I haven’t been actively seeking out ways to be a friend to the environment lately, but I have, for the most part, maintained all the better habits I was already practicing (like buying only biodegradable non-toxic cleansers and soaps; only unbleached, recycled paper products; and composting all of our organic waste etc.)

One thing that’s been on my mind for a while is reducing my shower time. It isn’t excessive – between seven and ten minutes, usually – but I know that’s longer than it should be. I haven’t had much success, because I long ago streamlined my shower routine to make it as efficient as possible (hop in, wash hands while wetting hair & body, lather hair and let sit while I wash face & shave under arms, rinse face & shampoo together, condition hair and let sit while I lather body, rinse hair & body together, hop out). I could not see any way to reduce my time further!! The only thing to do is to turn off the water during the lathering steps, but I have been reluctant to do so because I hate getting cold.

Well, this morning I bit the bullet and turned the water off – twice. I’m happy to report that I didn’t feel too chilly, and I conserved at least a minute’s worth of shower. I think I can comfortably make this a permanent part of my shower routine, so yay! Turns out I’m NOT too busy with school to keep being a friend to the environment, after all!!!