How to Have a Green Morning

When I wake up in the morning my mind is constantly buzzing, following each of my routine actions and asking, “are you hurting the environment?” or “could you be using less water?” After years of living these anxious mornings I’ve put together some tips that keep my “green guilt” away and that might work for you.

 

1. Solar Powered Cell Phone Alarm Clock http://www.voltaicsystems.com/

“Of the total energy consumed in America, about 39% is used to generate electricity. Therefore, electricity consumption is an important portion of a consumer’s environmental footprint. All forms of electricity generation have some level of environmental impact. Most of the electricity in the United States is generated from fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil.” –U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

With the pressure of all of that running around in my head don’t ask me how I got a good night’s rest but somehow I slept. Time to wake up! And here’s a green way to do it: Voltaic, solar panel backpacks are an incredible option for reducing personal electrical consumption. I use my solar panel backpack to power my laptop and cell phone, which acts as my alarm clock. While the backpack itself is so sleek and stylish it will have people wondering where you parked your time machine,  we’ll save the conversation about my “fossilized” flip-phone for another day. Now that I’m awake time to go take a shower…

 

2. Grey Water-ing your Plants

“Greywater” is defined as wastewater generated from wash hand basins, showers and baths, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as WC flushing, landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands. Greywater often excludes discharge from laundry, dishwashers and kitchen sinks due to the high nutrient levels. It differs from the discharge of WC’s which is designated sewage or blackwater to indicate it contains human waste.” Thank you Wikipedia.

Before I turn on my shower in the morning I place a bucket under the tap while I let the water run until it is warm. Once I’m in the shower I move the bucket out of the way, clean myself, sing a few power ballads, and after the shower I use the uncontaminated water collected to nourish my plants. On laundry day I pour that water into the washing machine to get it started. Let’s back up for a moment to the part about getting in the shower because now the water is warm and I don’t want to waste a drop…

 

3. Non-Toxic Shower http://www.burtsbees.com/

While I’m in the shower, other than when I’m singing my power ballads, I am a nervous wreck about how much water I’m using or how many toxins I’m dumping into the water from the chemicals in my grooming products to the chemicals in the product containers. Burt’s Bees provides the solution. Their natural ingredients and environmentally friendly packaging allow my showering process to be the calming morning routine it is meant to be. A dab of deodorant, dry off with a towel then off to the dresser…

 

4. Ethical Underwear http://www.wearpact.com/

“PACT is obsessed with a big idea: clothes that make the world a better place. Socks with soul, altruistic underwear, and other everyday essentials made with fabrics that feel good and go easy on the environment. The best part: with every purchase, you help PACT make a positive change in our world. You change your underwear. Together, we change the world.”

That’s right. Changing your underwear can change the world. That’s why I love making environmental-based choices everyday. Have you ever felt proud of putting on underwear? With the exception of when you put your first pair on as a toddler I mean. Now I know what you’re thinking, that PACT’s line of underwear only come in “crunchy-granola-brown” and “bore-me-to-death-beige.” Guess again! They have colors and styles that keep their product on trend and they have a quality that lasts. I like to be barefoot as much as possible but because I have a studio in a public space I walk around in my socks and they have held up leagues better than other non-green socks. But enough chatter, now it’s time for me to get dressed in my locally sourced, organic, all natural fibers, goodwill, hand-me down, up-cycled, etc. articles of clothing.

Well I wasn’t expecting that to be such a product placement ad but there you have my green morning. Thanks for taking that journey with me!  I haven’t started a compost bin or added biodegradable trash bags to my shopping list but they are on the research “to-do” list. But enough about me. I’d love to hear some of the sustainable practices of your morning, please share with the readers.