Sustainable Morning Routine - Part One

So many of the tips from Today We Will are inspired by what I do in everyday life. To give an idea of what that looks like, I'm starting a routine series. Each post will illustrate how I incorporate some of our favorite tips from the newsletter into everyday. 

My morning routine is really that, routine. This allows for planning, which allows me to control my impact. Here's the breakdown of the first half and some sustainable choices that I incorporate along the way. Doing the whole thing would be too long of a blog post for our modern day attention spans, I think. 

6:45am - Wake up
I sleep usually just in underwear, sometimes a shirt if it's cold. Fewer clothes to bed means fewer clothes to wash, which means less water and energy waste. (I'd go totally nude, but I have an unjust fear of bugs in bed after watching a video in middle school biology class.)

Bed sheets are linen and none are fitted, this way I avoid plastic material, which means no micro plastic heakading into our water system when I wash the bedding. 

7am - Bathroom Stuff
I leave my bedroom light off and let the natural light in to reduce energy waste. I turn on the bathroom light because I have no windows in my bathroom (NYC apartment living). 

Brush my teeth with a bamboo toothbrush to reduce plastic waste and Tom's toothpaste because it's cruelty-free, uses natural ingredients, and can be recycled with Terracycle. I put just a pea-size amount of toothpaste on the brush so that I use less, meaning I have to buy less and therefore reduce my consumption impact.
I get the brush wet for a second, then turn off the water while brushing. Turning the water back on to rinse the toothbrush only.

Turn on the shower and hop in. Turn off the shower while soaping. Here, I'm reducing water waste and energy waste by using less hot water. I use a bar of soap rather than body wash to reduce plastic package waste. Turn the shower back on to rinse. Sometimes I then wash my hair with a shampoo bar. So far, Kalaidasoaps are the best I've found.
Finally, I use a bamboo wash cloth and wipe my face to get off dead skin cells after using glycolic gel over night. Rinse out the washcloth to reuse tomorrow.

I thought I looked like a Jedi in my robe.

Towel dry with a 100% cotton towel I wash once a week. Then wash my hands with a bar of soap and use cold water to reduce energy use that hot water would demand. I use a lotion that has no poly ingredients. I'm still searching for a homemade lotion that works for my skin. I have sensitive skin. I usually don't wear makeup because (a) I don't want to harm my skin and (b) I want to buy less, so I try and use less. I let my hair air dry and hardly ever use a blow dryer, so I save energy use there.

7:30am - Getting Dressed
I try to wear clothes made from all or 85%+ natural fibers so they don't release any or as much microplastic when washing them. I use a natural deodorant, unfortunately in a plastic tube. I used to use Schmidt's that came in a glass jar to reduce plastic use there, but the oils gave me a rash. Looking for a new one now.

7:45 - 9am - Caffeine, Breakfast, Dishes, Dog Stuff, Packing for the Day
Coming next week.

I hope this was at least a little helpful in seeing how the Today We Will sustainability tips can be incorporated into everyday life. Let me know if there's something you want to hear more about.