Limit Your Use Of (Or Recycle) Your Single-Serving Coffee Pods

Nespresso recently rolled out a recycling program to help combat the landfill issue that single-serving coffee pods have helped to create, so this isn’t necessarily a goodbye to your beloved homemade cappuccino. Just make sure to do your research on how you can recycle your specific coffee pods, and consider switching to a regular cup of homebrew on weekdays to limit waste. Purchasing reusable pods is another great option.

Stash a Reusable Water Bottle 

At the moment, we are all within a few feet of our kitchen, so while this may not pertain to today, but bringing your own water bottle is still one of the best things you can do for the planet. We recommend having a few of these bad boys on hand: one for the home, one for the car, and one for office. Between the three of them, you’ll rarely find yourself in need of a plastic water bottle. (P.S. This one can be used for both hot and cold beverages, comes with a straw, and keeps your drinks the ideal temperature for 12 hours.)

Ditch the Plastic Straw

We’re not the first ones to tell you this, but we’ll happily remind you. According to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, most plastics are not biodegradable, and in addition to releasing harmful chemicals as they break down into smaller particles, they are prone to end up in our waterways. We love keeping several reusable straws on hand, so we’re never without one when we need it. Bonus: these stainless steel options are dishwasher safe. 

Opt for Sustainable Beauty Brands

Y’all already know that we love clean beauty. When it comes to stocking up your clean makeup and skincare products, it’s also important to take sustainability and packaging into account. Brands like Tata Harper and Indie Lee are at the forefront of sustainable packaging thanks to recycled glass and FSC certified paper. Whichever brands you choose, stick to those that use glass bottles in place of plastic, allowing you to repurpose when you have an empty.

Invest in an Eco-Conscious Bathrobe

This organic waffle robe by Coyuchi is made from eco-friendly and socially conscious practices, including a 360-degree assessment by a chemist to look for bioaccumulation, persistence, and any general ecosystem harm. You can rise and shine feeling fully confident that what you’re putting on your body is not only safe for you, but safe for the planet.

Make short showers part of your morning routine

As tempting as it is to let those luxurious hot showers drag on for as long as humanly possible (hey, sometimes that’s all the “me” time you get), the habit does a real doozy on the environment. Shorter showers help conserve both water and energy—in fact, they use up about 5 gallons of water per minute—which means that cutting two minutes from your shower could make a massive difference. At the very least, let’s try not to do that thing where we turn the shower on and walk away to do something else for five minutes (guilty as charged). 

Sure, a few of these tips may cause a minor inconvenience, but that pales in comparison to the massive change these habits can make when practiced regularly. As far as we’re concerned, we’ll trade in our Starbucks cup for a healthier planet any day of the week. Efficiency is a key element to any morning routine.