Zero-waste lifestyle expert and author Bea Johnson encouraged Haines to live simply and skip single-use plastics at her recent presentation.

“If zero is not the goal in our waste reduction, then what is?” Johnson said. Haines Friends of Recycling brought Johnson to speak at the Chilkat Center Friday to kick off Earth Week events.

Johnson spoke about how her family of four transitioned to a zero-waste lifestyle in 2008. They got rid of 80 percent of their belongings and moved into a small home in California to eventually only produce one jar of garbage per year.

Johnson said she follows five steps to achieve her zero-waste lifestyle: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot (compost).

Johnson said she and her family learned to say no to single-use plastics and free promotional items. She said one way the Haines community could reduce waste is to ban plastic bags. “I would die if I saw a plastic bag in the water here,” Johnson said. “Every time we accept free things, we create demand for more to be produced.”

Johnson showed photos of her minimalist home, including clutter-free kitchen cabinets with all-glass containers, limited furniture and organized closets.

She said people generally wear only 20 percent of the clothes in their closet. Johnson now only owns 15 items of clothing from which she can create over 50 outfits, and it all fits in carry-on luggage.

“Anything beyond a basic level of comfort is in excess,” Johnson said.

She makes some of her own cosmetic products like makeup and lip balm, cleans with vinegar, brushes her teeth with baking soda and a compostable toothbrush and flosses with silk.

Johnson said she shops in the bulk section of the grocery store and buys from farmers markets with a few reusable bags and jars.

After living 10 years without buying packaged foods, Johnson said, “I can taste a wrapper now. Butter is the only food we buy in packaging because the wax paper is compostable.”

Johnson said her family only buys things when they need to be replaced, and they often buy secondhand or from brands that offer a lifetime warranty.

Compared to when the family was not living a zero-waste lifestyle, Johnson said they have saved an average of 40 percent of their income that they’ve spent on trips and experiences.

“The zero-waste lifestyle has translated into happiness,” Johnson said.

When asked about what garbage is in the family’s jar, Johnson said it contains fruit and vegetable stickers, foam from headphones, clothing tags, a spike from a dishwasher and her son’s plastic retainer.

But in Haines, Johnson unexpectedly acquired two pieces of garbage in one day: two stickers on her luggage from Alaska Seaplanes.

Johnson said when things like that happen, she will often write a letter to the company encouraging them to look at more environmentally friendly options, like switching to recyclable cardboard luggage tags.

Presentation attendee Marsha Scott said while she tries to reduce waste, “the extent that Bea does it is amazing.”

Haines Friends of Recycling board vice-chair Betsy VanBurgh said she tries to buy food in bulk by ordering from out of town and supplements those orders at local stores.

Others said Johnson inspired them to stay away from plastic water bottles or go through their homes and purge unwanted or unused items.

Johnson’s presentation was followed by a morning of trash collection across town. Community members filled yellow bags with garbage from beaches, trails and roadsides throughout Haines, picked up by Haines Borough. Johnson tagged along with Genny Rietze, who also helped organize an online zero-waste challenge April 16-20 based on Johnson’s five tips.

Haines Friends of Recycling will host its Earth Day presentation from 10 a.m. to noon on April 21, featuring a panel of local businesses on how they are reducing waste and other displays.