FOXeMilwaukee's Blog

Tuesday, April 22 is Earth Day, and the FOXe Energy Team at FOX 6 wants to share some energy-saving tips.

Do you have ripped or stained clothes that aren’t appropriate for donation to Goodwill or the Salvation Army? Don’t throw them away – RECYCLE them!

U'SAgain has collection boxes (look for the red bins) at the following locations:

• Clark Gas Station – 4751 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
• Lena’s Supermarket – East Capitol Dr.

Call 1-800-604-9533 for locations near you.

Natural Cleaners offers dry cleaning that is good for you, your clothes and the environment. There are five Milwaukee Area locations. Learn more at: www.naturalcleaners.com. They also collect dry cleaning bags and hangers for recycling.

From 5 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Whole Foods is sponsoring a TOXIC TRADE-IN day. Trade in your conventional cleaner for a FREE bottle of Naturally Clean eco-friendly cleaner. Note: One per customer.

Many grocery stores – including whole foods – will give you a credit if you bring your own bags. Why? It takes 430,000 gallons of crude oil to produce 100 million plastic bags…which takes 1,000 years to decompose.

If you have plastic bags, take them to places like Kohls or Pick ‘n’ Save that have collection boxes.

Improper disposal of batteries can lead to contamination of soil and ground water. Recycling transforms them into new products ranging from wheel weights to chrome vehicle bumpers.

Batteries Plus recycles batteries in an environmentally safe, permitted and inspected facilities. Go to www.batteriesplus.com for a location near you.

In celebration of Earth Day, Starbucks is joining with Conservation International to help plant trees in the growing communities of Chiapas, Mexico. Visit your neighborhood Starbucks anytime on April 22 and for each purchase made with a Starbucks Card that day, Starbucks will donate 5 cents to plant trees in Chiapas. Click here for more information.

Milwaukee has participated in the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program since 2004. The city collects used athletic shoes at locations across the metro area. The shoes are then sent to Nike and recycled into three separate materials. The materials are used in new sports surfaces (playgrounds, basketball courts, running tracks). For more information, click here.

Buy local! Why? Local produce not only tastes better – it’s also better for you. To learn more about buying local produce, go to Farm Fresh Atlas of Southeast Wisconsin.

Stay tuned for more earth-friendly tips from the FOXe Milwaukee Team.

Have some more tips you’d like to share? Post a comment to this blog.