Green Your Morning Routine
I am always open and willing to try new ways to green my routine and everyday living. As I was getting ready one morning it hit me how much of a process it is to get ready. For a girl it may require more steps in being fully ready and groomed in the morning but there is plenty to learn for both guys and gals here. I've compiled some of my favorite tips for saving energy, conserving water, and consuming less overall, just in getting ready for the day.
You're alarm goes off and you groggily shuffle with half opened eyes to the bathroom. You grab your tooth brush and proceed to brush those pearly whites. And then next (if you're a guy) you will usually shave. First thing you can change about this picture here is to make sure that toothpaste and shaving cream is natural since most of these products contain phenols and carcinogenic chemicals that can be ingested by the skin and absorbed by the body. Choose toothpaste without artificial dyes, SLS, silica and other harmful ingredients and try shaving cream made with almond or coconut oils. Oh and never leave the water running while brushing or shaving!
Check your thermostat - Before hopping into that shower, check the temperature on your water heater. Changing the setting from 140° to 120° can save you up to 10 percent in energy bills!
Use Less water - I think most of can admit that sitting under hot flowing water is relaxing and leaves you with the feeling that you never want to get out of the shower. Well its time to be strong and pull yourself away from being seduced by the ever so relaxing hot water. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that a typical shower head uses two gallons of water per minute. If you take a 15 minute shower that's 30 gallons of water! Switching to a low flow shower head can also help in cutting down some water usage.
Let your hair air dry (for ladies mainly) - If you can manage some extra time in the morning then skip the blow drying. It is way better for your hair since blow drying sucks the moisture right out of your hair and makes it easily breakable. Towel dry your hair and then brush it straight. Run your fingers through it and give it a toss frequently. Doing this instead of blow drying will save a considerable amount of energy. Try to keep in mind to only blow dry when absolutely necessary. There are also energy efficient blow dryers and straighteners out there that use less watts than others do.
Get rid of the vinyl - A lot of us use or have used vinyl shower curtains in the past. just say goodbye to the PVC. Polyvinyl Chloride is the fancy name for vinyl and creates a nasty chemical called Dioxin during manufacturing use and disposal. Dioxin is a known carcinogen that can also disrupt hormonal systems and may cause reproductive and immune system damage. So don't bring any #3 plastic, vinyl, or PVC into your life.
Ditch the razors - 2 billion disposable plastic razors are purchased each year. Eventually they get tossed into the landfill. A more permanent razor with changeable razor heads would be a better choice to help reduce waste.
Your cup of coffee - Fair trade Organic is the way to go. Carry a stainless steel mug with you to work or school.
Thoughts, Comments, Questions...
6 COMMENTS, ADD YOURS HERE:
Personally I like to green my mornings by not letting my energy craving alarm go off in the morning and sleeping in! Unfortunatly the boss doesnt seem to think the same. :-(
@Nick Thats funny...I just slept in and am just waking up right now, oh my whole day is gone...i better turn off my ac...lol
This covers all the bases = saves you money, helps the environment, helps your health, makes you feel better, it's so easy to do and it costs less than $50.00; Save money and the Earth and be clean at the same time! Add Bathroom Bidet Sprayers to all your bathrooms. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off” Available at www.bathroomsprayers.com with these you won't even need toilet paper any more, just a towel to dry off! Don’t worry, you can still leave some out for guests and can even make it the soft stuff without feeling guilty. It's cheap and can be installed without a plumber; and runs off the same water line to your toilet. You'll probably pay for it in a few months of toilet paper savings. As for water use a drought is always a concern and must be dealt with prudently but remember the water use of industrial users far exceeds the water use of household users and in the case of toilet paper manufacture it is huge. The pollution and significant power use from that manufacturing process also contributes to global warming so switching to a hand bidet sprayer and lowering your toilet paper use is very green in multiple ways.
Good tips! Shower does use too much water
Thanks, love this! Found you via @sleepbamboo. Great PVC-free advice and will check out your other great tips.
Another great way to green your morning is to stop using shampoo and conditioner. You can use products that you can eat to wash your hair. It's simple and easy and green. Check out this article for more info.
http://www.fourgreensteps.com/infozone/featured-zone/a-green-and-healthy-beauty-secret-going-shampoo-free
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