Environment

The giants of the food industry and mass distribution that sell their products in hypermarkets have a bad reputation... because of their low-end foods and their products that are bad for the planet and health. But faced with changes in consumption, brands have had to adapt. Here are some tips for making the right choices.

Unclean ingredients and brands: we boycott

1- We boycott unclean ingredients and brands

The first thing to do? A list of harmful ingredients to ban: palm oil first and foremost, since we know that it has no nutritional value and that its cultivation, on the other side of the world, causes large-scale deforestation. Today, many products proudly display the “palm oil free” label and are easy to spot.
The same goes for soy and coconut oil, the popularity of which is leading to overexploitation.
Otherwise, just read the list of ingredients. Of course, we also avoid brands that torpedo resources all over the world: sodas in general, and mineral waters that pump water from the water tables, and only produce plastic pollution through the billions of bottles produced around the world. We find out about i-boycott to buy better!

2- We are wary of industrial coffee and chocolate

These two foods, once exceptional, are now consumed in large quantities on a daily basis. However, they come from plants that require certain climates, grow close to equatorial forests, require a lot of water, etc. Their intensive production poses a serious threat to the biodiversity of these regions and their ecosystems due to deforestation, the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and soil erosion. Local populations are also often exploited and working conditions are extremely difficult. Worse, since industrial chocolate is highly processed, each step and addition of ingredients increases its footprint. Ideally, we therefore only buy artisanal chocolate, from certified production , and coffee from fair trade and a forest protection program. If there is none in your store, order online or go to a small organic shop.

3- We avoid industrial meat

Meat is one of the foods with the worst carbon footprint ... and when it is industrial, it is even worse. Large-scale meat production, often very far from here, also requires the cultivation of cereals on the other side of the world to feed the animals. These crops (soy, etc.) consume astronomical quantities of water, to feed animals that are often poorly treated in oversized farms, which will end up slaughtered. The meat is then processed in another country and then offered on the shelves in abundance, with additives such as nitrates to preserve it. Not to mention that a good part of this meat will not be sold and will be thrown away . In short: a terrible waste of resources. Solution: we buy less meat, less often, unprocessed if possible (we avoid low-end charcuterie producers, nuggets and co use all the low ground cuts) and we choose family farms, animals raised and fed on pastures. And why not turn to plant-based substitutes, such as plant-based steaks, the supply of which is increasing in mass distribution in response to demand.

4- We favor regional and seasonal products

Some brands reference regional products and it is not uncommon to discover this phenomenon on vacation. It is better to favor them to support the local fabric, the small artisans, to whom the large-scale distribution often imposes very harsh conditions. To consume clean, it is important to choose preferably fruits and vegetables produced in France, in the region and in season .

We avoid giving in to the temptation of fruits and vegetables of all kinds all year round, and if in our hypermarket the section only offers products from far away, we try to get our supplies elsewhere: agricultural cooperatives, small producers, markets... we just need to adopt new habits to avoid the trap of large-scale distribution which encourages us to buy without thinking because we have everything on hand.

5- We adapt to bulk and organic products in hypermarkets

To follow the zero waste trend, hypermarkets have started offering bulk products. Cereals, pasta, seeds... it's an interesting solution to stock up on large quantities, avoid packaging , and save money. You can also find whole and varied cereals, and the bulk system also allows you to choose the exact quantity you need. A process that avoids falling into the trap of promotions with large packaging (like large pots with a rounded bottom towards the inside) but less product inside. For the planet , the ideal is of course to accompany the bulk with fabric bags, which you can bring back from one time to the next.

On the organic side, industrial products are pretty good in terms of composition and companies are making efforts in traceability. Then there is the packaging... Especially for organic vegetables which are sometimes packaged in plastic bags to differentiate them from conventional fruits and vegetables. Here again, it is better to go to small, specialized and local stores, and keep in mind that large retailers offer these alternatives to keep their customers. Regarding fruits and vegetables , we are wary of all those that shine thanks to a sprayed wax to be more appetizing!

Overall, we can avoid the worst products and choose to buy clean. However, this requires a lot of vigilance. We must take the time to decipher the labels, to find out about the brands and to resist the multiple temptations and low prices of supermarkets. In the long run, however, we get into the habit of only buying products that we have validated ourselves, and we supplement elsewhere for what we cannot find. In the long term, it would be logical to systematically favor small businesses to revalue local, human and the value of work. We can always try to change this pitfall by considering our wallet as a voting slip that can influence society as a whole.

