You think small daily gestures can’t change anything? Think again. A study by Carbone 4 consultancy firm shows that they can reduce carbon emissions by 25%. It’s not insignificant! Yes, every action counts. If everybody starts to think that gestures are useless, no one will make an effort to do them. But what gestures are we talking about exactly ? How can they make a difference ? We will explain it to you in this article!
Small gestures that can make a difference
When we talk about “small gestures”, there are a lot of possibilities. We call them “small” actions because they will not change your daily life completely. They will not involve a radical change or big adaptations. They are gestures that can easily be included in our daily life, with will and motivation.
Among them, we’ve concocted a Top 10 of our gestures that seem obvious and simple to put in place:
- Waste sorting: That’s the basis! Yet it’s not a reflex for everybody. Some people do not make the effort to sort their waste. Yet it becomes simpler to sort its waste nowadays, with the city systems or personal bins.
- Be careful with water: Do you love long showers or relaxing baths? The planet likes them a little less. To fight against that, favour showers rather than baths and you can make them shorter. Come on, a little effort and the planet will thank you!
- Turn the multi-socket off: It sounds insignificant, but it’s not. Turning off your multi-socket helps to combat so-called “passive” consumption, i.e. consumption that is not linked to direct use. Yes, without knowing it, your appliances are consuming electricity.
- Avoid food wastage: It is still complicated to avoid wasting, but it is one of the most important actions. If you have trouble, you can use anti-waste applications such as “Too good to go” or “Frigo Magic”, which are great help!
- Favor public transports: Can’t do without your car? Look around, there’s bound to be a bus, metro or tram stop not far from your work. We know that it can be complicated to give up your habits, but you will be doing the planet a favor! Sometimes, the employer takes care of transport subscriptions, and your wallet will be thankful.
- Limit your meat consumption: We do not ask meat lovers to become vegetarian and stop eating everything overnight. You can gradually reduce your meat consumption and adopt a “flexitarian” lifestyle, which allows occasional meat consumption. A good option to act for animal well-being and the planet in everyday life!
- Stop buying plastic bottles: Too many people still use plastic bottles. This is one of the things we advise you to ban from your daily life. There are many alternatives: filter jugs, ceramic beads, charcoal…
- Delete your emails: Sorting out your e-mails is a task that we always put off until tomorrow. And yet, storing unnecessary e-mails or files consumes a lot of space. Think about it next time and delete everything you don’t need.
- Put a “stop pub” on your letterbox: Don’t you like getting a ton of advertising in your mailbox? Do they always end up in the bin? You can do something about it. Just put a “stop pub” sticker on your letterbox and that’s it!
- Switch to natural or DIY products: Are you used to your shampoo? You don’t want to change? Know that natural products are good for the planet, but also for you and your health! In the long-term, they are less harmful and protect you. If you are creative, you can even make your own cosmetics!
We’re sure you’ve already adopted some of these 10 tips and will continue to do so! We invite you to follow us on Instagram for even more tips.
Still wondering how these little things can have an effect on the environment? We have the answer!
How do they have a positive impact on the planet?
You are probably thinking that with global warming and all the negative actions around the planet, your daily actions are useless?
You also think that some people are real greens committed and that you can’t compete? Think again! All actions count. You don’t need to be part of an association or to be an activist to bring your help.
The things you think “insignificant” are not necessarily so.
What matters most is the quantity of mobilisation. As these actions are accessible to all and require less effort, there will potentially be more people active. It is therefore important to remember that 100 people who carry out a “small” action can be equal to 10 people who carry out “big” actions.
Of course, some actions take priority over others and will have more impact, but the important thing is to do them. To help you visualize your impact, you can use a carbon footprint calculator. You will be asked a few questions to calculate your carbon footprint and you will get detailed results with several statistics.
The more small actions you take, the more the world around you will change.
We notice a society that is more and more used to new lifestyles.
For example, vegetarianism is now more present, supermarkets devote entire departments to it, and it was not the case 10 years ago.
The same applies to the production of local and organic products. They have become trendy and much more accessible.
We also notice a lot of changes at the urban level, with the development of self-service bicycle and scooter systems to make these means of transport attractive and accessible to all.
Finally, by carrying out your “small” gestures, you influence one or more people on your own scale. Your friends and family may be intrigued and wonder about it. Then they will end up being interested and adopting the same lifestyle. It is often thanks to the people around us that we decide to adopt this or that action. We often think “if he can do it, why can’t I”?
Yes, by adopting new gestures for your loved ones, you are potentially a source of inspiration!
We therefore invite you to believe in your actions and to keep in mind that they necessarily serve a purpose. Even the smallest green gesture is important, it has an impact on the planet, the environment, and on you! You can be proud of yourself and what you accomplish. Of course, everyone moves at their own pace and it is important not to put pressure on yourself. Just seize the opportunities and take it one step at a time. Tell us, what is your favourite little green gesture?
