One big complaint that many people have about going green is that it is just too darn difficult!
Genuinely motivated people often give up on their green ambitions because they are under the misguided conception that it will involve constantly having to remember thousands of little rules and habits and giving up on all of those little luxuries that make life so enjoyable.
But the reality is quite different.
Even minor changes can go a long way to helping you do your part. Remember, when it comes to leading a green lifestyle it is the little things, carried out as part of your daily routine, which make the biggest difference.
To prove the point, here are eight small but significant steps that you can take every morning before you tuck into your cereal that will help you to reduce your environmental impact.
1. Keep the Light Off
If possible, as soon as you wake up, keep the light off. I personally hate a bright, synthetic light flashed in my eyes first thing in the morning, but if you are in the habit of reaching straight for the bedside lamp then try and get out of this.
Open the curtain or blind instead, and let the natural morning light seep into the room. It’s free, doesn’t use any energy, and will give you a better start to the day.
And if you have to use a light, switch to energy-saving bulbs and remember to turn it off when you leave the room. Many people have a terrible habit of leaving their light on when they go to the bathroom, and whether you’re using CFL bulbs or not, wasted energy is wasted energy.
2. Skip Your Shower
Don’t run away! I know that this does not exactly sound appealing, but bear with me.
There is a growing movement against showering every day, with an increasing number of people beginning to come around to the idea that the daily shower is not as necessary as we have been led to believe.
But why cut back on your showers? Because you’ll use less water, less energy, and fewer cleaning products.
Although it seems to go against everything the majority of us have been taught since the day we first learned to wash our own hair, this can be an easy way to save on your energy usage.
I think that good judgement is the name of the game with this one. If it’s going to be a hot day and I’ve got a trip to the gym in my schedule then skipping a shower does not sound too appealing.
However, on a cold winter day when I’m staying at home and haven’t got any social events planned? That sounds more realistic.
Use your own judgement, and do what you are comfortable with. Even skipping a shower once or twice a week is something, and when you add it up that’s a whole lot of energy and water that you’re saving.
3. Ditch the Hairdryer
If you’ve had a shower and washed your hair, the next step that you can take to go green is to ignore the hairdryer.
I know that this is not going to prove popular with many people reading this, and being a man with a very small—and rapidly diminishing—crop of hair I may not be the best person to get all high and mighty about hairdryer dodging.
But what I would say is that it is not always 100% necessary to use a hairdryer to dry your hair, and if you can go without it, even just one in three times that you wash your hair, you’ll save a lot of electricity over the course of a year.
4. Use Less Water When You Flush
This is an especially good idea if you’ve got an old toilet which uses up to three gallons of water in each flush.
Although some more modern toilets have cottoned onto the idea that you don’t need to release a tidal wave of water each time you flush, but many toilets still fall far behind the desirable flush level.
To save on the amount of water you use with each flush, fill up an old plastic bottle with water (make sure it is one that you can fit into your tank). Flush the toilet so that the tank empties, then place the filled bottle inside. The tank will only fill up around the bottle, saving you a liter or more from now on each time you flush. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
5. Turn Off the Tap When Cleaning Your Teeth
This one is a no brainer. Luckily I’ve always been taught to turn off the tap whilst cleaning my teeth, but you’d be amazed at how many people do not.
Leaving the tap on uses in the region of six liters of water every single minute. That is a LOT of water, especially when you consider the amount of water a whole household uses in a year.
It’s sooo easy to turn that tap off, and it is a powerful way for you to cut back on your water usage and save one of the most precious resources on the planet.
6. Boil a Full Kettle and Fill Your Thermos
OK, I know that skipping a hot drink altogether would be the best option environmentally, but I cannot survive the day without a cup of tea first thing in the morning.
If you’re like me and a hot drink is an essential start to the day, avoid the habit of heating up a full kettle of water and then only using one mug’s worth, which is an egregious waste of energy.
Instead, either just boil the amount of water you are actually going to use or, even better, boil a full kettle and then fill up a thermos flask with what you don’t use. You can then take it to work and have a convenient source of hot water nearby throughout the day instead of using up more energy.
Easy, Right?
So there you have it, seven incredibly simple ways that you can start each day off like you mean to continue. Still think that it’s hard to go green? These small but important habits can help you to really make a difference and start to live a more eco-friendly existence, so see how many of them you can fit into your morning routine.