Science Says: Environmentally Friendly Places To Shop In South Florida

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Amy-Grace Shapiro and Ella Pedroso

With the rising awareness about climate change and keeping the Earth safe, people should look for ways to act in an environmentally friendly manner in every aspect of their life. The fashion industry, one of the biggest contributors to pollution, harms the environment, and consumers have a responsibility to make sure the brands they shop from leave the least harm. Environmentally friendly brands get their materials using ethical methods such as recycling and reusing, and do not have a negative effect on the planet. Below are a couple of the top local environmentally friendly stores:

Antidote

Antidote, located in Wynwood, offers a wide variety of clothing, footwear, jewelry and other accessories. The store, known for its indie-based style, also has an online shop for those who do not live in Miami. The website includes a selectivity feature, making it easy for customers to see the ethical quality of their purchase. The store offers vegan, eco-friendly, handmade, made in the U.S and recycled products. With an environmentally-cautious mission statement, the actual store has a paperless receipt policy that allows customers to receive all updates digitally. Antidote also operates with 100% transparency, exhibited through their price tags. All tags on pieces include a quick response code that allow the customer to further explore the production and fabrics used to create the item. 

DragonFly Thrift Boutique

DragonFly Thrift, dedicated to the non-profit organization Ladies Empowerment and Action Program, donates 100% of all proceeds to help incarcerated women re-enter society. The thrift boutique sells vintage pieces like blouses and pants that range from $2 to $150. On top of a physical store in Miami, the boutique has a website that sells additional second-hand pieces. 

 Nomad Tribe

The Nomad Tribe sells women’s and men’s clothing straight out of their “Ethical Closet,” found on their website. The shop strives to create better products and less waste, and only supports sustainably-made clothing from eco-friendly brands, including Veja and the Fortress of Inca. Through the Nomad Tribe website, customers can also find easy and helpful ways to create a more sustainable closet, including various resources to assist with the process. 

Wynwood Tribe 

Wynwood Tribe collectively unites sustainable brands from all over the world into one shop, offering clothing from recycled and handmade vendors. Many of these brands work with charities supporting women empowerment. The marketplace sells upcycled one-of-a-kind pieces for women and men, including handmade jewelry, clothing ranging from tops to swimwear and other accessories like headbands. 

Verde Market

An easy way to reduce your carbon footprint includes reducing waste, and Verde Market dedicates itself to doing just this. Verde Market has bulk refill stations for many household items, such as soap, laundry detergent, milk, shampoo, fruits and more. To get Verde Market’s products, customers must bring a reusable container, minimizing the use of unnecessary plastics and non-biodegradable materials.

Being aware of how individual actions affect the planet and actively shopping at stores in a more environmentally friendly way will help keep the Earth safe, ultimately leading to a better future. Shop at stores similar to Antidote, Dragonfly, Nomad, Wynwood Tribe and Verde Market to shop as sustainable as possible.