Economic players now wield such influence over political decisions that changing our consumption habits can change the world. Here are some practical steps you can take to change your everyday consumption habits!
Fair trade
By being discerning about the origin and production of the products we consume, we help to ensure respect for the rights to health, housing, education and work, as well as fair remuneration for producers.
Artisans du Monde is a fair trade movement that currently comprises more than 140 community-run shops across France and 6,000 volunteers. The network promotes sales, education and community engagement.
Fairtrade / Max Havelaar is an international movement comprising NGOs and representatives of producers. Its aim is to use trade to empower farmers and agricultural workers in the Global South to tackle poverty themselves.
Support for small-scale farming
Because what we put on our plates affects the environment, working conditions, the countryside…
The AMAP network (associations for the preservation of small-scale farming) promotes small-scale and organic farming, which is struggling to survive in the face of agribusiness. The principle is to create a direct link between farmers and consumers, who undertake to buy the farmers’ produce at a fair price and to pay in advance.
Biocoop, France’s leading network of organic shops, is a network of independent, activist and committed retailers. A spirit of cooperation and the development of sustainable organic farming, transparency and fairness in commercial relations, product quality and the involvement of ‘consum’actors’ are the cornerstones of the network.
Terre de Liens: Through the collective purchase of farms, this organisation enables citizens and farmers to come together and take action on the ground to halt the loss of land and facilitate access to agricultural land for new farming ventures.
Solidarity savings
The French have savings totalling over 4,000 billion euros! (twice as much as France’s national debt). When deposited in traditional banks, this money funds the destruction of jobs and the environment. With solidarity-based savings, however, our deposits instead fund the creation of a sustainable and fair world.
La Nef is a straightforward and transparent bank, based on fair pricing and, above all, one that gives meaning to the use of money, with a view to contributing to the development of a sustainable economy that serves people.
Finansol is a charity whose aim is to promote solidarity in saving and finance. Through awareness-raising campaigns and a range of communication tools, Finansol helps people realise that they can all play a part in establishing a financial system that is beneficial, fair and responsible.
But also…
The Association for Fair and Solidarity-Based Tourism: Mass tourism very often has a highly negative impact on societies and the environment. Today, there are ways to travel differently!
Enercoop: The current French energy model is causing major environmental, economic and social problems and imbalances. As a 100% renewable electricity supplier and a cooperative, Enercoop offers a sustainable, local model, organised within a framework of shared, transparent and democratic governance.
Cities in Transition: The Transition Movement aims to encourage citizens in a given area to implement solutions to significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption, to strengthen the resilience of our communities and foster solidarity and cooperation between stakeholders, and to acquire the skills needed to enhance our self-sufficiency.
The Colibris movement, founded on the initiative of Pierre Rabhi, is working to build an ecological and humane society. The organisation places personal change at the heart of its mission, convinced that the transformation of society is entirely dependent on human change.
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