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Zerowastify: Your Complete Tutorial To The Art of Zero Waste Living
Forget recycling – you can live without making any trash whatsoever. It's called "zero waste living" and it can dramatically change your life. When you learn how to stop bringing waste, packaging, and unnecessary plastic into your home in the first place, you can save up to $10,000 per year (all that packaging is priced into what you buy!), improve your diet, and avoid common toxic chemicals in consumer products. Many people experience an unexpected sense of joy that comes when they "zerowastify" by shifting their focus to a life rich in experiences and not things. A zero-waste home can lift your emotional wellbeing, enhance your concentration, and even improve your sleep quality.In this book, environmental engineer, United Nations advisor, TEDx speaker, podcast host, and mother, Katie Patrick, methodically guides you through the 148 zero-waste actions DIY hacks, recipes, and products you need to know to master zero-waste living. Katie details the amounts of coal, oil, gas, and water that are embodied in the manufacture of the everyday items we throw away, revealing quantitative evidence of just how powerful zero waste living can be to change the world.Your life and the planet won't be the same on the other side of your zero waste journey.
- GenresNonfictionClimate Change
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2016
45 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 8 reviews
February 4, 2016
I read a sample of this book at bed time, was intrigued, got excited and ploughed through it, finishing at 1am. What a positive, inspiring, incredible book! It made me feel like a better world is actually possible. I loved all the science, the positive psychology, the impact analyses, the eye-opening graphs and charts... I thought to myself, "this is totally manageable."
I'm inspired to make changes and give it a go! Such a good book. I wish I could get everyone to read it! :-)
I'm inspired to make changes and give it a go! Such a good book. I wish I could get everyone to read it! :-)
February 10, 2019
For a complete novice this would be a brilliant book to get started. As we are already doing most of the basic list it wasn’t so helpful. I did like the idea of reminders by the front door and keeping items such as reusable coffee cup and water bottle in a kit. Some of the ideas were a little out there for me but maybe time will change my perception but I am not yet at the stage of making my own blush with beetroot powder but never say never
December 27, 2019
Another useful and necessary book in these days of a planet in danger because of humans' trash. I must say that I don't think I can do everything that is suggested in the book. Part because I'm not up to the challenge but also part because many alternatives depend on being in another country. It's more difficult in my country and for people like me who doesn't cook or enjoy cooking or dealing with things like composting. But what I'm able to do I'll certainly do.
September 14, 2020
I like this lady and her book but she has seemed to drop off the face of the earth. She refers you to her page after inspiring you only for you to find she quit or is fine for some reason.
January 30, 2017
This is my favorite zero waste book.
At first I did not like it because it was an e-book and I prefer paper copies, and do not really like reading off a screen.
I love the way this is set up in different sections, with one easy to follow step for each page or so, basically.
I love that she actually admits that animal agriculture causes greenhouse gas emissions and makes steps to rectify this in her life and gives readers steps they can take to do their best in this area (I will say, I do not KNOW if greenhouse gases are an issue. I hear conflicting information on both sides. But I do believe that these industries cause pollution with the fecal mists, dumps, and waste lives, not to mention the abuses these factory farms tend to have - speaking specifically of the cutting of teeth, tails, genitals, beaks, and horns, often carelessly and without anesthesia).
She talks about balance, which I think is important. About balance between what you can do reasonably and happiness. And I think an important balance, and one that I struggle with, is a balance between being a vegan, and being zero-waste, less waste, plastic-free. I do not know if bugs feel pain. From a Buddhist perspective, I want to avoid intentionally harming them. But is plastic floss more toxic and harmful to the environment and therefore larger animals more capable of suffering? I have never heard of floss harming animals in the wild, but I certainly think it is possible.
Is secondhand plastic genuinely a better choice than secondhand wool or silk? Just to spread the vegan message, just to not use any animal products? That plastic coat, if you wash it will leach toxins into waterways and presumably fish, and at the end of it's life, If unable to be recycled or unable to be recycled further, will cause pollution while it fails to degrade. BUT a secondhand wool sweater or coat on the other hand, does no new harm. And what about certified Humane or brushed wool? I know that a lot of vegans think in terms of not using animals at all to ensure they are not treated as a commodity, but I think those certifications and methods shield against that. The hardest issue of all of that though, is being rejected by vegans whom you ultimately agree with because you made 1 choice they did not like, or 2 choices they did not like. Those who choose to eat animals, and sometimes even zero wasters who choose to eat animals, often reject vegans without actually getting to know them, deciding they are extreme or wrong. I just wish we could all understand where we are coming from. I understand that as a vegan, it can be a bit hard to respect a non-vegan who chooses to knowingly cause harm. But we were all there once. Most of us heard of vegetarianism or made the connection before we actually decided to go veg*n. Very few people are vegan from birth.
