We recently went over some wasteful things I do as an environmentalist every day…so, let’s talk about the opposite: eco-friendly swaps and habits I implement every single day to reduce waste and lower my impact on the planet!

Morning Routine

Every morning I wake up and get to my “morning routine.” It’s not much, but it is quite similar day by day. I first head to the bathroom where I…

Brush my hair with a bamboo hairbrush. We got ours locally but Earth Hero has a nice one!
Apply some morning moisturizer from Uni. They have a refill system where you send back empty bottles for reuse and order it again
Put on deodorant, of course. My favorite zero waste deodorant is from Wild (code WILDSIMPLE gets you 20% off). They sell small cardboard refills you add to your reusable case. But I am still working through other brands that I tested in this video.

Then, it’s time to get dressed before walking Denahi. I love starting our mornings with a walk to wake me up and to stay off my phone for a while longer. I usually wear:

Darn Tough socks made from 100% wool AND Darn Tough takes them back when they break. They study them, recycle them, and give you a coupon for a new pair of socks
Stio sweatpants are my go-to for loungewear. They’re so comfy and I love that Stio uses eco-friendly materials in their loungewear/outdoor gear. Other loungewear I love are my Tentree shirts, Subset pants, and Girlfriend sweats.
If it’s cold, which it is most days this time of year, I’m wearing my Stio puffy. I’ve worn this in below freezing temps in Ohio to include snow, sun, hiking, and just sitting outside. It’s such a good coat!
If it’s raining, I’m wearing my Stio rain jacket. Both coats are made from recycled materials. This is a must in the PNW.

Breakfast

After our walk it’s usually time to make my daily social media posts before I have breakfast. I’m not an ear-right-away person but once I’m hungry, this is my go-to meal:

I use my Caraway pans to make my eco-ish breakfast which consists of homemade sourdough, hummus, a tofu patty, and tomato. It’s so good, filling, and something I can actually eat daily without getting sick of it.
For a drink, I’ll usually just have water but also play barista every now and then with my secondhand espresso machine or electric kettle. We get all of our tea and coffee at the refill store in our own containers and our honey is from a local farm.
Then I load up the dishwasher which we will talk more about at the end of the day

Work

This brings us to the work day. Here is where I want to say a huge thank you to you all for supporting my work. As a chronically ill girlie, working for myself and working from home with a flexible schedule has done wonders for my health. And I love this work so much. So, thank you.

Day by day changes a bit, but usually I work on scripting videos, filming videos, editing videos, writing my newsletter, prepping for our Patreon book club, making graphics, emailing brands, and things of that nature. Some eco things I implement in this work and in my office are

Secondhand notebooks to take notes for YouTube descriptions
Pen refills from Pilot G2. It’s not an eco brand but I’ve used them for years and I think refilling my pens with a small plastic cartridge every few years is better than buying all new stufff
I unplug devices when not in use. When I’m done with my laptop charger, phone charger, or secondhand heating pad, I unplug them to prevent small amounts of vampire energy
My reusable water bottle goes with me everywhere!

Lunch

Lunchtime! I take a mid-day walk with Denahi because he needs the exercise and my poor spine needs a break from my bad desk posture.

After that, it’s time for lunch with is almost always leftovers from the night before. We strive hard to prevent food waste. I warm it up on a Year and Day recycled plate that was a necessary swap while living in the RV or our new handmade bowls.

Here’s a look at our leftovers store in Stojo containers or other containers we already had or reused.

I head back to work until Dan gets home and nothing new really happens in this work cycle. We once again walk Denahi in the evening, and then it’s dinner time!

Dinner

For dinner, we each pick a meal per week that makes a ton of leftovers. We love cooking but cooking as little as possible is also very nice. Plus we love leftovers and the easy lunches they provide.

When shopping, I make a grocery list on scrap paper and we buy precisely what we need to prevent food waste. We bring our reusable grocery bags and jars for our few bulk items. Other things we do for the planet are shop at the farmers market as much as possible to support locally grown food and local farmers, shop from small brands at the stores, choose small grocery stores over large chains, and opt for package free wherever possible.

Once again, we cook on our Caraway pans and store food in our Stojo containers or containers we already have. We sometimes make desserts, too, often with ingredients we already have at home to stash bust the pantry.

At the end of the food day, we load everything into the dishwasher since it uses less water than it would if we washed by hand. We use our Blueland dishwasher tabs to wash them.

Hobbies

Evenings are for winding down and taking a break from social media. I rotate hobbies but they include

Secondhand switch where we play Mario Kart, Zelda games, and other things
Secondhand or indie books
Crochet with yarn already in my stash
Board games from secondhand stores or indie game stores

Night routine

Then, we move on to bed. First, a shower. We just upgraded to some XXX towels which are 100% cotton and so soft! We kept our old towels to use to clean up messes.

In the shower, we have bar soap from local stores, a soap saver bag, and our shampoo/conditioner. I use Love, Beauty, and Planet since it’s good for colored hair and Dan uses Plaine Products.

Then, I start my skincare and oral care which consists of:

Rebrand skincare four-step skincare routine
Plaine Products lotion
Reusable floss pick, I got this one on Etsy which I don’t love. If I were to buy one again I’d get this metal one
Dan uses a bamboo toothbrush but I’m currently using an old plastic one instead of wasting it

And finally, a little more winding down with some more reading. I like to keep our phones off once I actually get into bed. I find I sleep better with a few minutes of reading instead of scrolling. And I just love to take time in my day to learn.

That about wraps it up! While there are a few swaps here and there, it’s mostly habits such as water conservation, energy conservation, using secondhand items, and consuming only what we need.

I hope this was a helpful look into my daily eco life!

Leave your daily zero waste swaps and habits below and as always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma

Zero Waste Swaps and Habits I Use Every Day