Anne-Marie Bonneau 8 Life Philosophies*
One of my recent teachers has been "Zero-Waste Chef" Anne-Marie Bonneau. Here's her blog. I asked ChatGPT to summarize her philosophy:
Here are eight life philosophies that stand out across Anne‑Marie Bonneau’s work as the Zero‑Waste Chef — distilled from her blog posts, interviews, and book:
1. Stop using plastic — start today
She’s been plastic‑free since 2011, inspired by the plight of ocean wildlife and empowered by local bulk stores and farmers markets Zero-Waste Chef+15Eco18+15Vegan Family Kitchen+15Yahoo+1Zero Waste North Bay+1. Her mantra: “break up with plastic.”
2. Zero‑waste is a journey, not perfection
“Zero waste” is an intention, not an absolute. She encourages people: “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” YahooGoodreads. And from her Church of Zero Waste series:
Start small
Ask yourself if you really need it before buying Zero-Waste Chef.
3. Consume mindfully: ask, “Do I really need this?”
Borrowing from Ann Patchett’s “year of buying nothing,” Bonneau urges pausing before purchase. It’s a practice of non‑attachment – simple living without sacrificing happiness Vegan Family Kitchen+2Zero-Waste Chef+2Zero-Waste Chef+2.
4. Cook everything yourself
Her top rule: cooking from scratch saves money, reduces packaging, and leads to healthier, tastier food motherearthliving.com+1Zero-Waste Chef+1. It also enables turning “waste” into resources (e.g., broth from veggie scraps).
5. Reuse & repair: build resilience
Whether sewing cloth produce bags, mending pants, or patching kitchen linens, she emphasizes DIY creativity to reduce waste Zero-Waste Chef.
6. Shop with purpose — bring your own containers
Anne‑Marie rigorously uses glass jars, metal tins, and cloth bags for every bulk and produce purchase motherearthliving.com+11Zero-Waste Chef+11Zero-Waste Chef+11. It’s about planning and reclaiming power from corporations.
7. Preserve and ferment — revive the old ways
She champions sourdough, kombucha, fermented veggies, and more — reconnecting with traditional culinary practices for flavor, health, and sustainability Substack+6Eco18+6India Currents+6Zero-Waste Chef+4motherearthliving.com+4Zero-Waste Chef+4.
8. Small actions can have big impact
Anne‑Marie highlights that even modest changes like reducing food waste by 20% reduce greenhouse gases more than individual zero‑waste heroics Zero-Waste Chef+2greentownlosaltos.org+2Zero-Waste Chef+2. Her mindset is: "no guilt, just do something."
*Counting Practice*
In the course of a roughly 50-minute bike ride early Sunday, I said “Good morning” to nine people.
Two did not reply — an elderly woman on her front porch, and a sour-looking white kid with a skateboard and a 40, who I knew would be a long shot. Two replied in a manner that I would describe as grudging. On the other hand, two of the nine actually initiated the exchange, including an older, bearded guy bellowing with gusto from a dog run 25 feet away. (That guy made me smile.) The remaining three responded with an unremarkable, but perfectly respectable, morning greeting.
I don’t have any “good morning” agenda or project. I just like to count: churches, political signs, hats, security cameras, green cars, Saints decor, or any old countable thing that just strikes me on the spot. It’s an easy way to stay engaged with my surroundings on a walk or a ride — or even when I’m stuck waiting.
It’s also an easy practice to gamify: I count cats vs. dogs all the time (dogs invariably “win,” numbers-wise). Sometimes I count things that require some subjective judgment — lately, the number of “in-person human interactions” in a given day. (Yesterday, I had four (not counting my wife); heavy rain kept me home most of the day.) Just recently I’ve been counting birds when I get stuck waiting for the drawbridge at one end of my neighborhood: This helps redeem an excruciatingly familiar delay. Sometimes, when I’m particularly anxious, I just count my breaths.
In short, counting works in many scenarios. Obviously I did not invent this idea, and in fact it’s borderline childish behavior. But that’s sort of the point, for me at least: It’s a very simple way to avoid getting lost in my own head, to be interested in the world, and even, in a very basic way, to learn about my environment and even myself.
That little “good morning” game, for instance, involves both openness and observation — I don’t say it to every single person I see, I use some judgment, and I never know what will happen. It’s rewarding. It’s informative. And if it encourages me to greet my fellow humans a little more often, well, even better.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore*
Today we spent the morning in Marquette, found a great coffeeshop vibe (and great coffee) called Dead River Coffee, and did a kayak tour in Munising, MI to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The really cool boat, which held 25+ kayaks on the back, took us out of the bay for 30 minutes, then dropped our group of kayakers near the famed pictured rocks. We paddled, with interpretation and comedy from our guide Ryan for about 5 miles up the coast, seeing many of the featured colored rocks and arches and coves. We touched the rocks, paddled through sea caves, surfed the waves for a few moments. It was a trip highlight.
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| View from a tight cove. |
On This Day (07/15):
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