Influential Zero Waste Authors and Educators

Reducing waste by all means and reusing what already exists, we have a couple of zero waste authors and educators who practice this and teach different ways to be sustainable. These influencers create awareness in their own way and methods. We got you covered if you're looking for some interesting ways and fresh ideas to reduce waste, again in your own path, but for that inspiration, here are some of the most creative people who see sustainability as a standard of life, and a daily practice.

Bea Johnson – Zero Waste Home

If you've heard of the zero waste movement, you’ve likely come across Bea Johnson. She’s not just talking about zero waste, but she’s been living it every day since 2009. She practices it all day, every day, and gives insights into her life and how she started. Known for her involvement and helping push the zero waste movement and also widely known for her "trash in a jar" idea. She has written a mindful book on Zero Waste Home, and it has been translated into 27 languages. Not just the book, she’s also known to have the 100-tip Zero Waste Starter Guide for anyone looking for where to start and in different areas.

Lauren Singer, now a sustainable advocate, follows the philosophy of zero waste. In her TEDxTalk, she revealed how Bea Johnson was the one who inspired her to start a low-waste lifestyle, and that led her to start storing her waste in a jar. Bea Johnson is a believer in using only what you need and what you use, repurposing what you have, and swap out disposables for reusables. She presents many different ways and tips one can change from some to many habits for mindful consumption.

Anne-Marie Bonneau – Zero Waste Chef

Next stop, we have someone from the food department, the award-winning zero waste chef cookbook author, Anne-Marie Bonneau. You may be familiar with her famous quote encouraging the zero-waste life - 'We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.' And a huge yesss! Collective action, introducing small habits in any way, can have a big impact. 

Leftovers in the kitchen? Don’t throw them away, because she has a recipe for you! Nothing goes to waste from this chef's kitchen. Did you know that some vegetables and fruits are thrown away just because they don’t look good aesthetically? Some don’t get picked to go to the markets even if they are in good condition because they are not selected by all the consumers. Some of her cool recipes are for vegetables that are considered to be past their prime - the ones that are still perishable but look a bit dull.

She also covers all aspects of zero waste basics that simplify the steps people can use or adopt, like listing DIY and sewing to reduce waste and making a really adorable and useful reusable cloth lunch bag DIY. She is passionate about reducing and eliminating plastic waste and any single-use items, tackling demand and oversupply by encouraging a culture of sewing and repair. She creates awareness and provides options for sustainable living.

Kathryn Kellogg – Zero Waste Educator

Kathryn Kellogg is another familiar face in the zero waste and sustainable realm. She is an advocate for avoiding waste going to landfills and the founder of Going Zero Waste, a lifestyle website where she shares tips and resources on how people can reduce waste in their daily lives.

Kathryn has also written a book titled 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, which provides practical advice on adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. Her work is centered around reducing plastic waste, sustainable consumption, and living in a more environmentally conscious manner. She comes up with sustainable habits to start small and simple.

She’s also written a book on Zero Waste Kids, which provides doable, child-friendly challenges to reduce waste. She authors and advocates for countering wasteful practices with eco alternatives.

UNESCO’s story on her zero waste living, explains her life and how she has teamed up with UNESCO Green Citizens, advocating for a green planet and making it approachable and reachable for everyone through education.

Gittemarie Johansen – Zero Waste Expert

From Denmark, we have Gittemarie Johansen, an author and zero waste expert. Secondhand shopping, vegan recipes, and green travel—a 360-degree angle to zero waste—she brings many, many blogs on low-waste consumption and sustainable living. She is the author of books on a zero waste lifestyle and a plant-based gourmet cookbook. You name any topic, and it's for sure on Gittemarie’s list that she has covered.

She started her sustainable journey in 2016. She quotes, "Sustainability is not an aesthetic." She has tried different ways and does not believe in sleek minimalism as a good approach. Gittemarie Johansen is very real and extremely candid, explaining what sustainable habits worked for her. She believes that as long as you are refusing, reducing, and reusing to the best of your ability, you’re on the right track. She emphasizes that consumer impact matters.

It's always interesting to know what changes can reduce waste and what many ways are out there to do it. It doesn’t have to be the same for everyone. As Gittemarie puts it, as long as you’re reducing waste in your own way, it works for the environment, for you, and for everyone around.

• Mindfully reuse products instead of throwing them away.
  
• Buying only things that you absolutely use and need.
• Repairing items to stop them from reaching landfills.

• Checking the packaging of products you buy and finding alternatives or reusing what you can. 

Find your little ways and share them with us too! We love hearing what your tips would be or what you would alternate to reduce waste.

Talk to us in this sustainable space - that's for you and your voice.

Share what you think down in the comments below; it could help anyone get started. We’re waiting to hear from you here @refash_ and do tag us to let us know about your zero-waste habits for a better planet.