The word permaculture has become more widespread in the media in recent years. It is most often associated with agriculture, but without necessarily knowing exactly what it is. So, is permaculture a virtuous agriculture? Better than organic farming? A technique for growing vegetables? A bit of all of these things at once and much more.

Permaculture is based on a basic principle: that of taking inspiration from the "mechanisms" used by nature and (trying to) reproduce them to cultivate. The idea therefore involves a close observation of what happens in natural ecosystems in terms of functioning, relationships and interactions in order to then imitate them. The word "permaculture" comes from "permanent agriculture" in English, an agriculture that uses techniques to preserve the fertility of the land, while cultivating it. By applying the principles and natural intelligence of ecosystems to agriculture, it becomes sustainable, "permanent". Inspired by a Japanese farmer, permaculture was conceptualized in the 70s by two Australians, who made it a global concept, explained in their book "Perma-Culture, a sustainable agriculture for self-sufficiency and farms of all sizes". This book is now the reference work for this discipline. However, if permaculture responds to current challenges of preserving biodiversity and respecting the virtuous circle, it also brings an interesting philosophical dimension.

The main principles of permaculture

Its founding principle: taking care of the earth, humans and fairly redistributing what has been produced. This resilient and sustainable agricultural system goes far beyond simple agricultural techniques. Permaculture includes fundamental concrete rules that apply to agriculture… or to other areas such as architecture or energy.

Its 12 essential principles:

• Observe and interact
• Capturing and storing energy
• Get a production
• Self-regulate and accept feedback
• Use and enhance renewable resources and services
• Produce no waste
• From large structures to details
• Integrate instead of separating
• Use slow, small-scale solutions
• Using and valuing diversity
• Use borders and enhance the margin
• Being creative in the face of change

Permaculture is therefore integrated into modern production techniques as long as it does not pollute, respects the soil, adapts locally by taking into account the specificities of the place, while remaining productive. Indeed, it is necessary to be efficient and the objective is to achieve abundance and sustainability. The social dimension of permaculture places it in a truly committed approach. Indeed, permaculture reviews our conception of society so that the latter respects the principles of the circular economy, solidarity and interdependence. As is the case in any natural ecosystem.

What is permaculture in concrete terms?

How to practice permaculture in the garden via a vegetable garden? We start with the charters of organic farming and the principles of agroecology, then we enrich them with the ethical principles of permaculture mentioned above. This new way of understanding crops then includes the immediate environment, permanent observation and adaptation, and an organization offering the best productivity with the lowest impact in terms of waste, trash and pollution. Concretely, the vegetable garden must be organized in order to limit energy losses for example and optimize the space as much as possible by taking into account all the parameters. We often talk about "design" in permaculture which in fact represents the organization of plant associations according to insects, soils and different spaces (shaded corners, squares of full sun, humid soils, limestone, etc.). Design in permaculture also responds to the human side. Indeed, this design places everything in the best place considering the environment, imagines an operating system that is as simple as possible and above all the least painful for humans.

Permaculture in practice

Everyone can apply the principles of permaculture on their own scale. Create your own productive vegetable garden, for example, in accordance with the environment and available resources, and which is adapted to the chosen location and to yourself! To do this, you can raise the vegetable gardens according to the principles of mounds dear to permaculture. Thus, a system of stacking different materials (wood, compost, clay, etc.) enriches the soil, drains water, promotes growth while facilitating cultivation by humans who no longer need to bend down. But how to do it?

• The first phase will be observation: What is the sunshine? What animals are present? What is their impact on which varieties (caterpillars, slugs, aphids, etc.)?
• Once the land has been marked out, prepare it and think about your plants in advance, with the help of nurserymen, taking into account the sun, using tall plants to shade the young shoots, which are more vulnerable, and placing plants with the same water needs together, for example.
• Then, complete your installation with compost, start mulching, install a rainwater collector, etc.
• And very soon you can bite into some lovely fruits and vegetables “from the garden”!

Permaculture, ethical conception and design, takes into account the ecosystem in its entirety. It is a definitively "clean" practice since it integrates all the parameters to create a global synergy, exactly as nature does spontaneously. Nature is "organized", even if it is not visible. Ecosystems are ingenious, economical and virtuous. The use of permaculture in agriculture will be more and more frequent since it advocates respect for humans and ecology.

