How often do you come across a story that really stops you?  More than that… how often are you really challenged by the way you look at life and actually live your life?  That is exactly what happened when I stumbled upon this story.  I would challenge you all to read on and then look at your life and see how you are really living.

I cannot even begin to say what an inspiring life Bea Johnson and her family live.  They are committed to living a life without waste.  Impossible right?  It seems impossible until you begin to read the choices that are made to avoid waste.  Turning instead to a more thoughtful approach to living, they are ever conscious of the decisions they are making and the consequences of those decisions.  They recycle, reuse, or compost everything they can.  Every purchase, every seemingly daily task, is held to a new standard.  What if, with everything you did, you asked yourself whether waste would be unavoidable by what you bought or used?  How could you reuse or recycle it?  If waste is unavoidable…Bea Johnson and her family chose no. (One year’s trash amounted to a 1-liter mason jar.)

Beginning with the idea of eliminating trash in their home, Bea Johnson completely transformed the life of herself, her husband, and two boys.  Since 2006 they all have been committed to a life that challenges the everyday and the whole way we all live.   The convicting thought to me is that I started Addiah in 2006.  How much waste have I caused by not being more intentional with my actions?  I recycle (and actually just upgraded to a vintage trash bin to use…quite cute if I do say so myself) and try to be responsible, but I do throw out a lot more than I probably have to throw out.

You probably are asking yourself how exactly Bea and her family do this.  As I said earlier, it seems impossible.  The simple answer is with care and thought.  The hard answer is with care and thought and commitment.  Life becomes intentional and takes time.

For Bea, it all started with the idea of simplifying life.  In all reality, a life without waste does not sound simple at all.  It actually sounds the complete opposite, but they have found a way to cut out trash, clutter, and all that is unnecessary for living.  For example, Bea does not just bring bags to the grocery store.  She brings her own glass jars to buy meat, fish, and cheese.  She buys in bulk to avoid the pre-packaged food containers that are simply a part of our everyday life.  It is the little choices and actions that in the end reap big results.

I hope that you will visit Bea’s blog thezerowastehome.com to learn more about her amazing life.  May you be inspired by her life, strength, determination, and commitment to that which she believes in.

Visit Addiah.com to learn more about our commitment as a business….Virginia