Green Ideas

GREEN TIPS TO RE-USE OR REPAIR

A swap party with friends is fun, but it’s not necessarily the quickest or easiest way to give a second life to an item you no longer use.

In our shop Montagne Verte, 162 rue du Bourg, we collect clothes donations. For others, you can donate at Emmaüs in Thonon, or also at the Scout de Cluses

Here are also some useful links, websites and platforms:

Too many books on your shelves ? https://www.recyclivre.com

Some clothes that you don’t wear anymore ? http://www.lafibredutri.fr/ | http://lerelais.org

Far too many toys in the kids bedrooms ? https://rejoue.asso.fr | www.lepetitmarche.co

AND IF YOU TRIED TO EXCHANGE YOUR STUFF FOR SOMETHING ELSE… WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR ?

Here are some options… http://echange.consoglobe.com | https://www.france-troc.com | http://www.myrecyclestuff.com

Check these out for your clothing http://www.trocvestiaire.com | http://www.pretachanger.fr

REPAIR : ARE YOU LOST? PERHAPS YOU NEED SOME HELP FROM A TUTORIALS ?

Commentreparer.com : The self-help site with its community of volunteers delivering tutorials.

Ifixit.com : A real community of mutual aid, tutorials and product manuals, and even a tool store if you want to repair your stuff yourself.

Murfy : Presents its collection of repairers, tutorials and diagnostics for DIY repairs.

Spareka : Your new favorite site for selling spare parts (small and large appliances) and which also offers (free) videos to help you diagnose and repair, and which leads a community of do-it-yourselfers via an online help forum.

SOSAV : This is the website of spare parts (smartphones, computers, connected objects…) that offers free repair guides, according to the type of device and brand !

Wikihow : A real encyclopedia offering tutorials and advice to learn how to do everything (and especially repairs).

HowStuffworks : A great set of resources to help you fix your appliances.

BY THE WAY, WHEN BUYING, CHOOSE PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE EASILY REPAIRED!

The question of repair arises at the moment of purchasing a new or used product:
“Will it be easily repairable (and therefore more durable) ?”.

Some sites or guides have listed brands of products that last (www.produitsdurables.fr) or offer spare parts for a number of years (Deco-Citizen Repair Guide, as an additional resource)

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A HANDYMAN/HANDYWOMAN AROUND YOUR HOME? WE CAN HELP YOU…

There are many places, self-help communities and associations that exist to allow do-it-yourselfers to learn, find advice or borrow materials to repair their objects e.g. :

Les Repair Cafés ou cafés-ateliers : These are places made available by independant groups or town-halls where people meet to repair their objects together. Repairs are free of charge thanks to volunteers (electricians, handymen, seamstresses…) or with a financial participation / minor donation allowing the charity to operate. To find the repair café near you, go to the map of the same name, section “lieu collaboratif / repair café”.

Ressourceries : In addition to their main activity of reuse, they often offer repair workshops or sometimes the loan of DIY equipment.

Ateliers de réparation : There are some locally, such as the “l’Atelier soudé” (Lyon)… Some of them are specialized workshops, for example in bicycle repair or self-repair: La Clavette (which lists all the solidarity workshops in the Lyon region), Vélorution workshops (Paris), Solicycle in Ile-de-France, etc.

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND EQUIPMENT? – SIGN UP TO SITES THAT PROMOTE MUTUAL AID BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS …

Smiile.com : Promotes living together better and local mutual aid, this social network has created concrete solutions to facilitate the act of sharing on a daily basis. Thanks to this network, the inhabitants of the same neighborhood or city can exchange objects or services in complete confidence. It generates savings and provides many participative services.

Mon Super Voisin : Providing help (free or paid) between neighbors.

La Machine du Voisin : What could be better than doing your laundry at your neighbor’s house instead of buying a machine ? And if we told you it’s possible ?

Some more social network ideas…

Mutum : Is the participative platform for lending and borrowing objects between individuals.

