Green Tips for Your Home

Update: The piece just aired. The transcript is online.

Readers, it seems that yours truly will be on WSVN (FOX) Channel 7 News tonight on the 5:30pm edition (More Bang For Your Buck segment). We’ll try to get the video up here as soon as possible.

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I’d like to provide some references and further details on some of the topics that were (potentially) discussed in this segment:

Eco-clothing

Cotton is the most insecticide intensive crop in the US. One third of a pound of chemicals is used to grow enough cotton to make one T-shirt. This is why alternative products are so necessary. Organic cotton is one good option.

Another great choice for clothing is hemp, which is not legal to grow in the US at this point (currently under review in California). Help is durable, fast growing, drought resistant, and doesn’t require lots of chemicals to grow.

There are many options in the realm of eco-clothing. A local company even makes T-shirts out of recycled plastic bottles! Don’t forget – thrift store shopping is also great for the environment…reuse!

Cleaning Green

Typical cleaning products are potentially toxic to both humans and the environment. They flush down the drain into our rivers and oceans.

For the most simple ‘green’ cleaning products…make them in your own home! Mix equal parts of vinegar & water in a spray bottle and Voila! You have an all-purpose cleanser. Sprinkle baking soda directly on surfaces to use as an abrasive cleanser.

There are some non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products that you can buy, such as Seventh Generation and Method (both available at Target and other stores).

Change Your Bulbs!

Switch to Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Change Your Showerhead!

Get a free low-flow showerhead from Miami-Dade County.

BYOB

In this case, the last "B" stands for two things: Bag and Bottle. By bringing your own, you can start to make a dent in the huge consumption of plastic in the US.

The USA uses 100 billion plastic shopping bags a year, along with 4 billion pounds of plastic bottles. These plastics do not biodegrade. They photodegrade – basically, they break down into smaller and smaller toxic pieces. Plus, it takes a ton of energy just to create and transport these items.

So, Bring Your Own Bag and Bottle. We recommend checking out all of the cool products on ReusableBags.com, if you feel the urge to shop!

For more greening tips, visit greenerMIAMI’s QuickTips.