The zero waste family

Our mini move this past weekend was a real kick in the eco-ego for me, because for all my "be green" and "live simply" mantras, I was the one filling box upon box with outdated, unused and excessive possessions. But a shock to the system is healthy for us every now and then, especially when it revitalizes stale convictions.

Enter, the Johnson family. Nicknamed the "Zero Waste Family," they seem extreme to some, but they're exactly the right dose of inspiration I've been needing.

Bea, her husband and two sons live in Mill Valley, CA and practice Reduce, Reuse & Recycle - plus a couple of extras: Refuse and Rot.

REFUSE = This is my new mantra. The Johnson's are avid about not letting trash enter their home, and I'd say it's working because the amount of trash they accumulate annually amounts to only a few HANDFULS. One trick they use (that I'll quickly be adopting) is bringing reusable jars and cloth sacks to the grocers and farmers markets, where they buy in bulk to eliminate food packaging.  At home, everything from deli meats and cheeses, to homemade toothpastes and shampoo, get stored in glass containers. Simple. Organized. Beautiful. (Martha Stewart eat your heart out).

ROT = Food scraps - and in the Johnsons' case, their biodegradable toothbrushes - can be composted instead of landfilled. This process is faster, more effective and yields the best fertilizer juice ever, for all you green thumbs out there. The unit pictured above with Bea's husband is a vermicomposting bin (which means worms), and I'm officially putting it on my Christmas list. We'll (hopefully) have our own place by then, so if I screw it up and find worms making a mass exodus across the kitchen floor, it won't be as troublesome.

And, oh my gosh, look at their closets.  Bea (the sole woman in the house, mind you) maxes out at 6 pairs of shoes, 7 tops, 7 pants, and 2 skirts. Here's a side by side comparison of our two closets - and this is mine POST moving cutbacks. Keep in mind I have another 8 plastic bins brimming with clothes not pictured here.

All photos from here, here, here and me. 

Living greener is definitely not a change most of us normal peeps can make overnight, and it usually takes a fair amount of research and practice to rewire our brains. So thank goodness for Bea's blog, Zero Wast Home, where she shares advice on everything, like how to get rid of junk mail, where to buy snazzy glass jars, how to curb questioning from resistant store clerks, and more - tons more.

Zero Waste diet, here I come!