If permaculture could be applied to all other sectors of society, we could perhaps experience reasoned, united societies that are no longer dictated by consumption and the globalized economy. As you can see, permaculture is both a philosophy that can guide farmers - budding or seasoned - but also a model of society!

While the availability of resources to produce energy is a worrying subject, and the expression "renewable energies" is on everyone's lips, little is said about marine energy flows. However, they are a promising avenue in the exploration of decarbonized and renewable energy, available throughout the planet. Explanations.

Marine energy is a renewable energy. A renewable energy is called this because it is considered infinite, unlike "finite" resources such as oil, coal or gas: when there is no more, there will be no more, unlike wind for example. So we knew about wind turbines that produce electricity with the wind, solar panels with the sun's rays, geothermal energy with the heat of the center of the earth or even dams with hydraulic energy... but why do we never or almost never talk about marine energy? Or rather marine energies for that matter! Indeed, the oceans which cover - for the record - 70% of the planet, offer different technologies based on different forces of the marine environment to produce electricity: currents, tides but also swell for example. This is an incredible opportunity and we can see the possibility of a "blue revolution" in terms of energy. The reason why it is not discussed is probably because the exploitation of these oceanic forces is mainly at the experimental stage today and requires a long development.

Marine energies, what’s that?

Still little used today, marine energies could, once exploited on a large scale, provide low-cost energy all around the globe, without greenhouse gas emissions unlike so-called fossil fuels. They make it possible to produce electricity thanks to the intrinsic energy flows of the oceans through the movement of tides and currents, which represent a considerable force, or thermal energy which is based on the temperature differences between surface water and those of the depths.

Given the difficulties in implementing the current energy transition, marine energies represent significant potential and each have exponential margins for growth. Especially since, unlike sunshine or wind, the movement of tides and currents (the two most promising marine energies) is continuous and can be predicted in advance. While valuable in terms of this energy transition, renewable marine energies do not all have the same potential or the same level of development. Before they can be successful, they must reach technological and financial maturity because their costs are still too high to be profitable at this level of development.

Tidal energy or tidal power

Tides represent a gigantic and natural movement of water whose The ebb and flow can fill or empty reservoirs equipped with dams and turbines, without any other energy expenditure. These turbines, connected to a generator and an alternator, will produce electricity in real time which will be recovered by the adjoining tidal power plant where a transformer allows the alternating current to circulate in the high-voltage lines. In France, we have taken the lead in experimenting with this technology: EDF has been using this energy since 1966 in the Rance plant which produces 4% of the electricity consumed each year in Brittany.

Energy from ocean currents or hydroelectric energy

Here we use the kinetic energy of ocean currents that is captured by hydro turbines, the equivalent of wind turbines for wind. The currents, which are concentrated in certain areas near the coast, move the propellers whose rotation mechanically produces energy sent to an alternator that transforms it into electricity. The more ocean currents there are, the more energy can be produced. This is then conducted to dry land via submarine cables. The potential of this energy is interesting because most coasts around the world are subject to currents. It can therefore potentially be used anywhere. In France, EDF is experimenting with this technology with a demonstrator in the Côtes d'Armor whose viability must be tested both technically and economically. In Brittany, between the islands of Molène and Ouessant, a turbine ran for a year and produced electricity for the first time. Encouraging projects!

Wave energy or wave energy

It is different from current energy because it relies on the movement of waves, the result of wind blowing on the ocean surface. Indeed, when the wind blows on the ocean surface, its energy is transferred into the movements of waves or swells, which can travel long distances. Thus, we could recover, near the coast, the energy of the wind that has blown offshore and moved, but this technology is still in the testing phase.

Thermal energy

Thermal energy is based on the temperature difference between the bottom and the surface of the ocean. It offers the best results in waters where the differences are greatest between the bottom and the surface. In France, it is in Martinique that this new thermal energy is being tested via a floating electricity production platform, at the heart of the "Nemo" project.

Osmotic energy

Not yet exploited, the idea is to produce electricity from the pressure resulting from the chemical movement of molecules, triggered by the difference in salinity between fresh water and salt water, when they mix. When salt water and fresh water are poured side by side, separated by a permeable membrane, the fresh water naturally goes towards the salt water creating a pressure on the membrane that separates them: this is what can be exploited using a generator. This osmosis phenomenon has a very strong energy potential that could be used wherever waters mix: all estuaries and river mouths could be used, which offers a development perspective all over the world.

