Published on June 21st, 2019 | by Sarah Dephillips

5 Zero Waste Lifestyle Advocates to Follow

We’ve been doing a series here at GLI about zero waste living. So far, we’ve covered the definition of waste, why it’s a problem for our planet, and some things business and industry can do to reduce waste. But what about ordinary people? What can we do to reduce the waste burden on the planet we all share? We’re so glad you asked! GLI will be bringing you ideas and practical solutions to reduce waste in your day-to-day living. In this post, we want to share about some inspirational people living as zero waste lifestyle advocates.

Being zero waste lifestyle advocates doesn’t make them perfect, it just means they chose to make a courageous lifestyle change and are willing to share about it to inspire and empower others. This list is by no means comprehensive, and more people join the zero waste movement every day!

Trash is for Tossers with Lauren Singer

Lauren lives a zero waste lifestyle in New York City. She was inspired to live zero waste when she majored in Environmental Studies, and by Bea Johnson, another zero waste lifestyle advocate. Her website and blog, Trash is for Tossers, has a ton of great ideas and resources on zero waste living, zero waste health, beauty, and decor, how to recycle unconventional items, a zero waste store, and tons more! Lauren says that “leading a Zero Waste lifestyle is simple, cost-effective, timely, fun, & entirely possible for everyone and anyone.”

Zero Waste Home with Bea Johnson

That’s great for a single person, but can you live zero waste with a family? Bea Johnson shows us you can! Bea is a ten-year veteran in the zero waste movement. This French-born California resident travels the world speaking about her lifestyle and her book. In addition to a great blog and zero waste store, her website also features a bulk store finder to help you locate zero waste shopping options in your area. “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (and only in that order) is my family’s secret to reducing our annual trash to a jar since 2008,” says Bea. She shares more of her secrets in her blog and book at Zero Waste Home.

Going Zero Waste with Kathryn Kellogg

Kathryn’s zero waste journey started with a health scare that led her to realize that human health and environmental health are inevitably linked together. That set her on her own quest to go zero waste and eliminate chemicals and plastics from her household. Her blog Going Zero Waste has a lot of resources for people just starting to get into zero waste living. It’s a great beginner resource. Kathryn believes that “Small actions done by hundreds of thousands of people will change the world. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference, you just have to try.”

Zero Waste Guy with Jonathan Levy

Jonathan works in Los Angeles, where he focuses on helping businesses reduce and eliminate waste from their operations and supply chains. Since 2017, he has advised over 2000 businesses in the LA area. Jonathan blogs about a variety of zero waste topics in home and business at https://zerowasteguy.com/

We Hate to Waste with Jacquie Ottman

Jacquie Ottman is another NYC-based sustainability and zero waste influencer and advocate. She advises governments, non profits, and companies on going zero waste. Jacquie also shares her expertise and resources at We Hate To Waste. She expands the typical zero waste living ideas to include sharing, repairing, efficiency, and influencing others. Her website is a wealth of resources for NYC and beyond! She’s also an author and poet. Her dream is “That we will all live smarter, better, with strengthened communities — and with plenty of resources for generations to come.”

Attribution-free image courtesy of Pixabay.

For more topics in our ongoing zero waste series, check out:

The Invisible Waste: Chemical Toxicity

Zero Waste Grocery Shopping with Lauren Singer

Six Ways to Quit Single Use Plastic in Your Grocery Shopping Routine