Back to school 2023: Eco-actions to adopt to save money

Sep 01, 2022admin

Back to school, like the New Year, is the perfect opportunity to make new resolutions to do better: more sport, eat healthier, go out less, spend less, sleep more… But there is one point that we are only just beginning to take into consideration: respect for our environment and our resources.

According to the website economie.gouv.fr , " an eco-friendly action is a simple and everyday gesture... that each of us can make to reduce pollution and improve our environment!" With My Better Way, I want to show that we can minimize our resource consumption without depriving ourselves or living on the margins... because, yes, I've tried that in the past, and it's too frustrating to sustain!

So how do we do it? 🤔

Simply by changing a few small habits to adopt more sustainable consumption alternatives according to the 5Rs rule :

REFUSE what is not essential, and in particular single-use packaging and products
REDUCE your consumption and focus on your real needs
REUSE what you already have or opt for second-hand
RECYCLE or upcycle as much as possible
Returning organic waste to the Earth or composting it (which will be mandatory by 2024)

The added bonus of this "sensible" lifestyle is the savings you can easily make at the end of the year , and given the current price increases, that's a pretty compelling argument 😊

So? Do you want to try this concept out to see what it's really like? Here are several ways to get started easily.

Switch to glass bottles or reusable water bottles

In 2021, 83% of French people still consumed bottled water in plastic containers!! 💧

We know that plastic, in addition to releasing microparticles, is a disaster for the environment. A simple step to limit our consumption: switch to glass bottles or buy a reusable water bottle .

This allows us to save more than 100 bottles per French person per year (that's always something less in nature).
This avoids poisoning oneself with microparticles that detach from the plastic.
You can save more than €300 per year per household.
We can flavor our drinks with fruits or plants (like here with mint sprigs).

And if you don't like drinking tap water, you can easily improve its quality and taste with natural charcoal or ceramic beads .

💧

Avoid disposable packaging

Bringing your own reusable cutlery and napkins is a simple gesture, but it can significantly reduce the waste produced every day. Reusable food wraps, like beeswax wraps, are also a great option. 🍽️

Reduce the consumption of disposable products in the office

It's back to school, we're back to the frantic pace of Metro, Work, Sleep… no time to prepare a meal for the next day's lunch, we'll go get a ready-made salad in a tray packaged in a paper bag, with a paper napkin and disposable cutlery… and all of that will end up in the bin 20 minutes later… Rinse and repeat (translation: we start again every day)… that makes a lot of waste at the end of the year.

To avoid all this unnecessary waste, there are simple solutions. We can do as we did when we were kids, back in the day at summer camp: we can take our reusablecutlery and cloth napkins — practical, washable, and reusable every day of the year… and above all, much more pleasant! We can keep them in our desk drawer or in our bag so we always have them handy 😉

Opt for a capsule-free coffee machine

At home, I recommend swapping your capsule coffee machine for a grinder or percolator. Personally, I chose a budget-friendly Krups made in France years ago and I'm delighted with it. It's much cheaper , and you no longer produce aluminum or plastic waste on a daily basis (let's be honest, capsules are rarely recycled), and at €0.05 per coffee for a very good quality bean coffee versus 50 cents per pod… I don't know how much coffee you drink a day, but here too, the savings can be significant by the end of the year!

The added bonus of this solution is that you can use coffee grounds all over the house: in the garden, in the drains, or even as a scrub…

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Opt for loose leaf tea

If you are a tea lover, you should choose loose leaf tea in kraft paper bags and equip yourself with a tea ball to brew it, because yes, there is even plastic in tea bags 🙄.

Reduce waste in the bathroom

Simply look at what we throw away most often on a daily basis to replace it with a more sustainable alternative : washable wipes to replace makeup remover pads, solid cosmetics instead of large plastic bottles (which contain up to 70% water), an ear pick instead of cotton swabs...

Use sustainable cleaning products

For household cleaning , you can replace dishwashing liquid with a simple Marseille soap ; it works very well, it's cheaper and much prettier in the kitchen.

We equip ourselves with a washable sponge rather than a synthetic one, or a wooden dish brush… essential if, like me, you have sensitive skin (personally, I have eczema and using the dish brush has changed my life).

It's important to note that while some of these alternative products may seem more expensive initially, they are generally more durable and economical in the long run. Furthermore, they help reduce plastic waste, which is beneficial for the environment. 🌿

Congratulations on your commitment to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle... I encourage you to share these tips with others.

If you'd like to go further, I've prepared an ebook to help you adopt more sustainable habits in your daily life. Download the free guide "21 Simple Zero Waste Tips" to learn more (available on the homepage)! ♻️