Marine energies thus represent a promising source of energy, which is just waiting to be exploited. France also has many assets to develop them thanks to its Normandy and Breton coasts, as well as its overseas territories. This perspective offers the vision of a real "blue revolution" in terms of energy transition, accompanied by strong economic, technological and human dynamism. We can indeed imagine the countless new professions, the development of industrial sectors, international trade and the opening of many markets. On condition that their development is supported and production costs are limited.

The city and housing are areas that challenge builders, architects and construction companies because of the urgency and the need to change. Solutions have emerged so that the architecture of the future or "green building" helps humans face global warming and pollution by integrating nature into the city. Are they really useful, really effective?

Green architecture, also called green architecture, aims to bring man closer to nature or rather bring nature back into the city. If at the beginning the projects could have aesthetic and well-being considerations, today necessarily ecological objectives are added to create a new kind of buildings in the long term. The term "green architecture", which designates a real trend in society, refers to projects for the greening of existing buildings, the optimization of installations in a sustainable manner or even architectural projects including sustainability, the use of ecological materials and eco-responsible techniques. If green architecture advocates a project for the city of tomorrow with new constructions, it is also the transformation of today's city by adding vegetation with plants and trees wherever possible.

Green building: eco-friendly materials

Green architecture rethinks all construction projects. The construction sector is one of the most polluting, right from its design stage. Building construction requires a huge amount of resources, from water to raw materials to energy. It is responsible for around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. It is therefore logical for new "green" architects to adopt new ecological strategies right from the construction stage. Green building therefore focuses on lighting, heating and air conditioning systems to make them more resilient and less energy-intensive, insulation systems, and techniques for saving water throughout the entire building. A strategy to optimise energy efficiency and reduce ecological impact. As with all innovations that carry a desire for sustainability, the notion of life cycle is at the heart of the thinking: green architecture also has a long-term perspective with the maintenance of buildings, or even their destruction to have a minimum of environmental damage.

Green architecture: focus on greening

Green architecture brings nature into the city, starting from existing buildings. And in this area, the creativity of architects is limitless. We often talk about "vertical forests", the greening of a building from top to bottom to cover it with cleverly arranged trees, as the Italian architect Stefano Boeri does in Milan. These are carefully selected varieties planted on dedicated balconies, with enriched soil and supplied with thousands of ladybugs to prevent aphids. More widespread are green walls which, fixed using wire mesh or specific, humid installations, place plants all over a facade to green it. Or even wooden cladding on the exterior of buildings to improve thermal insulation. In Paris, we see green roofs with urban vegetable gardens installed on the top of buildings. In Chicago, City Hall has had a green roof since 2001. Also worth noting is the installation of "urban farms" or shared gardens planted in the middle of ultra-urban areas, such as the Bercy Beaucoup project, the Ferme du Rail in the ^{19th arrondissement} or the Jardin21 on the Canal de l'Ourcq side in Paris. Right in the middle of buildings or on their roofs, we discover permaculture sites to support biodiversity in the city, where composting, gardening and mini harvests punctuate the life of these little green corners. The green roofs are matched by hanging gardens that turn out to be soothing places for exchange and discovery with real eco-climatic virtues.

The Many Advantages and Benefits of Green Architecture

The greening of large cities marks a desire to meet the need for connection with nature , but also to improve living conditions by fighting against the effects of global warming. Plants, thanks to their photosynthesis mechanism, absorb more CO2 than they release, and provide humidity through their "perspiration". They help create valuable cool spots during heat waves, in addition to maintaining a little biodiversity in the city by providing habitat for insects and birds. Green spaces also add comfort for residents who benefit from being close to plants whose health and well-being benefits are well-proven.

Furthermore, in addition to the human and ecological interest, green architecture has another advantage: plant installations increase the real estate value of buildings and new buildings with LEED or Energy-Star certifications are more attractive. Apartments are rented at a higher price, a price offset for families by savings on energy costs. Green architecture has all the makings of a virtuous circle, except that it is not enough to stick a few plants on an old building to make it ecologically acceptable and transform the lives of its residents... the same vigilance with municipalities that seem to support greening while sometimes continuing to carry out concrete projects or tree cutting projects like the Eiffel Tower project. A Parisian project that deprives the environment of the benefits of these century-old trees to install luggage lockers for tourists at the foot of the famous monument...

