REDUCTIONIST (ree-duck-shun-ist) n.​
Person committed to reducing waste, reusing more, saving money and limiting the strain he/she places on the physical environment, thereby fostering a life of simple sustainability.

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​Hello & Welcome!

I’m Janeen Ellsworth; writer, mother, wife, carpal tunnel sufferer, meditation-dabbler, short-distance jogger, and full-time, radical Reductionist. 

What in the hell does that even mean, you may be asking?

It means I wash and reuse aluminum foil.

I scrub my toilets using a DIY, hydrogen-peroxide solution instead of the trusty old Comet I used growing up.

I gather water from the shower into buckets to be reused later. For flushing, of course.

We've got solar panels on our roof and VOC-free paint on the walls. My family gives shit away on birthdays instead of receiving gifts, and I've bid farewell to all my scented candles (boo-hoo!).

Why? Because, thanks to my husband, I've learned more than I ever cared to know about environmental health, harmful toxins, and the psycho-emotional dangers of amassing too much stuff. 

I finally realize how important being a Reductionist is. 

And yet, reducing the amount of stuff you own can be wicked hard. Recycling everything takes up space. You have to figure out what to do with crap if you're not tossing it into the landfill. Being a Reductionist requires sacrifice and advance planning, making it, frankly, a pain in the ass...until you get the hang of it, that is.

And once you do get the hang of it, you'll start to see that Reductionism is revolutionary, rebellious, and even a little edgy! It saves you money, because it means doing what you can with what you've got before buying something new. More importantly, reducing what we consume and reusing what we already have is critical to building safer, healthier communities.

I'm not a doctor or a scientist or an economist, but I've learned a ton of stupid-easy tricks over the past twenty years about how to live a life of simple sustainability, while still managing to exist comfortably in 21st Century America. Dudes, I drive places. I plug stuff in. I will never suggest you ditch your comfortable home to live off-grid. But I'm here to share everything I've learned with anyone who's willing to listen, because I need some friends to join me. Let's create a Reductionist Movement!

Please, don't make me do this alone!
 
Across this website, on my blog, on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and through my newsletter, I'll show you actionable ways you can start living like a true Reductionist right now. 

It may not be pretty, but it’s green, it’s sustainable, and it makes a shit ton of sense! 

Thank you so much for being here. I'd love to hear from you, so follow me, email me, or comment on the blog anytime. 

Sincerely,

​Janeen

ReductionistJaneen

Here we are, my Reductionist family, geeking out at a celebration in honor of the Solar Eclipse of 2017. Oscar Blues Brewing, Brevard, North Carolina.