual actions, it is important to remember that the small efforts of each person contribute to improving the future of all.
Faced with the urgency of becoming aware of environmental issues, 68% of French people consider themselves ready to change their behavior to reduce their carbon footprint and adopt a healthier and less polluting lifestyle.
If you like the idea, but don't know where to start, the team at your favorite eco-responsible shoe brand has put together a list of 10 simple and effective actions to incorporate into your daily life to help strengthen a greener future for this world.
1 - Reduce energy consumption
Energy consumption represents a significant part of our carbon footprint . But small habits like turning off lights and unplugging electrical appliances on standby help lower your energy bill.
Opting for LED bulbs and energy-saving household appliances is also a great idea. They consume less energy, and LED bulbs have a longer lifespan, making them both an economical and environmentally friendly choice.
In addition, heating and air conditioning are among the largest sources of energy consumption in our homes. To reduce their impact on the environment, installing proper thermal insulation will help keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer, reducing the need to heat in winter and use air conditioning in summer. Less consumption also means less carbon released into the atmosphere.
2 - Optimize your water consumption
Water is a precious resource , which must be used sparingly, even more so with the scarcity of fresh water sources, particularly due to global warming and heat waves.
Avoiding baths, taking shorter showers, installing flow reducers on taps and shower heads can help save a lot of water. Similarly, not letting the water run while doing the dishes or brushing your teeth, washing your clothes at a low temperature and using an eco program on dishwasher and washing machine cycles can make a big difference to our water consumption.
3 - Reduce your consumption of meat and animal products.
The consumption of meat products represents a particularly high carbon footprint, because animal breeding, particularly cattle farming, through their feeding, transport, and digestion, emits significant quantities of greenhouse gases (CO2, methane).
Also, reducing your consumption of meat and animal products such as milk, in favor of vegetarian or vegan food alternatives a few times a week, is an excellent way to reduce your environmental impact. What's more, a mainly plant-based and balanced diet has the advantage of being less rich in saturated fats, which is a significant benefit for taking care of your health.
4 - Consume organic, seasonal and locally grown products for sustainable eating.
Eating local foods reduces the environmental impact of transportation, and eating seasonal foods reduces the need for watering and emissions from artificial growing methods, such as the need to heat or light greenhouses.
Finally, eating organic products reduces pollution of the earth and waterways , consequences of the release of pesticides and other treatment products, harmful to the planet, biodiversity and health.
To do this, join an AMAP close to home rather than shopping in a supermarket, and this is a committed way and a concrete approach to supporting local farmers and encouraging short-circuit production.
5 - Use environmentally friendly transport and limit the use of motorized vehicles.
Thermal engine vehicles, especially cars, represent the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions in the average CO2 emitted per person in the West. To reduce these emissions and the pollution that these vehicles cause (fine particles, metallurgical waste, plastic waste), it is preferable to favor the use of public transport, trains, bicycles or even walking , rather than using cars.
When going without a car is not an option, carpooling, or opting for a light electric vehicle, or a hybrid car, remain more ecological alternatives, with a lower carbon impact than using vehicles running on fossil fuels (petrol, diesel).
6 - Reduce your digital footprint.
Often overlooked, the digital footprint nevertheless has a significant impact on the environment.
Dissipation of heat emitted by mega servers, overexploitation of minerals for the manufacture of digital objects, etc.
There are many actions you can take to reduce these sources of pollution, such as limiting your streaming consumption by preferring downloading, or viewing in reduced quality. Turning off your electronic devices and unplugging chargers when they are not in use also avoids unnecessary energy consumption.
For internet browsing, choosing alternatives such as Lilo, Youcare, or even Ecosia and Ecogine (both of which run on renewable energy) as search engines allows you to finance eco-responsible projects, such as planting trees.
Emptying your hard drives, sorting your emails and files stored for a long time on the clouds allows you to save storage space and avoid overloading your servers.
Similarly, cleaning, maintaining and repairing your computer equipment in the event of a breakdown has the effect of extending the lifespan of your digital devices and reducing the need to replace them.
Finally, resisting the temptation to buy every new version of a product that goes on sale helps reduce your material footprint, and if a purchase is necessary, replacing your devices with reconditioned products avoids overconsumption and overproduction of material.
7 - Buy durable and quality products.
Prioritizing the purchase of clothing that supports sustainable fashion, acquiring second-hand objects and furniture, and moving towards quality appliances that last longer, helps reduce waste and the need to buy new.
Opting for ethical European or French brands, produced without animal products , like COG and our eco-responsible vegan sneakers in vegan leather made from grapes , helps support a production method based on slow fashion. This also helps to give less visibility to mainstream fashion brands, with production habits similar to fast fashion , and all the environmental nuisances that these cause.
Buying vegan cosmetics, eco-labeled cleaning products, or making your own cleaning products with natural ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda and Marseille soap is also an excellent way to reduce your environmental impact.
Our selection of recycled and eco-responsible vegan sneakers. View all
8 - Reduce the use of single-use plastics and favor bulk purchases.
The huge quantities of single-use plastics used to package all types of food and objects represent a major threat to health and the environment. Reducing your consumption of plastic bottled drinks, drinking tap water - even if you have to filter it, choosing reusable wooden bottles and utensils, metal or bamboo straws, can significantly reduce your consumption of single-use plastics.
Reusing plastic bags or using reusable textile bags has the same positive impact on the environment and fragile ecosystems.
Finally, buying food and household products in bulk is an effective solution for reducing environmental damage caused by plastics .
9 - Repair and recycle instead of replacing and buying new.
While mending clothes, repairing electronic devices or giving furniture a new lease of life instead of getting rid of them may seem obvious, these practices are in reality rather marginal, and the phenomenon of over-consumption, combined with very low sales prices, do not encourage the adoption of these eco-responsible actions.
Yet these have the merit of being not only ecological, but also economical and good for our wallet. What's more, they can be as entertaining as they are instructive, pushing us to use our hands and our brains.
For the less manual among us, more and more community repair workshops and mutual aid meetings are emerging, in order to support the carrying out of these maintenance tasks and acquire repair skills.
Just as it is important for companies to produce responsibly, using recycled materials and innovative processes such as upcycling, in order to reduce the exploitation of virgin raw materials, it is essential that our consumption integrates recycling as a principle. Recycling cardboard and paper, recycling plastic waste, recycling glass, or even metal, is now within everyone's reach, and a tangible and effective commitment to protect nature.
To make these steps easier, finding out about the recycling instructions in your municipality and knowing the structures set up locally (such as places where composting bins are installed to recycle organic waste) can be a great help in better practicing everyday eco-friendly actions.
10 - Raise awareness and share good practices
Tenth, but probably not the least important of the eco-responsible actions to adopt to protect the planet: raising awareness among those around you about environmental issues and informing them of the positive impact of eco-virtuous actions is fundamental.
Participating in collective initiatives to promote sustainable consumption and communicating about the common benefit of eco-responsibility is certainly the best way to work in the fight for the climate, the protection of biotopes and that of living species .
Budding experts in eco-responsible actions!
You are now ready to make your daily lives real little havens of sobriety and resilience :)
Thank you for reading this article to the end, and congratulations for the sum of all your eco-responsible actions and initiatives. Personal or collective, every little gesture counts to ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for the common good of all.
Don't hesitate to discover, rediscover and talk around you about our collections of recycled vegan sneakers and our eco-responsible shoes , for sustainable consumption and more in line with respect for nature.
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