Go Green for Life – Sign up for free environmental coaching

Whether you want to save money, are worried about potential health impacts of everyday cleaning and hygiene products, want to help the environment or are simply tired of taking down too much garbage, reducing the environmental impact of your household is one of the most concrete steps you can take to have a greener life. However, it is not always easy to identify what to do first, alternatives are sometimes difficult to find and time is often against us.

This is where associations such as Écoconso (in French only – English alternative sites here and here) bring crucial information to citizens. From finding a wholesale organic shop in Brussels to making your own cleaning products, Écoconso is a treasure of information.

View this post on Instagram

B R A V O à tous qui avez suivi et adopté nos nombreux conseils zéro déchet tout au long de l’année écoulée. Vous avez contribué à limiter la production de déchets et à réduire la pollution de l’air, des sols et des océans! Continuez comme ça. Tous ensemble, on y arrivera. Et pour vous aider à maintenir le cap, on vous a compilé toutes nos astuces dans ces fiches thématiques. Vous les retrouverez sur ecoconso.be… Et on n’en a pas fini avec le zéro déchet… #zerodechet #zerowaste #nopackaging #noplastic #plasticfree #ecoconso 🌱

A post shared by écoconso (@ecoconso) on Mar 30, 2018 at 3:26am PDT

Considering the hardest step to any change is the first, Écoconso is offering the opportunity to receive 3 months of coaching so that 4 households receive support and free materials to implement greener alternative in their homes. From mid-September to mid-December, a specialist will visit the selected households each month, with weekly Skype interviews to clarify any doubts and answers questions. They will keep track of all savings made and provide all small materials needed for your green transition. All that is required from participants is to be willing to implement recommended changes and to provide a testimony that will be shared in different media to incentivize people to do the same.

If you want to sign up, follow this link and fill in the details. Actions implemented vary from renting stuff (from skateboards to screwdrivers) rather than buying it, to switching to green electricity providers, eating less meat and replacing wasteful products by home made or waste free alternatives.

View this post on Instagram

Qui a dit qu’il fallait acheter pour offrir un beau cadeau ? À la ludothèque, un enfant peut profiter de plein de jeux, à volonté ! Il y en pour tous les goûts et tous les âges. On peut varier les plaisirs et changer très souvent sans encombrer ses placards ni produire de déchets. Et ça, à tout petit prix ! C’est aussi le cadeau #lastminute idéal ! Et en plus, il offre l'occasion de passer un chouette moment ludique ensemble ! 💚 #cadeau #saintnicolas #noel #zerodechet #zerowaste #ludotheque #jeux #jouet #jouer

A post shared by écoconso (@ecoconso) on Dec 1, 2017 at 7:31am PST

Savings from previous editions varied from over 1000 Euros per year for a single headed household to several thousand Euros for families, not to mention a reduced environmental impact for your home. For more household tips for a greener home in English, check out Global Stewards, Earth Easy, or this link that shows you how to make your own homemade glass cleaner.