Prenez la parole avec Alpinstore

At Alpinstore, we're well aware that we need to change things to preserve our planet. As part of the article "Tous eco-friendly : les initiatives éco-responsables de l'équipe Alpinstore", we invited you to have your say on the eco-responsible actions you take on a daily basis!

Today we're kicking off this column for the first time with Emeline! We'll let you read her article about her daily actions:

"I grew up of industrial productswith cereals from all over the world in my breakfast bowl, ready-to-eat meals defrosted for family meals, followed by yoghurts packed in plastic pots and then overwrapped in cardboard.

In those days, we went to the supermarkets every day and took the car at every turn, if only to go to the corner bakery. I remember the supermarkets had plastic bag dispensers at every checkout. Anyone could help themselves - plastic at will! I also remember that we ate meat at every meal and didn't even sort our waste. Everything went into the same garbage can! Glass bottle deposits even disappeared during my childhood. The only thing we did for the planet was to turn off the lights behind us and limit our washing. An unconscious folly!

Today, political awareness has led to radical and important changes in the way we live, and fortunately for the planet and its future. Waste sorting and the elimination of plastic bags have been observed in recent years. Some people have turned to vegetarian or even plant-based diets.

Current events have enabled many of us to take the plunge and implement actions that are beneficial to the environment.

For our part, we had just moved into our new home when the lockdown was ordered. It enabled us to refocus on these issues. Some actions had already been in place for a few years, but we decided to go further. During the refurbishment of our new living space, for example, we decided to install dry toilets to reduce our consumption of drinking water and to compost this waste, which will also nourish the earth. Our cats have done the same with their litter, replacing mineral litter with wood shavings, which can be incorporated into the compost. So we set up a compost bin at the bottom of the garden to break down our vegetable waste and compost the vegetable patch we've also created. The ultimate aim of this vegetable patch is to produce our own vegetables all year round and be self-sufficient. In complete autonomy, since a rainwater recuperator was already on site. All we have to do now is use the resources available on site.

Another major resolution was to further reduce our waste, eliminating all the plastic water bottles we used for sparkling water. This meant installing a system designed by GROHE, the Blue Home system, which produces sparkling water directly from the tap, using Biogas cartridges available from rechargeco2.fr. But also to replace all industrial cleaning products and cosmetics with homemade recipes based on natural ingredients. We took advantage of the time we had available during the confinement to produce a collection of simple and easy recipes to facilitate this change.

We were already making eco-responsible efforts, such as using a washcloth to remove make-up, brewing tea and herbal teas in washable and reusable cloth bags, shopping with our own bags, using jumbo rolls of toilet paper, using filtered tap water, using ground coffee rather than pods, which also means we can recycle it afterwards for a second use in the garden or in homemade cosmetics (body scrubs). For years now, we've been choosing an eco-responsible electricity supplier, Ekwateur, which supplies green energy.

Our purchases are well thought-out, giving priority to local, seasonal and organic produce. We also favor sustainable materials such as glass and metal, and prefer to buy in bulk. We buy our clothes at thrift stores and repair what we can, giving objects a second life. We walk for most of our journeys and are considering the purchase of a hybrid car for our business trips. We have reduced our meat consumption, which was too energy-intensive for the planet (see the documentary " L'expérimentation - manger autrement " produced by ARTE).

Reducing our ecological impact on the planet also means using local resources available directly from nature, which brings the products of our gathering of wild plants to our plates. We've been doing this for years. We cook vegetables from head to toe, so nothing is wasted, everything is used. Cling film has been replaced by recycled boxes for storing leftovers in the fridge, and sheets of greaseproof paper by a silicone tray for baking in the oven. Plastic straws have been replaced by washable stainless steel straws that can be reused at will. Our cats are now fed eco-friendly insect-based kibbles (Tomojo, sold at altershop.fr). We've joined a solidarity purchasing network (La Ruche qui dit Oui), in order to boycott hypermarkets and supermarket chains whose only aim is to make money.

To conclude, I'd like to advise everyone to think about their purchases and to respond to the logic of " consume less, consume better ". Everyone needs to realize that every gesture counts. For gifts, think about ethical gifts like the Masterbox, which encourages French artisans and producers. Thank you for them and for the planet.

Emeline, a nature lover".

Thank you Emeline for your testimonial. Let's work together to preserve our environment.

If you too would like to share the eco-friendly things you do on a daily basis, send us an e-mail at contact@alpinstore.com. You've got all summer to tell us about your eco-responsible habits! In exchange for a short article (photos are welcome!), we'll give you a €15 voucher, with no minimum purchase, on a selection of products. (Excluding current promotions)

In addition to the voucher, we'll publish the most relevant initiatives on our dedicated eco-friendly space!