The author implements it with a simple method. She recommends evaluating belongings by asking 'Does it put my family's health in danger?' If the answer is yes, then out the door it goes.
Simple enough, isn't it?
2 0 1 7 : R E J E C T I N G Z e r o W a s t e H o m e
Johnson writes about this topic so matter of factly and unapologetically, but it's really not an easy one. Bring it up to anyone and there will be some major push back.
I understood all that, but what did I do?
I took offense because the lifestyle Johnson suggested was everything I wasn't. ☹️
I felt guilty and ashamed about my ignorance.
I felt guilty and ashamed about the way I lived.
I already was completely overwhelmed with the impossible task that some people seemingly implemented zero waste in a jiffy. And now Bea Johnson said toxins and unnecessary plastics have to go too? It made sense, but it was a lot to take in.
Her health focused criteria for elimination stung real bad because having a healthy environment - at least in my own home - is essential to manage my asthma. I might encounter allergens or pollution outside the home, but it would be nice to come home to a safe haven.
I was so overwhelmed and guilt ridden by Johnson's new information that I just shut the book.
I now feel strongly about clearing the home of unnecessary plastics and chemicals, but when I first read this book I was so offended.
I kept saying 'I can't even with this lady' and 'this is so unrealistic.'
Intellectually, I understood the importance of what she was saying.
I understood that my horrendous asthma and my allergies would benefit from an environment with fewer chemicals and less of the leaching and off-gassing concerns that come with plastics.
So I rejected the book and couldn’t appreciate its content.
I knew a zero waste life couldn’t be bought from a store like so much cheerful marketing suggested, but I wasn’t ready for the author's straight talk.
I hadn’t always thought about my environmental impact. Just recently.
I was oblivious to the toxins in my home and what impact they had on my health and the environment.
I had cheap plastic-y everything on my body and all around me.
Toxic choices everywhere in my home.
All because I didn't know better.
Because these were the options available to me.
And these had been the items in my price range.
I now understood that I could have made better choices.
And I felt ashamed because I didn't take better care of myself.
In fact, I didn't even finish it before I marched it back to the library.
I couldn’t even with this lady… what the heck!
I wanted a gentle approach to zero waste that celebrated every small positive step.
I wanted a guilt-free and cumulative effort. And this zero waste, zero toxins, zero plastics was too much for me ðŸ˜
Now, guilt, grandiose ideas of perfection and being in a rush to implement a faultless zero waste lifestyle just shows that I was new to zero waste.
Don't worry, I have chilled out about it, as you do.
But I want to talk about my horrible feelings because no one ever does.
From the outside my transition probably looked like a walk in the park. It wasn't.
It's a journey. Or a walk to the horizon, where you always see a new one.
It's certainly not a sprint to the finish line, after which there is just faultless zero waste perfection.
2 0 2 0 : A C T U A L L Y R E A D I N G Z e r o W a s t e H o m e
It’s years later now. I’m intensely passionate about slow and sustainable living and I'm willing to give this book another chance. Thanks Bree for starting the zero waste book club with this one!
Zero Waste Book Club Schedule
JAN/FEB: Zero Waste Home
by Bea Johnson
MARCH/APRIL: Erosion: Essays of Undoing
by Terry Tempest Williams
MAY/JUNE: The Natural Kitchen
by Deborah Eden Tull
JULY/AUG: Project 333
by Courtney Carver
SEPT/OCT: The Intervention of Nature
by Andrea Wulf
NOV/DEC: Stuffocation
by James Wallman
(If you are interested in zero waste living, feel free to join the book club and read along in the SLC Zero Waste group.)
I just returned Zero Waste Home to the library after flying through the pages and being thoroughly impressed and inspired.
I think Bea Johnson is the zero waste queen!
This time around I was so ready for her straight talk. 🙌
I still prefer a gentle and guilt-free approach to zero waste that is more inviting and accessible, but I can now appreciate the zero waste guidelines she laid out in her book.
Her advice is simple, distilled and so unapologetic, it's actually revolutionary. To me Johnson's zero waste hierarchy is still the simplest method to guide zero waste decision making without getting overwhelmed.
The 5 R's of Zero Waste
1) Refuse
↓
2) Reduce
↓
3) Reuse
(and repair)
↓
4) Recycle
↓
5) Rot
And of course her criterium for elimination.
I like how firm she is about it and I feel inspired to follow her lead on it.
And as you might have guessed it, my favorite advice of hers is the question I struggled to accept years ago:
“Does it put my family’s health in danger?”(p. 83)
When I sit in my living room and look around at my home and my belongings, things aren’t perfect. Far from it. I live in a plastic age and lots of things are toxic, leeching and off-gassing and I might not even be able to change that too much. Not even in my own space. I have made lots of changes over the years and I’m always conflicted over sharing my progress.
In summary, this is a great book with real sensible advise. You should read it if you haven't already. Or read it again, like I had to. 🤣
I’m so pleased I could appreciate the book this time around.
I feel inspired and emboldened to continue on my zero waste journey because of the direction the book provided this second time.
All the toxins and unnecessary plastic should get phased out. Don't get me wrong, plastics can be the most sensible material for certain applications, but that's no excuse to make everything out of cheap plastic.
Is it too much? And will this offend others?
Or, is it not enough and I open myself to criticism?
It inspired me immensely to ask that tough health question that guides my zero waste choices.
I can now move forward in my gentle way, keep an open mind and keep learning through reading.
And like the saying goes, when I know better, I move forward by making better choices.
But this time, without the guilt.
♡ Nina
No comments :
Post a Comment