In 2014, a French family of four decided to start living a “zero waste” lifestyle for a year, which made headlines and eventually led to a new career centered on their experience and approach: through downsizing, composting, recycling, eliminating, DIY, buying in bulk, resourcefulness, and rigorous self-discipline, they essentially managed to reduce their yearly household waste down to one small jar of miscellaneous items. This is their story, as told and drawn by the mother herself.

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As someone who is interested in reducing my waste I was very intrigued by this book unfortunately while I like it well enough and found the artwork amazing I just don't think graphic novels/comics are for me.

This book is a rather interesting book, because of its specifically of the topic, in a time where cities and society produces a great deal of garbage. This being a graphic novel makes this a title that is easy to digest, similar to other contemporary graphic novel artists like that draws comic strip style and it is there are a number of specific examples that is written throughout the book that can inspire readers to do as the Benedicte family did in order to increase their ecological footprint.

This is a book that is written based on the experiences of a living French family that did spend a year working out the fact that it can be somewhat possible to be nearly zero waste. This book will appeal to readers who want to add a bit of inspirational nonfiction to their reading, and for readers who want to read a timely subject. It takes a rather large decision to move from an urban environment to a much more nature connected lifestyle. There is a follow up in the family launching a career from the publication of this series.

This is a book that was an ebook copy provided by Netgalley for an unbiased review.

As someone interested in reducing the impressive amount of waste produced every day by my household I was interested in some practical solutions, but this is happening only halfway through the book.
This comic book is an illustrated memoir of the author´s family of four - 2 adults+2 children - about how they succeeded to live in 2014 12 months without waste. Well, actually, by reducing by 90% their contribution to the waste produced daily by the inhabitants of this tiny planet. They did it by producing their own cosmetics and cleaning products, avoiding any plastic bag purchase, buying fruits and vegetables from the market and carrying them in the basket, using the home mug for the coffee, decluttering the house...
In the end, they achieved a healthier and more sustainable way of life and this is important. I suppose everyone can find his or her way through such a way of life, you only need to be resilient and creative and believe that you are doing something good.
The illustrations are just fine, sometimes I´ve found them a bit messy but the author has a funny way to talk and talk and talk about serious things in a way that makes them less boring.

This graphic novel tells the true story of a family that decided to stop producing waste for a year. Needless to say, this was not an easy task! The story is narrated by the mother in the family. Although I enjoyed the art and the premise, I found the book to be dismissive of economic concerns around the affordability for the average family of going zero waste. I think that the book offers an interesting and humorous look into one family's adventure with zero waste, but is not a guide or model for other people who might want to do this. However, it is educational in the sense that it shows how plastic is so ubiquitous in our daily routines.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was very excited to read this book! Not only is it a memoir, but also a graphic novel! Two of my favourite things. It's also super short (which I am admittedly partial to, as well.) "The Diary of the (Nearly) Zero-Waste Family" by Moret Bénédicte is a graphic memoir following her and her family as they attempt to go zero-waste for a year, which means creating no garbage from their household, and little to no recycling. This is a topic that I am extremely interested in, and something I wish to pursue if/when I can ever move out of my parents' apartment, so I was super interested to read this and learn about their journey. I enjoyed it, for the most part, and would rate it a 3.5/5 stars. I found it to be a good balance of silly and light, as well as informative and realistic. It didn't shy away from the tough facts of climate change, and in fact, I found the illustrations paired with the information to be very hard-hitting. I also appreciated that the author highlighted that her family wasn't perfect in their journey to becoming zero-waste, and that they had to start little-by-little. A lot of the times, people hear the suggestions of creating zero-waste/vegetarianism/veganism/consuming sustainably and think that they have to dive headfirst and immediately make every single change in their life that they possibly can. Of course, that's valid and a good idea in theory, but it's not realistic. I believe the author showcasing that in this graphic memoir is very important. Additionally, I also just enjoyed the family dynamics presented in these stories. Their kids are so endearing, and her relationship with her husband was quite fun. I especially loved the bits of dialogue between the cats in the family. These things definitely made the read entertaining and thought-provoking for me.

Unfortunately, there were a few things I did not enjoy, and that's why I can't give this book a higher rating. For one, I think the author's insistence of her quirkiness throughout the memoir were... a lot. She constantly talks about how she swears and uses crude language (but knows that she shouldn't), and I just found it to be exhausting and disingenuous. Furthermore, there were a few questionable panels in the book regarding the labour behind the production of goods. More specifically, there were panels of a worker in a cotton field, and workers in a mine - and they were all people of colour, while their boss was presumably white (he literally wasn't given a skin colour). Meanwhile, the only other times you see characters of colour were when the author talked about visiting Africa and "loving the culture", while also highlighting how "dirty" it was, and a fellow Mom clearly judging the author's kid. Every other character in the book is presumably white (again, was just not given a skin colour), so I can't help but think there were some poor intentions and connotations behind those decisions. Of course, I did read the E-ARC, and this very well may be changed in the final copy. I, for one, really hope it is. Lastly, at the very beginning of the book while the author is giving some warnings about her vulgar language, she says that the reader may find some of her language sexist. Later in the story, she calls a female employee at a grocery store the B word, very dramatically may I add, so yes - her language is sexist, and I don't believe that's something that should be passed off as nothing just because the author "warned" the reader about it.

With this review, I understand it may seem like I hated a lot about the book. Although I had a few issues with it, I still really enjoyed it. "The Diary of the (Nearly) Zero-Waste Family" was a fun but informative, quick read, and one I will definitely recommend to a friend or two of mine to check out. I'll be thinking about the adventures told in this book for a while. Still, I hope the issues I brought up may be resolved in the finished copy. Nonetheless, I think this book has the potential to really help influence people to care more about our planet and their consumption/waste production, and therefore it achieved what it set out to do.