Green architecture has a bright future ahead of it, with infinite possibilities to (re)integrate nature into our living spaces and live without negatively impacting it. To do this, we must combine greening with all the latest technologies to save resources by using renewable energies (wind, solar, geothermal) rather than fossil fuels. Practices that could prove essential to support life in the city in the future.

Attaching oneself to the net of Roland Garros or to the decor of the Opéra Bastille, holding sit-ins on roads to block them, throwing orange paint on the facades of Bercy, Matignon and the Ministry of Ecological Transition… Since April 2022, Dernière Rénovation has multiplied actions of civil disobedience and its activists sometimes end up in trials, like those of January 2023 in Castres and Paris for “obstruction of traffic”. What is the claim of this movement which declares “We are the last generation capable of preventing a societal collapse ”?

Eco-terrorists or non-violent civil disobedience movement?

Since their actions in France took place at the same time as those of Just Stop Oil , which caused a public outcry by throwing soup on Van Gogh's Sunflowers , mashed potatoes on Claude Monet's Meules , or paint on the front of a London Aston Martin dealership, the two movements were happily confused.

Yet, in the wake of the Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil movements, Last Renovation is a different environmental movement. It uses non-violent civil disobedience to alert on government inaction on climate change. And those who take part in these actions are often young people, most of whom are getting involved for the first time, aware that the emergency is there. Last Renovation is one of the 11 campaigns of the international A22 network , a "collective of projects engaged in a frantic race to save humanity".

As the Extinction Rebellion movement clearly explains on its website: " We have tried everything to get climate action from the government that could save us from the worst of climate change. The marches by the millions around the world, the scientific reports from the IPCC, the legal actions, the pleas, the repeated COPs without ever obtaining a binding agreement, the alerts at the UN and the symbolic actions all over the world... When we ask, argue, prove, alert, we are not listened to and nothing changes (...) Unfortunately, we cannot count on our government to save us from the announced catastrophe. Declared outlaws by its own courts, it is now up to us, ordinary citizens, to enforce the commitments that the State refuses to comply with."

Some key figures are striking: 20% of greenhouse gases come from the residential or tertiary sector, 12 million people are in a situation of energy insecurity and 4.8 million homes are classified F or G in France, or 17% of housing.

With such arguments, one rightly asks the question: where are the real eco-terrorists?

Why “Last Renovation”?

Although their shock actions have caused a lot of noise, they have not made their primary motivation clear enough.

While Just Stop Oil in England focused on the end of fossil fuels, Dernière Rénovation chose this name in relation to its first claim: to focus on the thermal renovation of the French housing stock, basically on the famous "energy sieves" but also in reference to the fact that "we are the Last Generation of the Old World".

A claim: energy renovation of housing

The movement is demanding that the government commit to renovating the French housing stock by 2040. It goes further by requesting the development of a financing system that would cover all of the work for the most modest owners.

In the texts, French laws provide for the elimination of energy sieves within 10 years. But, Dernière Rénovation points out: "at the current rate of the government, that is to say 2,500 sieves renovated per year, it would take 1,900 years to get rid of them. The executive is incapable of enforcing the laws of the country, especially when they are laws that will benefit the poorest."

The movement thus takes up a Tribune by Maxime Combes, economist, Daniel Ibanez, co-founder of the Annual Whistleblowers' Meeting and Françoise Verchère, figure in the anti-NDDL fight: "Of the 700,000 MaPrimRénov subsidies released in 2021, the number of housing units removed from the status of "thermal sieve", initially announced at 80,000 by the government (PLF 2021), was reduced to 2,500 by a recent report from the Court of Auditors. At this rate, it will take more than 1,900 years to renovate the country's 4.8 million thermal sieves."

An ecological, economic and social ambition

In addition to the fact that these thermal sieves let citizens die of cold in winter and heat in summer, they force these poorly insulated homes to be overheated in winter and air-conditioned in summer, which is a burden on energy efficiency. By insulating these homes, we could reduce energy consumption, and therefore the CO2 footprint of these homes, while restoring purchasing power and comfort to their occupants.

Another argument: in addition to reducing CO2 emissions, these renovations should create thousands of jobs and benefit everyone, particularly the poorest who suffer most violently from the consequences of climate change.

"A concrete, achievable, socially just and popular ambition which, once won, could lead us to other major victories," concludes Dernière Rénovation .

The movement does not plan to stop there. As it specifies, thermal renovation is only its first objective. The movement then wants to "catalyze massive popular uprisings in the next few years" in order to "force the required change."