By Alyson Lundstrom
(Originally published for ZeroMe Sustainability)
Shifting to a more sustainable lifestyle can appear like a daunting task. However, we don’t need to completely overhaul every part of our lives in one fell swoop; instead, we can tackle sections of our daily routine to make lifestyle shifts easy and organic. Start small, start somewhere, just start!
Let’s start from the top: our morning routine. Whether you lead a life with 5 am wake calls, yoga before sunrise, or rushing out the door to rise and grind with breakfast still in your hand, we all go through similar rhythms in the morning.
Top Five Ways To Make Your Morning Routine More Sustainable
Below we tackle five small changes to your morning routine that collectively can make a big difference to planet earth.
Become a Conscious Brusher
One of the first tenants of a sustainable lifestyle is to reduce. Reduce our use of utilities, products, and packaging, or even better, omit them altogether. However, certain parts of life just can’t be omitted but can be reenvisioned through green-colored glasses.
We’ve all been told to “Turn off the water!” while brushing our teeth. While water might seem like an infinite flowing resource from our taps, conserving water means conserving the natural resources it takes to draw, filter, and pump the water into your sink daily. Turning off the spigot can save a family up to 10 gallons of water daily.
Your toothbrush also says a lot about you.
Maybe you’ve got that electric version that stays plugged in, sucking micro amounts of energy from the power grid all day long? Are you still using that clear plastic classic version and throwing it away every few months? Unfortunately, you and everyone else with a toothbrush commitment problem contribute to the nearly 1 billion plastic toothbrushes purchased and thrown away each year.
Consider making a sustainable switch to a bamboo toothbrush with biodegradable bristles to reduce your environmental footprint at the bathroom sink.
Shower Like An Earth Expert
We know what you think we’re going to say: keep it short! And you are partially right. The average ten minute shower will use around 25 gallons of that precious natural resource. However another easy switch is your products inside the shower.
A few easy sustainable switches for hair care, face wash, and body wash can be made to give your shower time a green makeover. Look for products in refillable containers. Better yet, forgo packaging completely and try hair and body bars instead.
Smell Like You Care
Believe it or not, the products that make you smell like a dream can be a nightmare for planet earth.
A small switch with your choice of deodorant is a great small change with a big impact. Change up greenhouse gas emitting aerosol deodorants or those in plastic packaging with one in cardboard tubing, glass jar, or a deodorant bar.
Diet Change, Not Climate Change
In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change report made up of scientists from all over the world, determined that a unified shift towards a “flexitarian” diet would reduce greenhouse gas emissions created from the global impact of raising animals for consumption.
A flexitarian diet consists of fruits, vegetables, plant based proteins, modest amounts of animal based proteins, limited amounts of red meats, refined sugars, saturated fats, and starchy foods. Basically, we all need to eat a more balanced healthy diet. Better for you, better for your neighbor, better for the earth.
Skip The Disposable Coffee Cup
What’s one paper disposable coffee cup a day - said you and roughly 2.7 million other people. While it may seem more “sustainable” to be tossing paper instead of plastic, the truth is that those paper coffee cups are usually wax or plastic lined and cannot be recycled.
This is where a small habit of bringing a refillable coffee cup can make a huge difference, especially if you and the 2.7 million people who used to toss the paper version, all agree to make the switch!
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