Simply Living Well: A Guide to Creating a Natural, Low-Waste Home - Hardcover

by Julia Watkins (Author)

Recipes, DIY projects, and inspiration for a beautiful and low-waste life, from the creator of @simply.living.well on Instagram

In this timely and motivational guide, author Julia Watkins shares rituals, recipes, and projects for living simply and sustainably at home. For every area of your household--kitchen, cleaning, wellness, bath, and garden--Julia shows you how to eliminate wasteful packaging, harmful ingredients, and disposable items. Practical checklists for a zero-waste lifestyle outline easy swaps (instead of disposable sponges, opt for biodegradable sponges or Swedish dishcloths; choose a bamboo toothbrush over a plastic one) and sustainable upgrades for common household tools and products. Projects include scrap apple cider vinegar, wool dryer balls, kitchen bowl covers and cloth produce bags, non-toxic dryer sheets, all-purpose citrus cleaner, herbal tinctures and balms, and more, plus recipes for package-free essentials like homemade nut milk, hummus, ketchup, salad dressings, and veggie stock.

This comprehensive guide to creating an eco-friendly home is packed with inspiration for your sustainable living journey:

• Easy Sustainable Swaps: Practical checklists to help you choose a bamboo toothbrush over a plastic one, or opt for biodegradable sponges and Swedish dishcloths.
• Effective Natural Cleaning: Ditch the harsh chemicals with recipes for non-toxic dryer sheets and an all-purpose citrus cleaner.
• Simple DIY Projects: Learn to make your own wool dryer balls, cloth produce bags, kitchen bowl covers, and even scrap apple cider vinegar.
• Essential Homemade Recipes: Go package-free with simple instructions for homemade nut milk, hummus, ketchup, veggie stock, and satisfying salad dressings.

Author Biography

JULIA WATKINS is a mother and maker who creates and writes from her home in Chicago. A lifelong lover of the natural world, Julia has a graduate degree in conservation science and policy. She's worked in environmental and natural resource management for most of her life, including as a naturalist in New England, a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, an energy policy researcher on Capitol Hill, a conservation scientist in the Greater Yellowstone National Park Ecosystem, and an international development specialist in Africa and Latin America. Along with her husband, Scott, Julia co-founded Lookfar Conservation in 2016, a nonprofit that supports conservation and restoration projects in Africa and Latin America. Julia also hosts the popular Instagram account @simply.living.well, where she shares about living simply and sustainably at home and with children. When she's not experimenting with new recipes and remedies, you can find her with her nose in a book--studying holistic living, health, and healing--or gardening, practicing yoga, or crafting with her children.