How to become parents was an ecological trigger

A few hours after giving birth, Morgane is served a veal dish prepared from the hospital cafeteria. I can’t touch it: “I realized that I had just given my life. I could no longer eat anything that had been alive. » Seven years later, the 30-year-old is still a vegetarian. Same click with dairy products.

As a nursing mother, she decides to undertake research on rearing conditions. Morgana is horrified by the result. During pregnancy she develops a “form of empathy” towards animals. “Why must the human being be superior? she asks.

While environmentalists argue stopping pregnancy is the most effective way to reduce your carbon footprint, others say they’ve experimented with parenthood as a trigger. “Humanity will not stop having children. Maybe it’s greener to have some who are instilled in good practices, so they are aware of the problems and can change things” replies Marie-Paola Bertrand-Hillion, 33 years old. Her three children are vegetarians and the eldest, six years old, has already been informed about the use of slaughterhouses, a term that according to the mother her companions do not know.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him”

“Choosing vegetarians allows us to pollute as little as possible on our scale and to respect living organisms/biodiversity”, says the woman who decided to move to Brittany after the birth of her first child. Before her arrival, Marie-Paola was not sensitive to ecological issues. “Suddenly, we will turn our attention to a being to whom we must be responsible”, comments Valère Corréard, co-author of One child to change everything (Marabout Editions).

According to this ecological transition specialist, the birth of a child marks a oscillating period Interesting. Same story with Jérémie Pichon, father of two and author of the famillezerodechet.com blog:“When they’re my age, there will be an extra degree or two. According to the sixth and latest IPCC report, the planet will be unlikely, if not, habitable by the end of the century. Sure, we have questions. »

In fact, parents give birth to a being who will be tested by the consequences of the ecological emergency. Hence the questions that arise: what will he eat? How will he breathe? Audrey, 39, speaks highly of it: “When we have a child for the first time, we weigh our choices. My boyfriend was like a blank page. I didn’t want to damage it. »

“A Moment When We Move”

With diversification, this mother thinks about where her food comes from. She starts buying organic vegetables and her steaks from the butcher. She herself asks about cosmetics. “When I was young, my son had eczema and the dermatologist recommended a corticosteroid cream. I didn’t want to put it on his fragile skin.” she rewinds. Audrey also pays attention to the use of oil, which is harmful to health or the quality of the water. “Before, I consumed without wondering what I was using. Until my 20s, I used the famous blue Nivea cream jar. It wasn’t until my son arrived that I realized the extent of the offer.”she says.

For these mothers, the transition came in stages. At first, Marie-Paola sets out on an ecological shift, not knowing where to start. “We realize that all areas are affected, we are afraid. It’s dizzying. » For his part, Jérémie Pichon recommends zero waste as a first step: “When the baby comes, you have to buy new things, so you might as well get into good habits from the start. » With her partner, they made cloth diapers or made their own baby lotion (lime water and oil).

If we don’t know how to pass the course, some course of action. First of all, new parents can equip themselves with a small, profitable and ecological Babycook. It’s cheap. We put a carrot and a potato and that makes us a little pot, declares Jérémie Pichon who above all recommends patience: ” It took me a year to go from one bin a week to one bin a month.”

Another tip: establish a rotation of toys, storing a part out of sight. By taking them off later, we act as if they were new. You can also focus on the bathroom like Audre: “I finished my bottles and then took large containers before going to unpack to avoid consuming plastic”she says.

It is therefore advisable to adopt certain habits that are within our reach, in relation to what is important to us. “I would argue that on our scale we cannot save everyone and be on all fronts as I would have liked at the time of my awakening,” admits Morgane that she chose to face the food.

You have to go gradually and not put pressure on yourself. The goal is not to increase his mental load, especially since the birth of a child is a moment of upheaval that requires a certain stability.. “You can also experience it as a dynamic, a period where you start moving. It doesn’t have to be too much of a challenge, or the parents will explode in mid-air. opposes Valère Corréard. The important thing is to trust yourself.

Some resources to go further:

• One child to change everything, Valère Corréard (Marabout editions).

• 25 received ideas on ecology to urgently deconstruct, Valere Correard (Marabout)

• Small handbook of contemporary resistanceCyril Dion (Actes Sud)

• Rabbits don’t eat carrotsHugo Clement (Fayard editions)

• How I stopped eating animalsHugo Clement (Threshold)

• Practical ecology for beginning parentsillustrated by Camille Mage, (First Editions)

• Zero plastic, zero toxic substancesAline Gubri (edited by Thierry Souccar)

• Zero Waste Family – “Ze Guide“, Jérémie Pichon and Bénédicte Moret (edited by Thierry Souccar)
• Family in ecological transitionJérémie Pichon and Bénédicte Moret (edited by Thierry Souccar)

For children :

• Nature in danger, questions? Answers!, Sean Callery (Author)

• Zero Waste Zchildren – Mission Ze Jérémie Pichon and Bénédicte Moret (edited by Thierry Souccar)

• I too can save the planet (Hatier)

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