At first I did not like it because it was an e-book and I prefer paper copies, and do not really like reading off a screen.
I love the way this is set up in different sections, with one easy to follow step for each page or so, basically.
I love that she actually admits that animal agriculture causes greenhouse gas emissions and makes steps to rectify this in her life and gives readers steps they can take to do their best in this area (I will say, I do not KNOW if greenhouse gases are an issue. I hear conflicting information on both sides. But I do believe that these industries cause pollution with the fecal mists, dumps, and waste lives, not to mention the abuses these factory farms tend to have - speaking specifically of the cutting of teeth, tails, genitals, beaks, and horns, often carelessly and without anesthesia).
She talks about balance, which I think is important. About balance between what you can do reasonably and happiness. And I think an important balance, and one that I struggle with, is a balance between being a vegan, and being zero-waste, less waste, plastic-free. I do not know if bugs feel pain. From a Buddhist perspective, I want to avoid intentionally harming them. But is plastic floss more toxic and harmful to the environment and therefore larger animals more capable of suffering? I have never heard of floss harming animals in the wild, but I certainly think it is possible.
Is secondhand plastic genuinely a better choice than secondhand wool or silk? Just to spread the vegan message, just to not use any animal products? That plastic coat, if you wash it will leach toxins into waterways and presumably fish, and at the end of it's life, If unable to be recycled or unable to be recycled further, will cause pollution while it fails to degrade. BUT a secondhand wool sweater or coat on the other hand, does no new harm. And what about certified Humane or brushed wool? I know that a lot of vegans think in terms of not using animals at all to ensure they are not treated as a commodity, but I think those certifications and methods shield against that. The hardest issue of all of that though, is being rejected by vegans whom you ultimately agree with because you made 1 choice they did not like, or 2 choices they did not like. Those who choose to eat animals, and sometimes even zero wasters who choose to eat animals, often reject vegans without actually getting to know them, deciding they are extreme or wrong. I just wish we could all understand where we are coming from. I understand that as a vegan, it can be a bit hard to respect a non-vegan who chooses to knowingly cause harm. But we were all there once. Most of us heard of vegetarianism or made the connection before we actually decided to go veg*n. Very few people are vegan from birth.
November 20, 2016
I'm surprised this book doesn't have more reviews!
I downloaded it from Amazon because it was not too expensive and the summary seemed engaging, and I wanted to read more about the zero waste lifestyle.
It's a really good book. It's easy to read, the tips are realistic - and the author acknowledges that depending where you live, you may not have access to things that she recommends, so she comes up with good alternatives; and the tone is never judgmental, which is nice because I think with environmental issues it can easily become quite judgy.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it gave me lots of motivation to start simple and eliminate what I can from my life.
I downloaded it from Amazon because it was not too expensive and the summary seemed engaging, and I wanted to read more about the zero waste lifestyle.
It's a really good book. It's easy to read, the tips are realistic - and the author acknowledges that depending where you live, you may not have access to things that she recommends, so she comes up with good alternatives; and the tone is never judgmental, which is nice because I think with environmental issues it can easily become quite judgy.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it gave me lots of motivation to start simple and eliminate what I can from my life.
September 15, 2018
Some good advice, some dangerous
I bookmarked quite a few ideas while many I had already read on Pinterest or in Facebook groups. This is definitely more for those brand new to zero waste/green living.
Some of the advice on health and body products is dangerous. Children should not have eucalyptus and peppermint oils because it can cause respiratory distress. I’m all for home remedies but natural doesn’t always mean universally safe.
I bookmarked quite a few ideas while many I had already read on Pinterest or in Facebook groups. This is definitely more for those brand new to zero waste/green living.
Some of the advice on health and body products is dangerous. Children should not have eucalyptus and peppermint oils because it can cause respiratory distress. I’m all for home remedies but natural doesn’t always mean universally safe.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 8 reviews