I wanted to like this, for being well-meaning, well-designed, personable and a decent way to pass an hour. It was only the first of those. Yeesh.

A graphic novel about a family struggles to become azero waste family.I really enjoyed reading about them their struggles a lovely family trying to do their best,#netgalley#europecomics

E-book provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

People who care about the environment are often portrayed as humorless but this comic proves that stereotype wrong. A family of four,The Moret family, commits to a year of living 'zero-waste' and leaving a smaller footprint on the earth. This was a fun way to read and learn about ways to save our earth and live more simply. The art style was simply adorable and I really got along well with the author's humor. For people who are new to the idea of zero-waste and minimalism this is a great introduction to some of the things people don't think about when trying to be more environmentally friendly.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, unfortunately. Was intrigued by the idea but the author’s voice just didn’t pull me in. Appreciated the chance to read though.

I loved this graphic novel! Great illustrations, and such a fun look at what living zero waste looks like. I would have loved more than one recipe and a little more content,

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, I tried so hard. The premise is excellent and the explanation of how the family achieved their goals was interesting but I just couldn't get along with the style of writing.

A really interesting read with lovely, adorable illustrations following a family doing their best to be zero-waste, this book promotes a much more eco-friendly lifestyle for a family and younger children can be positively influenced by this.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a graphic memoir about a French family recognising the dangers of a consumerist lifestyle and their decision to challenge themselves to reduce their waste. Moret breakdowns the reasons why her family of four chose this lifestyle, how they made substitutes for the everyday essentials with excessive packaging as well as the pitfalls and dilemmas that they encountered in their zero-waste journey.

Anyone who has attempted a more sustainable will find this book raw and highly relatable. On a personal level, I can relate to instances where zero-waste choices may be more harmful than helpful especially at the beginning of the minimizing decluttering phase. My only qualm with the book is the sparing use of strong language which might rub some people the wrong way which Moret addresses at the beginning of the book.

The book would be great for those who need that extra bump of literary courage in their sustainability route from people who have been "there".

A more visual on how this family become almost zero-waste and struggles that many may encounter when becoming more zero waste. Knowing it is not a perfect process.

This is a fascinating story about a family who embrace zero waste living. It is told in a humourous and entertaining way but still manages to convey the serious environmental challenges facing humanity today.

Over one year the family composted, recycled did DIY, bought in bulk and managed to reduce their household waste down to one small jar. I enjoyed this story especially the entertaining way in which it was told. I also thought it was challenging and thoughtful, as well as being educational. It left me thinking about things that I could do to cut down my own consumption.

One of the more radical choices the family made was to move from their house into a camping ground so that they could live in a holiday home. I honestly didn't see the point of that. Of course the story is about someone living in the global North in France and I do think that there are many people living in the global South who live zero waste lives because they don't consume like people in richer countries, especially those people in global south countries struggling in absolute poverty.

Nevertheless, this story calls us to think! We are so used to shopping and consuming. It is very much built into the fabric of our lives and we could each take small steps to living in ways that are less damaging to the environment but we need to be shown how and this is what this book does.

I really appreciated the way the book highlights the challenge of food packaging, using organic products and looking at ways to make our own products. I will not be traipsing through my city looking for ivy to make my own washing soap but I can switch to organic washing soap. Little adjustments can be made and those of us who can take bigger steps to zero waste living should. There are so many things we can live without.

This book is a great one for families too, because it also shows how the children adapted to Zero waste and how the whole family adjusted to a new way of living. At the same time the book is also helpful for adults and inspires everyone to live a more thoughtful life. We live such fast lives in the global North but we can be kinder to ourselves and our planet by slowing down and giving ourselves space to think about how we live, our impact on the planet and how to care for our world and each other.

The author is incredibly talented in the way she has changed the way she lives, and told her story through graphic format. Seeing the story through artwork is a really effective way of conveying a serious message.

It is a beautiful, challenging story that will inspire readers to find their own way. We might not be able to do everything this family did but this book leaves the reader empowered to make their own changes.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

*this is an honest review in exchange for an ARC on netgalley*
I thought this comic was a fun and lighthearted take on zero waste. My family is working on becoming zero waste, and sometimes this seems very daunting. This book made it seem possible to consume less and create less waste.
The Diary of the (Nearly) Zero- Waste Family follows, as implied, a French family that is working towards a zero waste lifestyle. I think the most interesting part of the book for me was the family's motives towards this way of life. For me and (I assume) a lot of other environmentalists, going zero waste comes from a place of guilt. Bene starts getting involved with a mindset of challenge.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who lives on this planet. I think everyone should read this, if only to see that consuming less is possible. Thank you to the publishers and author for allowing me early access to this amazing book!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a family's quest to be zero-waste as told by the mother. It chronicles their successes and challenges. I am not sure how accurate the facts actually are. That is not my field of expertise. The comics are funny and made me laugh. The script was hard to read on my screen most of the time. But the comics gave me the jist of the words that I could not make out. This book is not for everyone...sorry but I am not giving up meat permanently I only do that during Lent. :O) Kudos to this family for trying to make an impact on our Earth in a positive way.

I received an electronic ARC from Europe Comics through NetGalley.
Information about a family's quest to be zero-waste. They spent a year doing this together. Told by the mother. Honest look at the challenges and successes of reducing our carbon footprint. The script is difficult to read at times but the illustrations work.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This comic was funny, factual and fantastic! I loved the humor filled perspective on something that many of us do not know about. I enjoyed the illustrations but found the text a little hard to read on my screen. I cannot speak to how accurate all of the facts are but they were explained in a way that was easy to understand. I'd would be interested in knowing how those numbers compare to numbers in the US. This family is a real inspiration!