Jaren Cerf, a newly single recording artist in her mid-thirties with two toddlers, decides transitioning to zero waste is exactly what the doctor ordered. Not only will it look like she has her life together, she’ll also have a project to keep her mind occupied when the kids are with their dad. How hard could it possibly be? Zero-waste living has a lot of benefits: you can pay off your mortgage and student loans faster than your friends, save hundreds of dollars buying your wine in bulk, and spend half the amount of time it normally takes to do laundry. But isn’t it still kind of a hassle? Follow along as Jaren attempts to ditch her old life as a chronic clutter-butter (a term she invented) and embrace a new, less-is-more lifestyle, one change at a time. Included are hilarious stories about her wild west upbringing; rants about random things like miswak sticks, the cleaning fairy, and that new mall in Moscow; and plenty of examples of what not to do when you’re trying to transition to zero-waste (how not to compost indoors).

 

Unlike a lot of the great books about zero waste on the market today, Talking Trash: My Year In Zero-Wasteland isn’t an instruction manual. Jaren is not an expert in her field, nor does she try to be. She’s simply a storyteller who changed one habit a month for a year in an effort to make the world a better place.Did she succeed? Find out!

 

Here's what you'll find inside:

Introduction: Down In The Dumps

Chapter 1: BYOPackaging

Chapter 2: I've Got Worms

Chapter 3: Zero-Waste Beauty

Chapter 4: Zero-Waste International

Chapter 5: Zero-Waste Soap

Chapter 6: Safety Razors

Chapter 7: Decluttering the Closet

Chapter 8: Cloth Pads and Diapers

Chapter 9: Meltdown

Chapter 10: Saying "NO!" to Clutter

Chapter 11: Upcycling and Multipurposing

Chapter 12: Zero-Waste Gifting

Chapter 13: Reparing

Chapter 14: Six-Month Update

​

Jaren Cerf is a multi-award nominated recording artist/actress/songwriter most recognized for her work in electronic dance music and folk music.