My first bedside book was an atlas. And ever since I was very young, I've had a fierce desire to explore the world in all its different aspects.
So I studied history and geography up to Master's level, before going on to journalism school. I worked as a journalist in the regional press in France and Polynesia for 13 years, then spent four years in web project management with a large company in Paris. At the age of 40, I went back to school to pursue a profession as beautiful as it is difficult: nursing.
But what's important here is the story of Cap sur l'écovolontariat. A story that begins with a life experience that changed my view of the world forever! An experience in which I came to understand that we are all interconnected: human beings, animals, plants...
Around the world as a founding experience
In 2007, I embarked on an 11-month long-distance trip. I was looking for an original way to travel, away from the beaten track and in line with my convictions, particularly in terms of environmental protection.
That's when I discovered ecovolunteering, i.e. the possibility of getting involved through environmental protection associations.
These associations offer people the chance to get involved, for periods ranging from one day to several months, in France or abroad, in various projects linked to the protection of the planet.
After much research, I selected 5 different ecovolunteer missions: Safeguarding Hermann's turtles in the village of Gonfaron, protecting the griffon vulture on the island of Cres in Croatia, volunteering at a wildlife center in Florida, protecting mangroves and iguanas in Honduras, workcamps at the CVA in Australia.
These missions gave rise to an educational project with three primary school classes with whom I had regular exchanges.
The creation of Cap sur l'écovolontariat
Back in France, after a year rich in experience, I decided to create a website about ecovolunteering: Cap sur l'écovolontariat. It was a way of sharing my experience and giving other travellers the chance to experience what I'd been through. I have to say that the success of the site has exceeded my expectations! I became the reference blogger for ecovolunteering.
Since then, I've written the Guide de L'écovolontariat, participated in the ecovolunteering charter and forged many links with associations.
Thanks to the trust that binds the various players in ecovolunteering and Cap sur l'Ecovolontariat, I've created a platform with a selection of missions whose action in the field is serious. The idea behind this platform is to make it easier and faster to find reliable ecovolunteering missions. It enables you to get in touch directly and very simply with organizations that allow you to commit yourself to the preservation of biosdiversity.
Is ecovolunteering the next world trip?
Like many of you, I'm deeply concerned by the coronavirus crisis, the sixth mass extinction and global warming. The more the world changes, the greater the certainty that we need to create a more ecological and united world. How can we travel while reducing our carbon footprint? How can we avoid the degradation of natural environments linked to mass tourism? How can we protect biodiversity while retaining the pleasure of observing wild animals? How can I volunteer for an environmental protection association without replacing local jobs?
I see inecovolunteering the possibility of solving these equations. As this article on the L'ADN website explains, ecovolunteering is inspired by the new economy and is totally in tune with the next world.