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Bea Johnson

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Béa Johnson
Johnson
Born1974 (age 49–50)
Besançon, France
CitizenshipFrance
United States
Occupation(s)Environmentalist, author, motivational speaker
Years active2006–present
Known for
  • Waste-free living activism
  • Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste
MovementZero waste
SpouseScott Johnson[1]
ChildrenMax and Leo[1]
Websitezerowastehome.com

Béa Johnson is a US-based environmental activist, author and motivational speaker.[2][3][4] She is best known for waste free living by reducing her family's annual trash down to a pint and for authoring the book Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste.[5][1][6] Having started to adhere to simple living as early as 2006,[7] Johnson is widely recognized for pioneering and popularizing waste-free living.[8][9][3][10][11][12]

Background

Bea Johnson was born in France.[12] She grew up in Provence. At the age of 18, she moved to California as an au pair and met her future husband Scott Johnson.[3][13]

Activism

Johnson's family began to follow a minimalist lifestyle in 2006, after a move forced them to downsize.[12][14][7] In 2008, Johnson discovered the term "zero waste" (which back then was used for manufacturing practices and waste management) and applied it to her household's simple-living.[13][3][14] In 2009, she started to write a blog about her family's lifestyle sharing her ideas and first hand experience.[10][15][16] The blog evolved and in 2013 Johnson published a book, summarizing her views and philosophy on minimalism and offering practical advice on how to reduce waste at home.[4][8] Johnson then started to lecture around the world to spread her ideas.[17][18][12] First criticized as "hippie" and "bohemian", the zero waste lifestyle then became more mainstream.[1][19] As many sources note, her activism and book inspired many people including to change their views on the impact one has on the environment and to modify their consumption habits. This eventually led to the growth of a movement around waste free living.[4][8][18][20] She is also credited for creating of the 5Rs , an acronym of 5 rules to achieve zero waste,[21][8][4] and Bulk locator, an app that finds package free and refill stores worldwide.[22][23]

Her movement has been also described as "too rigid for ordinary people and sometimes "unrealistic", especially during the coronavirus pandemic.[24][25] According to MSN News, Johnson had to cancel her speaking tour in the US due to quarantine and lockdown polices in 2020 but still maintained her zero waste lifestyle while living on the road and staying at the campgrounds.[17][26]

Zero Waste Home book

First published in April 2013 by Scribner, the book consists of an introduction, 9 chapters and a conclusion. The first Chapter "The 5Rs and the Benefits of the Zero Waste Lifestyle explains the core principles of her zero waste philosophy. It is followed with chapters containing practical advice on how to apply these principles to everyday life. The conclusion describes what the future would look like if zero waste was adopted by the entire civilization.[27][28] Although some bloggers and professional literary critics pointed to some immanent radicalism about the zero waste movement,[29] the book generally received positive reviews.[30][31] As Gypsy Soul wrote: "The book is split into sections which makes it very easy to use as a reference book when you want to tackle a certain area of your life."[32] Another critic Master Michael Quinn notes: "This is a book about values that forces us to examine our own. The focus is on our consumption habits and the role they play in the destruction of this planet we all share."[33]

As of 2020, the book was translated and adapted to 28 languages including German, French, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and more.[8][34][24][18]

The 5Rs

These are the core principles of Johnson's zero-waste adherence policy, which also form her book's philosophy:[10][8][4][35][36]

  • Refuse the things that you do not need
  • Reduce the things that you do actually need
  • Reuse what you consume
  • Recycle only what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse
  • Rot (compost) the rest of your waste

Publications

  • Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste, ISBN 978-1451697681
  • French translation: Zéro Déchet, ISBN 978-2352042570
  • Portuguese translation: Desperdício Zero, ISBN 978-9722358972
  • Spanish translation: Residuo cero en casa. Guía doméstica para simplificar nuestra vida, ISBN 978-6075462400
  • Traditional Chinese translation: 我家沒垃圾：一個加州媽媽的零廢棄生活革命，重新找回更健康、富足、美好的人生, ISBN 978-9573280736

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Simple Life". Bohemian.
  2. ^ "FT Masterclass: Zero-waste living with Bea Johnson". Financial Times.
  3. ^ a b c d "A Visit From the Priestess of Waste-Free Living". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Zero Waste households winnow their trash down to almost nil". Associated Press.
  5. ^ "Zero Waste Founder Wants to Help Consumers and Brands Be More Sustainable". AdWeek.
  6. ^ Johnson, Bea (2013). "Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste". Scribner. ISBN 9781451697681.
  7. ^ a b "How to start a zero waste lifestyle". Mashable.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "What if we stopped throwing stuff away? Here's what it takes to live 'zero waste'". Deseret News.
  9. ^ "Zero waste isn't just for hippies anymore". CNN Health.
  10. ^ a b c "Bea Johnson: The Zero Waste Lifestyle". Matters Journal.
  11. ^ "Get ready for zero waste week with these books". Book Riot.
  12. ^ a b c d "Radical simplicity". Mail Tribune.
  13. ^ a b "'Zero waste' queen on the five Rs of her eco-friendly lifestyle: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot". Post Magazine.
  14. ^ a b "This Is the Most Important Thing to Know About Trying a Zero Waste Lifestyle, According to a Veteran Zero Waster". Real Simple.
  15. ^ "This Jar Represents One Family's Waste For An Entire Year". WBUR.
  16. ^ "A zero-waste lifestyle". Chron.
  17. ^ a b "COVID-19 challenges zero waste lifestyle, expert Bea Johnson says don't give up!". MSN.
  18. ^ a b c "Marie Kondo Came For Your Stuff; Bea Johnson Is Coming For Your Garbage". Refinery29.
  19. ^ "Bea Johnson: Queen of Zero Waste". Irish Examiner.
  20. ^ "Zero-waste living moves into mainstream". NBC News.
  21. ^ "How you can join the move towards zero waste". IOL.
  22. ^ "Meet Eco Influencer Bea Johnson". Grazia.
  23. ^ "Bulk Locator". Zero Waste Home.
  24. ^ a b "Zero Waste? Like… None?". Yale Daily News.
  25. ^ "Is the Coronavirus the End of the Zero Waste Movement?". Medium.
  26. ^ "Reclaimed and reinvented': Barbie dolls sport recycled fashion in virtual benefit auction". ABC7 News.
  27. ^ Johnson, Bea (2013). Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste. Scribner. ISBN 9781451697704.
  28. ^ "Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson: Summary & Notes". Grahammann.
  29. ^ "Zero Waste Home Review". Curiously Conscious.
  30. ^ "Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson". Everyday Reading.
  31. ^ "Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson Book Review". Shoestring Cottage.
  32. ^ "Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life – Book Review". GypsySoul.
  33. ^ "MANDATORY READING: Review of ZERO WASTE HOME: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE BY REDUCING YOUR WASTE by Bea Johnson". Master Michael Quinn.
  34. ^ "Book". Zero Waste Home.
  35. ^ "10 Easy Ways to Become a Zero-Waste Household". Maria's Farm Country Kitchen.
  36. ^ "How to Live Zero Waste". Time.
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