6 Easy Ways to Make Your Morning More Environmentally Friendly

Our team at Paperwallet is committed to doing our best every day to be environmentally friendly, both in and out of the office! We take pride in our highly sustainable practices and long-lasting, recyclable products. While our wallets or bags might be the eco-friendly final touch to your look in the morning, we’ve come up with several other ways you can make your morning more environmentally friendly. Read on to get your green on.

Turn the Water Off:

This is the environmentally friendly tip we’ve all heard but often forget to do. Whether you’re brushing your teeth, scrubbing your hands, or stepping away from the sink for a moment, remembering to shut off the water can truly make a difference. It’s a simple task but makes your home less wasteful- and will help cut down on your water bill too! Even the mere 20 to 120 seconds you spend by the sink can add up! The 20-30 seconds you take each time to rub the soap into your hands before rinsing them could save around 6 gallons of water per day. The 60 - 120 seconds you take to scrub those shiny teeth could save up to 200 gallons of water per month.

Use Environmentally Friendly Products:

Now that you’ve eaten breakfast and brushed your teeth, it’s time to spruce up your look for the day ahead! Your morning routine probably involves one or more of the following processes: skincare, makeup, hair styling. Each of these steps requires products that help us look our best. But do you know what’s really in those products? Most of us don’t bother to read the ingredients before we purchase them, but it’s worth a look!

Using all-natural products, or those that don’t use chemicals and ingredients harmful to the environment is not only a great way to be more environmentally friendly, but also to take care of your body. While what you use is entirely up to you, here’s some more information about a few hazardous ingredients commonly found in grooming products you would be wise to avoid during your morning routine:

• Parabens are ingredients found in nearly every type of beauty and grooming product such as makeup, hair products, shaving products, cleansers, and scrubs. While they’re used as preservatives, they’re also known to be hormone-disruptors and are linked to breast cancer.
• Phthalates are used in nail polish, hair sprays, perfumes, deodorants, and lotions. These chemicals are also hormone-disruptors that have been linked to breast cancer and reproductive defects and damage.
• Synthetic Colors are a listed ingredient found in nearly every beauty and grooming product! These can cause irritation and are highly suspected to be a human carcinogen, so much so that they are banned from use in the European Union.
• Triclosan is often found in toothpaste, mouthwash, creams, and shaving products. It’s been known to trigger issues with the thyroid and reproductive hormones.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a chemical often found in products like toothpaste or shampoo. It’s been known to irritate the skin, lungs, and eyes and also has the potential to mesh with other chemicals to create a type of carcinogen.
• Formaldehyde and its related preservatives are used in nail treatments, hair washing products, cleansers, and some makeup. This chemical has been certified as a human carcinogen and is linked to occupationally related cancers as well as skin irritation and allergies.

Unplug Your Tools After Use:

This environmentally friendly tip is another easy way to help the earth! Whether you use a hair-dryer, curling iron, straightener, or other hair tools, you should unplug the cord from the outlet after you’ve finished styling your hair. Additionally, make sure you unplug the toaster, blender, and other kitchen tools before you leave in the morning. This helps save electricity which is better for the planet and your bills at the end of the month.

A common misconception is that when you’ve turned a tool to the “off” setting, you also turn off the flow of electricity. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case! Even when electronics are turned off, they still draw power via the plugged-in cord. The only difference is that rather than converting the electrical power for a specific use, it’s simply absorbed (read: wasted) by the tool. Unplugging can truly make a difference!

Accessorize with Recyclable Brands:

Our favorite way to make environmentally friendly choices is through the clothing and accessories we buy and use. At Paperwallet, we do our part for the planet by using Tyvek material in all of our products. This material is durable and long-lasting and can be recycled over four times. This means you won’t wear down your wallet as quickly as non-Tyvek wallets, and even when you do, it can find a new life again! Whether you use a Paperwallet slim wallet, bag, or coin pouch, you can feel confident that your choice made a positive impact on our environment.

Make Breakfast-to-Go Green:

It can be stressful to take care of all your to-do’s when rushing out of the house on a busy morning. Instead of heading to the drive-thru window to snag breakfast before work, try prepping easy breakfast meals in reusable containers. This will not only make your morning more relaxing, but is also a great way to be more environmentally friendly! Using recyclable plastic containers, glass mason jars, metal or glass straws, or other multi-use containers cuts down on waste which helps keep our planet healthy. Here are a few of our favorite environmentally friendly to-go breakfasts:

Overnight Oats-

These tasty oats are easy to prepare and delicious to eat! Simply add a half-cup of oats to a mason jar plus one cup of milk or dairy-alternative, then add your desired flavorings! We’d suggest adding dried fruit, fresh berries, chocolate chips, and honey or brown sugar for extra sweetness! You can also get creative and try replacing a ¼ of the milk with espresso or another flavor!

Fruit and Yogurt Bowls-

Prep these bowls in their own containers at the beginning of the week for an extra efficiency bonus! Cut up your favorite fruits (we love pineapple, strawberries, honeydew melon, and blueberries) and distribute equally into each morning’s breakfast container. In an additional container spoon out a serving of regular or Greek yogurt! You can eat them separately or combine them into a parfait complete with granola!

Egg-and-Meat Breakfast Muffins-

These delicious muffins combine all your favorite parts of breakfast into an easy to grab-and-eat package. In a bowl combine 6 eggs, salt and pepper, ⅓ cup of your favorite breakfast meat (bacon, sausage, or ham), ⅓ cup of cheese, and ⅓ cup of spinach or mushrooms. Blend together then pour into a greased muffin tray. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 17 minutes.

Walk or Ride Your Bike to Work:

While we know every city is different, there are many ways to make your commute to work more environmentally friendly. We’re inspired by many of our Paperwallet artists like Roman Klonek and Dylan Bakker who ride bikes to their studio spaces each day rather than drive cars in an effort to reduce air pollution. You can do it too! Whether you walk or bike, start by picking one or two days per week where you can swap your car transport for one of these more sustainable options. If your home to work commute isn’t possible by one of these options, consider carpooling with friends and coworkers who live nearby, or using public transportation. Each of these environmentally-friendly transportation methods help our planet and can also provide both health and social benefits for you!