Glass canning jars can be used again and again - photo by GoodNCrazy
“In a recession, people are inclined to keep things, but I feel the opposite. The less I have, the richer I feel. Stuff weighs you down.” ~Béa Johnson
Last year I read the most inspiring article in Sunset Magazine, about the Johnson family in Mill Valley, California. The Johnsons have pared down their possessions and live a wonderfully simple life. The family members are so careful about not consuming wasteful packaging, they generate almost zero garbage.
The Johnsons are big on composting, and this is one way we love to reduce waste. I just love the idea of reusing the kitchen scraps in a way that benefits the garden and keeps stuff out of landfill.
What about recycling? Homeowner Béa Johnson says, “So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that, too.” They are diligent about taking reusable containers to the store for food and eliminating junk mail, and their tidy pantry and closets would inspire anyone to minimize and simplify!
How much trash does your family generate in an average week? If you got everyone in the household on board, could you reduce it by 50 or 75 per cent? Or 80 or 90 per cent? We’re down to about half a can per week, but the recycling bin is full every two weeks when it gets picked up — so we have a long way to go. The Johnsons have motivated me to try harder to reduce our recycling and trash. If they can do it, why can’t we?
For more inspiration, you might enjoy the Johnson family’s blog, The Zero Waste Home.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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I loved reading that Sunset article. It inspired my husband and I. We are down to one small plastic grocery bag a month, but we still have a lot of recycling. So we have a long way to go as well. I love seeing other people promoting zero waste living!
BrookeO recently posted..Homemade Home Goods
We recycle as much as we can, but we still seem to have a lot of trash every week. We drop off our extra plastic bags at the store for recycling and all our newspapers, magazines and junk mail go to the school so they make a little on the recycling. We save the aluminum cans and sell them. I’m sure we could do better. I’ll have to do some more planning on this.
We have been working on this very topic for about a year. We still have a long way to go. Can any of you comment on composting. I live in the country and have plenty of room to start a compost pile. Do your dogs get into it? I’ve heard that it really attracts mice? Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Thanks Hettie