Zero-waste advocate B茅a Johnson has presented at the UN, EU Parliament, and Google, and she is coming to Sidney and Victoria on Friday and Saturday.
Johnson is most famous for fitting a yearB次元官网网址檚 worth of waste from her family into a mason jar. This was inspiring to Patrick Sch枚rle, the Sidney realtor who had a part in bringing her to the Island.
Sch枚rle first began thinking about reducing waste when he and his wife welcomed their first child three years ago.
B次元官网网址淲hen you have a kid, the first thing you think about is dirty diapers,B次元官网网址� said Sch枚rle. A disposable diaper can last for hundreds of years in landfill without decomposing, so he looked for alternatives.
B次元官网网址淢y wife, Stephanie, said to me, B次元官网网址榃ell, maybe we can try the cloth diaper thing,B次元官网网址� and I said, B次元官网网址楢re you kidding me?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
After some hesitation, he did some research and found out that reusable diapers arenB次元官网网址檛 anything like they used to be, and he said they were cheaper over time than buying disposable ones.
Given her popularity, Johnson was not an easy speaker to book. However, Sch枚rle and his wife were at Sidney Market when he saw JohnsonB次元官网网址檚 book at a stall. He struck up a conversation with the proprietors, Nairn Flucker and his wife Paula, who run The Burlap Shoe, an e-commerce site dedicated to reducing single-use items like plastic wrap and toothbrushes. The couple had made contact with Johnson, and so they co-operated.
Sch枚rle said the issue of waste is particularly relevant given that Hartland landfill is estimated to be unusable in 32 years. Besides identifying new landfill sites or expanding the current one, Sch枚rle said that B次元官网网址渨aste reduction is very crucial to that conversation.B次元官网网址�
Sch枚rle is interested in preserving the natural beauty of the Peninsula and his office does their part by eliminating paper towels and using electronic documents. He said JohnsonB次元官网网址檚 high-profile appearances at businesses is promising for the cause.
B次元官网网址淵ou can tell that the world is taking notice. ItB次元官网网址檚 quite inspiring.B次元官网网址�
B茅a Johnson is coming to the Mary Winspear Centre on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., and the Victoria Conference Centre on Sat. Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Visit for more information.
