In the middle of the holiday season, many of us are running around the shops and placing orders on the Internet to please our loved ones. But at a time when mass consumption is being pointed at for its consequences on the environment and the latter is the subject of many concerns throughout the world, it is time to move towards eco-responsible consumption. Because yes, when you want to please yourself and those around you, it is entirely possible to buy products designed around values that aim to produce better, to recycle, all the while informing about the environmental reality of a world that it is important to preserve in order to continue to discover and marvel at it for a long time to come.
Offering eco-responsible gifts is possible!
The end of the year celebrations, a birthday, an important event in life: many occasions are an excuse to offer gifts. Not forgetting those that you give yourself! Yes, but we all know today that unbridled consumption has serious consequences for the environment throughout the world. A world that we all want to preserve in order to continue to travel and observe its wealth and beauty.
Today, many companies place the protection of nature at the heart of their concerns and are committed to offering sustainable products manufactured in accordance with values that respect the environment and people. Offering an engagement ring with a diamond, for example, raises questions about the origin of precious stones and the use of gold. Well in Paris, the ethical jeweller OR DU MONDE offers the possibility to turn to a green jewellery, by recycling gold, which has already been extracted enough to cover the needs of the industry, and by ensuring that the extraction of diamonds in the countries of origin is done with the greatest respect for workers (salary, access to education and care). Taking the reflex to verify the traceability of products and prioritizing producers and companies around the world that adopt a responsible approach is as much possible for jewellery as it is for the purchase of other objects such as a cotton scarf made in Cambodia or a handmade bag made in Ethiopia. The important thing is to take an interest in companies that provide information on the origin of the raw materials and the working conditions of the artisans on site.
And then, in order to offer eco-friendly gifts, we need to think about sustainable gifts such as products made from recycled materials, and this can concern clothing as well as shoes, cosmetics, accessories and leather goods.
Continuing the approach by travelling responsibly
If respect for the environment and for the people who live in the world is a concern that is increasingly shared, it goes through the way we consume on a daily basis, but also through the way we travel. For yes, we have all heard a lot about mass tourism and its effects on beaches, forests, mountains and even all the places we visit. During our travels, in our country of residence as well as at the end of the world, there are a multitude of practices to be considered in order to promote eco-responsible tourism.
This includes the use of environmentally friendly means of transportation such as trains, buses, bicycles, not to mention walking! It is also necessary to think about finding unusual accommodation, camping, tree houses, a yurt, from organizations with labels. This is another solution to get closer to nature and limit your carbon footprint. For meals, it's best to forget the big chains and prefer small local restaurants and markets for buying fresh produce to cook at home. We also support the local economy! Finally, for activities, trekking in the mountains and paddling on the sea allow us to practice sustainable tourism, to exercise and contemplate the biodiversity that surrounds us while taking our time.
Consumption patterns, eco-tourism, everyone has a role to play in preserving the environment and populations, and things as mundane as buying a piece of jewellery or travelling can generate positive spin-offs all over the planet.
