Each week, I offer you a new video on a specific topic to help you better understand authentic French. If you want to practice speaking about this topic and finally gain confidence in French, join my French conversation group Ohlala French Coffee. 

This week at Ohlala French Coffe, we're going to talk about a very current topic: ecology.

A few weeks ago the IPCC published an alarming report on the state of our planet.

There is no doubt now, Man (with a capital H) is guilty, we are guilty. It is therefore necessary to act.

"The man who moves a mountain starts with the smallest stones".

There are gestures we can make on a daily basis to reduce our carbon footprint. It is about these gestures that I am going to speak to you, in particular the gestures that I make in my daily life to lead a more ecological life.

And of course, talking about this topic will lead us to see some very interesting vocabulary on this subject. Here we go!

I'm going to tell you about the ecological gestures I make in several areas: transportation, food, cosmetics, consumption and in various fields.

 

Let's start with transportation:

So I don't need to use a lot of transportation in my daily life. I work from home, so it's simple. I don't use the car every day. Maybe once or twice a week. It's a hybrid car, so it pollutes less. It's a choice we made, it's more expensive a hybrid car, that's true. But it's less polluting, and it's more economical in the long run.

If I can avoid taking the car, I use my bike. It's a bike with electric assistance, because there are a lot of hills here. I'm not athletic enough to face these climbs!

I haven't traveled for a long time, but I try not to fly if I can. I take the train or the car. For example, I often go to Belgium and I go there by car.

 

Regarding my diet, I do a lot of things.

First, I have a vegetable garden. It's very convenient, and I haven't bought vegetables for a few weeks now. For the past month, I've had one cucumber a day. I also have a lot of beans. I had so many that I had to freeze some. And soon I will have zucchini! 

In my garden, I also have a compost bin where I put all my vegetable waste. We haven't used it for the vegetable garden yet, because it takes a while before a compost is usable.

A very important thing is also the recycling of waste. In France, there is a system set up to recycle waste. We have a garbage can where we put household waste, a garbage can where we put cans and plastic packaging, another garbage can where we put paper and cardboard packaging and a garbage can where we put glass.

When I do my shopping, first, I make a shopping list by looking at what I have left in my cupboards and what I really need. When I buy a product, I look if it is organic, if it is local and if the price is not excessive. I try to find a balance between all that.

For some time now, I have considerably reduced my meat consumption. I'm trying to find alternatives to eat less meat and still have a source of protein. It's not easy at all! 

And of course, if I'm thirsty, I use a glass or recycled plastic water bottle. But most of the time, I drink tea even in the summer, so I use cups.

 

So for bathroom products and cosmetics.

For three years now, I have been very careful with the products I use in this area. For the ecology, but also for my health. There are many products that I make myself. 

I make my own shampoos. It's very practical, economical and ecological, because there is no packaging. 

It's the same for conditioners, I make them with different recipes. 

There are some products for my skin that I also make. For example, I made a lotion for my skin with sage leaves that I have in my garden.

For soap, I have tried to make them myself before, but I was not satisfied with them. So I buy my soaps from a local soap factory 20 minutes away from my home.

For the other products, I don't have many, but I try to buy organic products with a good composition.

I use the Yuka app and scan my products to see if they have a good rating.

 

Consumption:

In my daily consumption, apart from non-food products and cosmetics, I don't buy much. 

If I have to buy clothes, I try to buy them second hand. I don't find it disturbing, on the contrary I find it economical and ecological of course.

I try not to buy unnecessary or superfluous things, I hate buying something that is not going to be used and that clutters the house. So I think carefully before I buy something. And if I see that something is not useful, I will sell it. Although I admit, sometimes it's hard to get rid of your stuff.

 

Various :

I also do other small things on a daily basis to be more ecological. I turn off the light when I leave a room. I also turn off or unplug electronic devices when I'm not using them anymore.

It seems logical to me, but I don't throw anything on the floor. I say it makes sense to me, because for some people it doesn't seem to make sense, they consider the earth as their garbage can. I also sometimes pick up trash on the ground when I see it. It disgusts me a bit, but it's necessary.

In my office, I use a lot of paper for drafts. I like to write by hand, so I usually reuse used paper.

I also put a stop-pub label on my mailbox, because if you don't put it on, you get a lot of paper ads. I don't know if it will have a big impact, hopefully it will dissuade companies from sending paper ads.

I hope you liked this video, if you did, don't forget to put a little "like". Now, I want to know what actions you do on a daily basis for the ecology? Tell me in comments.

 

I'll see you soon for new adventures, in French of course! 🇫🇷