Tell us about yourself
I am Celine Lamperin. I am French, a happy wife and mum of 3 young kids. We know how lucky we are to live in a city like Dubai and especially in Sustainable City.
At the same time we keep our feet on the ground, trying to keep a simple life and sharing with our kids values of slow living, and respect and kindness toward people and our environment.
We moved to Dubai 6 years ago. I quickly realized that there was a lot to do regarding food and sustainability. This is why I have founded Petit Gourmet which delivered organic and eco-friendly lunch boxes for kids directly to nurseries and schools. Unfortunately COVID has been terrible for our small business and we had to close the company.
Lockdown has been terrible with sustainability with all disposable products (masks, cutlery, unique fruits packed in plastic …). So I started a blog where I share easy habits on how to eat and live more sustainably.
What motivated you to shift to being eco-friendly?
As far as I remember, I have always been sensitive to the environment. But I would say the birth of my first child in 2015 has been a wake up call.
We all know that the actual situation is serious and we ALL have to act for a better future. I could not look my kids in their eyes and say « I knew it but I was too lazy to take action ».
The main things you do to be eco-friendly
My motto is to refuse as much as possible. Before buying something, I always ask myself these 2 questions : do I really need them? Are there any sustainable alternatives?
Otherwise, here are the main things I do to be eco-friendly:
I always have my « on the go kit » with me. It is composed of a set of cutlery + coffee cup + water bottle + fabric tissue + a glass container in case I go for a take away.
And obviously a reusable mask. There are a lot of very nice masks and I like to match them with my outfit.
For grocery shopping, I always have my cotton bags, food containers, and shopping bags.
As much as possible I buy in bulk. If not possible, I prioritize carton then glass, then can and the very last plastic.
For fresh products such as cheese, fish or meat, I go to the counter and give my glass containers.
Globally, I try to find the right balance between organic and local. For example, I will select a non-organic locally grown tomato sold in bulk instead of an organic one grown in Europe (and sold in a plastic packaging!).
Our diet is mainly vegetarian. We might have fish and meat once a week.
I cook everything myself mainly to preserve our health as I know exactly what we eat). But also to preserve the planet as it is a way to minimize packaging, and industrial food that has travelled thousands of km before arriving on our plates.. You will not find any industrial food in my kitchen cupboard 🙂
I have to admit I love cooking and my kids have started loving it too. Cakes, biscuits, bread, chips, yogurts, almond milk, …almost everything is homemade.
I also prepare my own cleaning products, again to reduce plastics but also to preserve the health of my kids who spend a lot of time playing on the floor.
Your easiest eco-friendly swaps
In our daily life, we live in Sustainable City. Unconsciously, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint. Indeed, we have solar panels that produce enough electricity to meet our needs. Kids go to school by bicycle, we have chosen their activities to be in the community, we both work from home… So a lot of hours in the car are saved, which reduces our carbon emission.
In the kitchen to substitute the plastic film by glass containers for food storage and foil by recycled parchment baking paper.
To switch to a menstrual cup and reusable period-proof underwear.
In the bathroom, use a bamboo toothbrush, toothpaste tablets, solid soap, and solid deodorant.
What makes it hard for you to be eco-friendly?
I still have room for improvement in the bathroom. I am still looking for a solid shampoo & conditioner that suits me. I would also love to find natural makeup with sustainable packaging.
My baby is 5 months old. I use reusable diapers most of the time. However, I still use organic bamboo diapers when we go out. It’s not very fun to keep dirty diapers in my bag all day!
Another tricky point is my relationship with other’s behavior. When I see people with a trolley full of plastic bags and plastic bottles, I just want to shake them and say « look at all these plastic bags… Do you know they have a usage average of 20 minutes but will need 450 years to break down? »
My friends are making fun of me… I have already heard « hide the paper towels, she’s coming »!!!
How do you plan on continuing your sustainability journey? What other aspects do you plan to change?
I want to continue to encourage my kids to care about the planet. This would be my main life success. I feel proud when my kids want to go for « community clean up », refuse to buy something because of its plastic packaging or repeat « pay attention, water is a treasure ».
At the moment, I am making a career move into sustainability. I want to raise awareness around me by sharing easy daily habits on how to live and eat more sustainably. This via my blog – https://thegreenfourchette.com, talks and workshops.
You’re not alone. Share your experiences, tips, tricks; post your questions or even challenge what we’ve written! Let’s build an eco-conscious community together!
HAPPY SHIFTING!