This ‘zero waste’ blogger turned her lifestyle into an inspiring brand

Dillon Thompson
·3 min read

Welcome to Extreme Minimalists, which shares the stories of individuals who live on less – from a family of four living in a van to a woman who lives with absolutely zero furniture!

Whereas most people turn to the “zero waste” lifestyle because of their passion for the environment, Kathryn Kellog actually joined the movement following a breast cancer scare four years ago.

“I started making all these really small changes to try and get my health in check and what I found was that so many of the things I was doing were not only better for my personal health, but also better for the health of the planet,” she told In The Know.

In the past two years alone, she’s collected only enough trash to fill a 16-ounce mason jar.

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Zero waste living isn't about shiny new things and pretty reusables – it's about using what you have! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ For me, it's using things like my plastic ice cube trays and plastic toilet brush wand until they break. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ It's about repurposing what comes into my life like glass jars, pouring homemade deodorant into an old deodorant tube, and upcycling an old maple syrup bottle into a hand soap pump.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ – I've stored food scraps in my freezer with that plastic ziploc for over five years. ⁠⠀ – those 'produce' bags were drawstring bags that came with purchases⁠⠀ – I kept my plastic Tupperware (for things other than food storage) ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ I didn't throw out all my things and 'upgrade', I kept them. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Zero Waste living is frugal living, and now, more than ever, it's time for it to shine! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ I think using what you have is one of the most impactful zero waste swaps you can make. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ And, just so we're clear, there's nothing wrong with having nice aesthetically pleasing things, but it's certainly not a necessity. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ I hope you've never felt pressured to go out and buy a bunch of 'fancy' new things. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ That's the complete opposite of what zero waste living means, and is one of the reasons I've saved so much money since making the switch! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ When you started a zero waste lifestyle did you feel like you needed to buy a bunch of new things? ⁠⠀ #GoingZeroWaste⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⁠⠀ .⠀⁠⠀ #plasticfreejuly #zerowaste #gogreen #sustainability #sustainableliving #ecofriendly #eco #sustainable #simplicity #simpleliving #slowliving #plasticfree #choosetoreuse #saveourplanet #saveouroceans #reducereuserecycle #reuse #upcycle

A post shared by Kathryn Kellogg (@going.zero.waste) on May 4, 2020 at 10:21am PDT

She’s now the founder of the blog Going Zero Waste and author of the book “101 Ways to Go Zero Waste,” which helps guide those looking to also embrace a green lifestyle.

Part of Kellog’s commitment to living more sustainably is limiting the amount of trash she produces.

“We don’t live in a perfect zero waste world … It’s really not about being perfect,” she said. “It’s just about taking these overarching principles and trying to apply them into your life to be more sustainable by using fewer resources.”

If you liked this story, check out In The Know’s interview with the New Yorker who’s famous for his highly organized, 150-square-foot apartment.

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