Splish Splash: 20 Ways to Green your Bathroom

The concept of living a sustainable lifestyle is easy to get but translating the ideas of going green to practical life can sometimes get lost. Part of our eco friendly consulting is aimed at identifying daily habits that can be altered to meet current needs but also reduce the impact on the environment. Bathing is a daily activity that offers tangible eco actions that make it easy to translate the concept of going green to living green.

In our sustainability consulting, we've offered many suggestions to go green. Following are some of our client's favorites in greening a bathroom:

1. Go organic with your bath towels. Consider organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp bath towels. Favorite sites include: Rawganique and Goodfibers.
2. Keep your feet dry and environment safe with a bamboo bath mat
3. Look for recycled bath accessories: recycled glass soap dishes, soap dispensers and toothbrush holders.
4. Store your shampoo and soap on a bamboo shower caddy.
5. Switch to recycled toilet paper
6. Use an environmentally friendly shower curtain: When it’s time for a new curtain, opt for a green one instead. Consider organic cotton to recycled plastic, or hemp.
7. Green your personal care
8. Use your products…until they’re gone (my personal favorite)
9. Choose either a replaceable head or recycled/recyclable plastic toothbrush
10. Use replaceable-head razors instead of disposables
11. Install a tankless water heater or a solar powered water heater. More than 10% a homeowner’s energy bill comes from heating up hot water. Although a tankless water heater might cost more initially it will result in both energy and cost savings in the long term.
12. Turn the faucet off while you brush your teeth -- the EPA says this can save eight gallons of water every day.
13. Fix leaks!
14. Install a Low flow shower head.
15. Green your toilet.
16. Set up a grey-water system that collects water from the sink and shower and feeds the toilet and the garden.
17. Install compact fluorescent light bulbs.
18. Use eco friendly cleaning supplies.
19. Install a ventilation system for improved air quality.
20. Indulge: buy an irresistible organic cotton robe.