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I have noticed that dusk comes earlier these days. I've also started thinking about autumn and the new school year. Wait, doesn't that mean the State Fair is just around the corner, too? You bet!
As you partake in the August traditions of back-to-school shopping and the Minnesota State Fair, consider these green options.
 Clothing for the green closet
The process of aquiring, wearing, and washing clothes is a never-ending cycle. As you can imagine, our daily choices about clothing make an impact on the environment. Start with one or two of these green-clothing tips and before you know it you'll be a fashionable, living green example.
Acquiring
- Buy high-quality, long-lasting items. This is particularly true of backpacks, shoes, and other items that get daily use.
- Shop for reused clothes in thrift stores and consignment shops. Donate your gently used clothing for others.
- Hold a clothing swap with your friends. Most of us buy new clothes because we are tired of our old clothes, not because they are worn out.
- Buy clothes with recycled content, such as post-consumer plastic bottles or re-styled clothing.
- Conventionally grown cotton uses roughly one-third of a pound of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to produce one T-shirt. Organic cotton or alternative fibers, such as bamboo or hemp, don't require as many chemicals to grow.
Washing
- Use cold water to wash. Ninety percent of the energy used by a washer is for heating water.
- Wash only when dirty. Most pants and some shirts can be worn 2 to 3 times before washing.
- Buy concentrated laundry detergent in refillable containers. This cuts down on shipping weight and garbage.
- Use non-chlorine bleach to keep whites white. Chlorine bleach is a lung and eye irritant. It also kills beneificial bacteria and is not recommended for home septic systems.
- When purchasing a washer, choose Energy Star appliances, which use significantly less water and electricity than standard washers.
- Line dry clothes year round. A large drying rack will make this easy and convenient.
Visit the clothing booth at the Eco Experience for more information and to speak with an expert about your green clothing questions.
2008 Eco Experience
 Come to the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair to learn about about green technologies, products, and practices through interactive exhibits and conversation with experts.
Highlights this year include:
It is not too late to volunteer! You don't need to be an expert about living green. Shifts are available in three-hour time periods from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sign up and receive a free ticket to the fair!
Days of our green lives: Community events and resources
 Don't miss the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair, August 21-September 1. Sign up to volunteer and you'll get an Eco Experience t-shirt and one ticket to the fair (St. Paul).- Minnesota Cooks, at the Minnesota State Fair, highlights 16 of Minnesota's premier chefs in 45-minute demonstrations using ingredients supplied by sustainable Minnesota farms. August 26, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Carousel Park on the fair grounds (St. Paul).
- Sign up now for the Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour, a sustainable event put on by the Neighborhood Energy Connection. The tour is designed to showcase the city's biking infrastructure. September 7 (St. Paul).
- Learn to spot greenwashing. "Greenwashing" is not a method for washing clothes, but is a word used for false or misleading marketing claims on environmental products. Read a report by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. about greenwashing. Consumers should be aware of The Six Sins of Greenwashing: The hidden trade-off, no proof, vagueness, irrelevance, fibbing, lesser of two evils.
Look for more events on the SEEK and NextStep calendars.
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