Some families practice the zero waste philosophy, most notably the Johnson family of Mill Valley, California. In 2008 Bea Johnson and her husband Scott, wanting a better world for their two young sons, embarked on a journey to stop producing waste. Scott quit his job to join a sustainability start-up and Bea tackled the home. She began by switching to reusable water bottles and shopping totes, then over time she gradually replaced other things. She started bringing glass containers to the store for wet items like meat, deli, fish, cheese, etc. They even tested some extremes like shampooing with baking soda and vinegar for 6 months. After a year they found their balance without compromising their goal, aesthetics, or sanity.
| Now they live by the four R’s: Refuse things they don’t need. Reuse by buying used and shopping with reusables Recyclewhat they cannot refuse, reduce or reuse, Rot(compost) the rest |  |
According to the blurb for Bea’s forthcoming book (see review in the above section), the Johnsons completely changed their lives: “They now have more time together as a family, have cut their annual spending by a remarkable 40%, and they are healthier than they’ve ever been, both emotionally and physically.”
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