Share Voisins : Form a real connection between neighbors to exchange objects and services, and organize activities in your neighborhood.

Allô Voisins : Allows the rental of equipment and exchange of services between neighbors.

MANY RESOURCES EXIST TO HELP YOU IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE

Here is a list of websites and smartphone applications from recovering unsold goods from your local shopkeepers ; to anti-waste recipe books.

Too Good To Go : An app that allows you to buy, at the end of each service, any unsold food from the lunch or the evening at prices defying any competition.

Optimiam : This one has the same principle as Too Good To Go but for raw products: fruit & vegetables.

Phénix : In the same vein as the previous two, now choose the app you like the best, or use them all !

Frigo Magic : Do you want to cook for 1, 2, 4 or even 10 people tonight without worrying, all while limiting food waste and saving money ? This is the app for you !

ICuisto – Le Frigo intelligent : We continue with recipe ideas that make sense.

Etiquettable : It’s the first collaborative application for sustainable cooking, with lots of information such as the carbon cost of your meal, which the fish to preserve etc….

Hop hop food : An application for sharing and food banks.

16octobre.fr : This is a facebook (in French) platform for the fight against food waste. Information and news on the subject.

Les Gars’pilleurs (including a map of supermarkets locating their bins !).

Les Gueules Cassées : (twitter) proposes an AntiGaspi label that objects to the process of grading our fruit and vegetables, which is one of the sources of waste !

Zéro Gâchis : Aims to reduce food waste by helping supermarkets to manage their unsold goods.

My Farmers : An app to eat locally

Why Buy local? Check out our blog article

In Morzine and the Vallée d’Aulps, here is a list of local producers and craftsmen: route du terroir et savoir faire.

WHERE TO BUY SECOND-HAND OR REFURBISHED COMPUTER EQUIPMENT ?

85% of devices arrive in homes new, yet most of the environmental impact of digital technology is concentrated in the manufacturing process. Before buying new, check out second-hand or specialist websites.

La Bootique des Ateliers du Bocage : Here, they sell Smartphones, Computers and High Tech reconditioned in workshops in France.

AfB social & green IT : Here you will find second-hand electronic equipment, computers, smartphones and accessories. Online sales and several shops in France (Annecy, Caen, Grenoble and Nantes).

Ecodair : Online sale of second-hand smartphones and computers reconditioned by a social integration company. Possibility to buy in shop in Paris and Marseille.

Commown : You can rent smartphones and computers.

Back Market : Online sales of reconditioned smartphones, computers and household appliances.

Envirofone : Sale of second-hand mobile phones.

Rebuy : Buy and sell your electronic and connected objects easily.

Okamac : Refurbished Apple Macs for sale.

Recommerce : Sale of reconditioned smartphones.

Further information: : https://www.larevolutiondestortues.fr/eco-gestes-web-ecologie/

SOME TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR MATERIAL FOOTPRINT AND DE-CLUTTER

1) What if you equipped yourself lighter today ?

Depending on your usage, it is best to choose the most energy-efficient equipment (e.g. do I really need a laptop? Will a tablet be sufficent?).

2) Would you like to discover some environmental focused logos ?

Nordic Ecolabel : Is a label developed by the Nordic countries, taking into account the impact of the product during its entire life (from raw materials to recycling).

The Blue Angel : Is a German ecolabel with environmental criteria in the production of products.

Energy Star : This is a specialised label on the energy savings achieved by products.

Certification TCO : Is an eco-label for computer hardware.

80Plus : Is a label concerning the electrical efficiency of the power supply of computer equipment (80% of the energy received is actually transmitted to the machine).

3) And of course, we don’t forget to choose durable appliances

Online guide to energy-efficient appliances: https://www.guidetopten.fr/

GreenIT is a source of information for professionals and individuals on responsible and sustainable digital issues.

L’ADEME also offers a guide to discovering the hidden face of digital technology and gives some ideas for action.