♦ Clean beaches
This summer, I’m doing it! Plastic bags, bottles, cigarette butts… the participants in the beach cleaning operations are not idle! This year again, Surfrider, an international NGO for the protection of the seas, is setting up its “Ocean Initiatives”, large-scale operations which, in 2021, had made it possible to cover 72,000 kilometers of beach – i.e. more than 2,000 collections –, mainly in Europe. What make you want to join them, to restore its splendor to the coast and protect the fauna, very often injured by all these objects abandoned on the sand. Visit the site to find the collection nearest to you or even organize one!
oceaninitiatives.org/act/participate
♦ Become a “co-lord”
Does becoming the owner of a parcel of castle, in other words “co-castle”, sound good to you? This is what Dartagnans offers, a crowdfunding platform, which allows companies and individuals to own a plot of abandoned castle, for 10, 20 or 60 €.
The goal? Finance the renovation work to then open these buildings to the general public. From the extraordinary Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers in Vienne, to the fortress of Ébaupinay in Deux-Sèvres, the site suggests investing in places with a wide variety of characters. As co-owner of the property, you will be able to participate in collective worksites and all the events that unite the community of co-castelains.
♦ Opt for “green” holidays
Holidays in eco-friendly accommodation? It’s not easy to find your way around the myriad of labels that guarantee that the place is “eco-responsible”. Which are trustworthy? To see clearly, we turned to the geographer Rémy Knafou, who conducted field research to verify the criteria for awarding these tourist labels. He is the author of Reinventing tourism. Save our vacation without destroying the world (Editions du Faubourg, 2021, 128 p., €12.90).
For this researcher, labels are “unequally convincing and unequally serious”. Above all, “they are based on the idea that tourism can have no impact on the environment, which is impossible”, observes the geographer. At least they help limit the damage. Detailed review of “good” green labels.
– According to Rémy Knafou, theeuropean ecolabel is the one who “takes environmental concerns into account”. It is also well rated by Ademe, the Ecological Transition Agency, which qualifies it as” excellent choice “.
– green globe is also hailed by the tourism specialist and the Agency, which welcomes management that is part of “a logic of continuous improvement”.
– The label green key is ” a guarantee of quality “, according to Rémy Knafou. Ademe recommends it while deploring “ the absence of criteria on the insulation of the building structure”, major lever to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
– The Panda Cottagesresulting from a collaboration between Gîtes de France and the WWF, are among the good students, even if the Ademe regrets that the “fight against food waste” is not included in the specifications.
♦ Learning with head and hands
Too often, training courses force you to choose between manual and intellectual work. The Institut de Tramayes takes the opposite view of this approach. It offers baccalaureate holders a three-year diploma course which includes learning human sciences and management, trades such as construction, crafts, market gardening, as well as tools for launching large-scale projects.
Located in the village of Tramayes, in Saône-et-Loire, this school intends to make its contribution to ecological, economic and social challenges. Not only by addressing young people in search of meaning, but also by strengthening the local productive fabric in rural areas.
♦ Help homeless women
In order to build, in Lyon, a residence for women in great difficulty, the Foyer Notre-Dame des sans abri has decided to sell, at solidarity prices, the thousands of Playmobil that it regularly receives in the form of donations. The Lyon association, founded in 1950 by Gabriel Rosset and which has become an institution in the capital of Gaul, sells its figurines, but also the “universes” of the brand (houses, etc.). Its program entitled Clef (Centre and housing for children and women) will make it possible to accommodate women victims of violence as well as precarious or isolated mothers.
fr.ulule.com/clef-centre-mothers-children-fndsa
♦ Accompany the end of life
Founded in 1990 in Versailles, the Rivage association helps suffering patients in the last stage of their existence, as well as their families. Favoring ethical, spiritual and non-denominational support, she supports patients at home and in several hospitals and clinics, mainly in the Paris region. Rivage is looking for volunteers ready to make a long-term commitment. The latter are trained by him and work in close collaboration with relatives and members of the care team. Their role is to listen to the patient and his family. Once a month, they attend a support group led by a psychologist. Nearly 2,000 patients were supported by Rivage in 2020.
Clean up the coast, finance heritage, do eco-responsible tourism… Six ideas for action