Today, French immersion teacher Suzanne is going to tell us about an interesting ecological challenge: a week without plastic.
You may also be interested in the French ecology vocabulary.
1 â Ecology French/English Bilingual Story
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Les gens qui me connaissent savent que jâadore Ă©couter la radio. JâĂ©coutais la radio pendant que je faisais la vaisselle hier midi. CâĂ©tait une Ă©mission sur la station France Inter, une station de radio nationale. LâĂ©mission sâappelle âCO2 mon amourâ. Câest une Ă©mission au sujet de lâenvironnement oĂč on discute des solutions Ă©cologiques aux problĂšmes tels que la pollution, le rĂ©chauffement de la planĂšte, etc.
People who know me know I love listening to the radio. I was listening to the radio while I was doing the dishes yesterday at noon. It was a broadcast on France Inter, a national radio station. The programme is called âCO2 mon amourâ. Itâs a programme about the environment where they discuss ecological solutions to problems such as pollution, global warming, etc.
Jâai entendu un article trĂšs intĂ©ressant sur lâobsolescence programmĂ©e. DĂ©jĂ , je pensais âjâaimerais réécouter cela sur le site internet de France Inter quand jâaurai le temps.â* Mais aprĂšs ça, vers la fin de lâĂ©mission, il y a eu quelque chose qui mâa fait encore plus rĂ©flĂ©chir. Une semaine sans plastique.
I heard a very interesting article about planned obsolescence. Already, I was thinking âIâd like to listen to this again on France Interâs website when I have time.â * But after that, towards the end of the programme, there was something that gave me even more food for thought. A week without plastic.
A la fin de lâĂ©mission le prĂ©sentateur passe quelques messages quâil a reçus sur le rĂ©pondeur de France Inter. Et voilĂ , quelquâun y avait laissĂ© un message trĂšs intĂ©ressant. Câest un monsieur de lâassociation âTous dans lâmĂȘme bateauâ basĂ©e aux Sables dâOlonne dans le dĂ©partement de la VendĂ©e dans lâouest de la France.
At the end of the programme the presenter plays messages that he has received on the France Inter answer machine. And someone had left a very interesting message. It was a man from the organization âTous dans lâmĂȘme bateauâ (âAll in the same boatâ) based in Les Sables dâOlonne in the department of VendĂ©e, western France.

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3 â Du 27 Mars Au 2 Avril 2017 â La Semaine Sans Plastique
Son association lance un dĂ©fi au public. Je cite : « Quel est le principe ? Câest trĂšs simple et compliquĂ© Ă la fois ! Pendant une semaine, le volontaire sâengage Ă ne pas utiliser ou acheter des produits emballĂ©s (plastique, cellophaneâŠ), Ă ne pas accepter des sacs plastiques Ă usage unique. En sâinscrivant, le volontaire accepte de relever le dĂ©fi. Il nây a rien Ă gagner, rien Ă perdre. La semaine peut ĂȘtre une rĂ©ussite ou un Ă©chec.
His group is challenging the public. I quote: âWhat is the idea? Itâs very simple and complicated at the same time! For one week, the volunteer agrees not to use or buy packaged products (plastic, cellophane âŠ), not to accept single use plastic bags. By registering, the volunteer agrees to take up the challenge. There is nothing to gain, nothing to lose. The week might be a success or a failure.
La vocation du dĂ©fi « une semaine sans plastique » est dâamener le volontaire Ă sâinterroger sur sa consommation quotidienne, sur les substituts qui existent, Ă faire sa part en vue de rĂ©duire son empreinte plastique (et donc carbone). »
The goal of the âone week without plasticâ challenge is to get the volunteer to ask himself about his daily consumption, the substitutes that exist, to do his part in order to reduce his plastic (and therefore carbon) footprint. â

Allez regarder le site de lâassociation vous-mĂȘmes ! Vous pouvez le trouver sur http://www.tousdanslememebateau.fr/index.php/les-actions/semaine-sans-plastique
Go look at the website of the organization yourself! You can find it on the address above.
LâidĂ©e me tente. AprĂšs avoir fini la vaisselle, je me suis assise devant mon ordinateur et jâai commencĂ© Ă surfer sur Google pour trouver plus dâinformations. Jâai trouvĂ© un reportage de tĂ©lĂ©vision dâun peu moins de deux minutes qui nâest pas trĂšs difficile Ă comprendre. Allez le regarder vous-mĂȘmes sur http://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/environnement/vendee-une-semaine-sans-plastique-c-est-fantastique_1357927.html
The idea tempts me. After finishing the dishes, I sat in front of my computer and started surfing on Google to find more information. I found a television report of just under two minutes which is not very difficult to understand. Go check it out yourself at the address above.
Et si le sujet vous intĂ©resse autant que moi, vous pouvez continuer vos recherches en lisant un article court sur la page dâun grand journal rĂ©gional, Ouest France (en fait, le plus grand journal rĂ©gional français). Trouvez-le sur http://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/les-sables-dolonne-85100/les-sables-d-olonne-une-semaine-sans-plastique-du-27-mars-au-2-avril-4858498
And if the topic interests you as much as me, you can continue your research by reading a short article on the page of a major regional newspaper, Ouest France (in fact, the biggest French regional newspaper). Find it by using the link above.
Alors, le dĂ©fi est lĂ . Est-ce que je mâinscris ? Ce nâest pas obligatoire, on peut faire lâexpĂ©rience sans sâinscrire⊠mais ce serait intĂ©ressant de participer. Est-ce que ça va intĂ©resser mon mari Peter ? AprĂšs tout, câest lui qui fait la cuisine chez nous, et il est moins Ă©colo que moi. Entretemps, avant de dĂ©cider, avant de nous lancer⊠jâai Ă©crit cet article⊠Affaire Ă suivre !
So the challenge is there. Shall I sign up? Itâs not compulsory, you can do the experiment without registering ⊠but it would be interesting to participate. Is it going to interest my husband Peter? After all, heâs the one who does the cooking in our house, and heâs less eco-friendly than me. Meanwhile, before deciding, before we get going ⊠I have written this article ⊠Watch this space!
* Listen to the radio programme here: https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/co2-mon-amour/co2-mon-amour-18-mars-2017
If you liked this article, why not consider a stay at Susanâs home in Brittany to better your French? Here is more info about the French Immersion Residential courses recommended by French Today.
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