We all want to get started. Yes, but where to start and how to do it well, while being eco-responsible ? Insight from Aline Gubri, sustainable development consultant, and our selection of the best Insta accounts to follow.

Little by little, the bird is building its nest. If you are reading this article, it means that you have realized that you can do something for the planet, at your humble level. Author of the book full of tips "La récup facile" (Ed. Leduc), the expert Aline Gubri helps us to see clearly the right actions to adopt. Consultant in sustainable development and Instagrammer on the account @ consommons.sainement , Aline reminds us that "we must first tackle the main sources of environmental impact before targeting specific sectors (such as beauty, fashion, etc.)". Why? Because beyond using a bamboo toothbrush or eliminating straws for aperitifs forever, targeting the sources of pollution precisely is more effective. And this, even if the initial intention is laudable. Follow the guide!

1 – Food: the real shift to take

According to Aline Gubri, if one sector should be a priority, it is food. Indeed, the figures are frightening. According to Ademe, the Environment and Energy Management Agency, 20 to 50% of the environmental footprint of a French person is found in their diet. How can such a gap be explained? By the composition of the diet followed by each person. A diet rich in animal proteins or dairy products , for example, requires production that is harmful to the planet.

Strong and easy to implement actions:

Discover two small gestures that don't require so much sacrifice or effort and that have a big impact on the planet.

• Reduce your consumption of red meat. Be careful, this is not about launching an "all or nothing" operation, hop hop hop, I'm becoming a vegetarian overnight. Not everyone can or wants to become a vegetarian . The idea would rather be to eat one less steak per week. That alone is already huge. To counterbalance and fill your protein intake, you can replace this source of protein with plant proteins (like hummus), or choose poultry with a low carbon footprint . With this simple action, you act directly on greenhouse gases.
• Eat seasonal food , at least for fruits and vegetables: it's a classic action but very effective when you know that a tomato sold in December comes either from the southern hemisphere (and therefore with the transport plane, it consumes 10 to 20 times more oil than a tomato produced in France) or from Spain... It's closer certainly, but the tomato is then produced in greenhouses heated and artificially lit with a strong ecological impact. Moral, reserve tomatoes for your spring and summer menus.

Accounts to follow for inspiration:

@deliciouslyella , @loomiparis and @missblemish

Ideas to steal from Instagrammers:

2 – Purchases: long live second-hand !

Of course, when we look at the failings of the consumer society, we are shocked by the amount of waste linked to this lifestyle. But Aline Gubri is alert to the tons of invisible waste linked to this race for consumption. An example? The purchase of a new table mobilizes no less than 127 kilos of consumed natural resources. This invisible waste (from the extraction of the raw material, to its transformation without forgetting its transport, etc.) has a strong impact on the planet. Another example: for laptops, the figures are even higher. This time, it is 800 kilos of invisible waste. And, the prize by far goes to the microwave oven which alone mobilizes two tons of natural resources.

Strong and easy to implement actions:

• Before buying something new, we try to reuse it in a different way, that is to say repair it, buy second-hand ... Same principle when we want to get rid of an object. Think, before putting it in the dumpster, to offer it for donation! More and more neighborhood apps or mutual aid tabs are emerging (on Le Bon Coin, via the bulky waste service in Paris, etc.) or on neighborhood networks like NextDoor. Giving an object a second life allows us to avoid making a new object, so adopt the right reflex!

Accounts to follow to find nuggets:

@ huguette.shop , @odael_vintage , @ parisfashionvintage …

Ideas to steal from Instagrammers:

3 – Compost: a new way to recycle our waste

Composting is the third strong lever on which we can act. Indeed, in France, each year, each person produces 250 kilos of food waste in their food waste. "It's not easy to start composting, warns our expert, especially in the face of preconceived ideas!" The main ones? It's complicated, and it smells bad. However, by following clear rules for composting properly, this recycling of waste becomes very simple. Water well in the summer, avoid adding meat scraps, remember to mix regularly

Strong and easy to implement actions:

Of course, composting is much easier in a garden, but not impossible in an apartment (thanks to specific composts to slide under the sink or put on the balcony). Finally, let's not forget the shared compost areas provided in most large cities (even if they are still very much in the minority) and the new partners who come to collect biowaste in certain urban areas. Moral: learning to compost allows us to avoid a third of our household waste!

Accounts to follow to learn the art of composting:

@compostturbain , @absolu_compost , @les_alchimsites_compost

Ideas to steal from Instagrammers:

4 – Other easy actions to adopt:

According to our expert, it is best to act in a targeted manner based on our biggest impact. Now, nothing prevents you from doing as you feel. Just try not to fall into certain pitfalls like Aline Gubri did at the beginning. "During my transition, I could cross all of Paris to find a food sold in bulk on the other side of the city..." A lot of energy wasted for a fairly small gain in the end. To last over the long term, you have to be realistic and above all not want to be "ecologically perfect" at the risk of giving up before having completed your transition.

Strong and easy to implement actions:

• Air transport. We all know that it is very polluting. If it is difficult for you to give up long-distance travel, you can initially decide to stop flying, first in France, then in Europe. And in a while, limit yourself to one long trip every three years. The important thing is to learn to moderate your efforts.
• Another easy action that often falls through the cracks: changing energy supplier. Be careful though, not all green-labelled suppliers are equal. Some buy energy equivalents elsewhere, others develop renewable energies in France, which is better. A little market research is required. More simply, you can opt for a greener subscription with your supplier. The cost will be slightly higher, but you won't have to do any major procedures (they use the same cables, etc.).
• Finally, in your quest for daily cleanliness, you can also change your beauty or fashion routines a little, a lot, passionately according to your natural inclination.
• In the bathroom: ditch the cotton pad for makeup removal . Switch to clean beauty products (once you've used up all your old jars, of course). Opt for a minimalist beauty routine.
• On the dressing side: we can only advise you to do a real intelligent sorting (I give, I sell, etc.) before going shopping again. You will be surprised by the number of pieces buried at the bottom of your drawers that you had simply forgotten about. Do not buy your seventeenth white cotton shirt and also think about second-hand before buying new.

Accounts to follow to find clean ideas or think:

@celestethomas , @ecoloversforever , @vert_le_media

Ideas to steal from Instagrammers: