“I am trying to buy a small compost bin. I would love to know where, locally I can get one; or who might have one they are not using and would like to sell/donate.”

"Using more native plants could be considered a clean water initiative. Native plants don’t need chemical fertilizers or watering and always look great. It cuts back on waste and water pollution and also provides a habitat for birds and butterflies."

"Why not award a "Green Light" to companies that make sure they have 20% or fewer office lights on at night? So many companies leave lights on unnecessarily. Encourage them to take steps to reduce electrical waste. And, think of the money the companies would save!"

"Add magazines to the recycling pick-up list and allow home office use."

"I recently visited Germany and was impressed with their recycle program. Everything is recycled. Public bins are placed everywhere, sometimes almost 10 in one corner; I saw various strategically placed bins in neighborhoods, shopping areas, etc. They just don't recycle but also reuse everything. It would be nice to see that Coral Gables is leading the country in following Germany's example."

"I changed all my CFL bulbs a few years ago and it did make a big difference. One thing I would like to note is that everyone talks about CFLs but no one mentions that these bulbs must be recycled. They contain mercury and it must be disposed of properly, meaning not in the trash."

"The City needs to provide bike paths and sidewalks. Granada Boulevard would be beautiful for walking or riding but it lacks sidewalks and paths from South Dixie Highway north. And the bridge between Blue and Bird Roads is impossible to cross safely except by car. As individuals we can save energy by using our clothes dryers less or not at all. Indoor drying racks and clothes lines in garage work. And you can buy online an outdoor drying rack that can be folded and stored easily."

“Regarding hotels, most properties in Europe have implemented a singular card key system that operates the door lock as well as the room's power, which only operates when the card rests in the power slot. This easy and sensible method will greatly reduce the amount of wasted energy as it’s ‘Lights Out’ when rooms are empty. Some have gone so far as to install motion sensors in hallways, illuminating only when a person is present.”

"There needs to be much more household recycling."

"Lawn equipment (leaf blowers, movers and weed whackers) put out 25 to 40 times the greenhouse gases of a car running for the same period of time. (Other cities have outlawed gas powered lawn tools). Using electric devices do not pollute, are cheap and should be required for all lawns under one acre. It should require a permit to use artificial fertilizers or pesticides thus lawns would be organic."

"The City should consider expanding the recycling program to include cardboard (corrugated as well as cereal/pantry), paper bags, and magazines."

"I try to walk or bike whenever possible; however, this is not easy in Miami-Dade County. The city should consider eliminating 'right on red' pedestrian crossings, aggressively warn and then ticket motorists who ignore crosswalks, and continue placing traffic circles throughout the city."

"The City should recycle cardboard. Recycled cardboard can be used to make paper bags and this would be a good thing since we are trying to get away from using plastic bags. Also the recycling service should take all types of paper and magazines."

"How about creating a compost container? Place kitchen scraps in a ceramic or metal compost container and use the rich mulch for outdoor gardening or house plant fertilizer."

“A City this beautiful needs bike lanes. I ride 3.5 miles to work at UM each day and at least one trip per week I have a near miss with a driver. There are essentially no bike racks in the downtown area so I must lock my bike to a parking meter or a bush. Yet, we have built new garages to feed still more traffic in downtown. The City Beautiful is not safe for bikers, but it could be. We need bike lanes along main corridors such as Granada and downtown streets. We need bike racks all around downtown, but particularly in front of coffee shops and restaurants. Bike riding is good for you and it’s as green as it gets!.”

“I recommend using a cloth grocery bag, or if that isn't practical, then using paper bags. I think the city should make cloth bags readily available to its residents. The cold hard truth of plastic recycling is that it is not efficient. It is expensive to separate (only about 50% of the material received for recycling can even be recycled). It takes a lot of energy to break apart the very stable polymer bonds that make plastic so sturdy. That means burning fossil fuels to be able to re-use just 50% of the material. With current recycling technology it just doesn't make sense to utilize plastic as a disposable item for everyday use. Some day technology may make it a no brainer but not yet. When offered the choice of a disposable good being plastic or not I rest at ease by not choosing plastic. By all means, however, do recycle the plastic you choose to use. Anything is better than sending it to the landfill.”

“I suggest the City turn off lights unless it is vital for public safety and not mow the grass as often on medians.”

“Everyone should use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. We replaced 43 incandescent bulbs in our house in Coral Gables more than a year ago and immediately saw our FPL bill go down, by a range of from 18% to 23% each month. CFL bulbs last much longer too. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, if every household would change just one bulb to CFLs, it would reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses equal to taking 800,000 cars off the road.”

“Whenever possible, I print on both sides of a sheet of paper.”

"I've been recycling newspapers and commingling items for years."

"I have Xeriscaped my yard and use virtually no water. For more information, click here."

"The City should consider using more mulch and less lawn in its green spaces. More mulch seems more appropriate to conserve water usage. Also, we can get free mulch from FPL. Seems like a win-win -to me."

"Our family stopped using plastic grocery bags about a year ago. We carry our own cloth bags. Plastic bags that do come into our home are taken to the local grocery stores and placed in recycling bins."

"The city should look into having recycling at restaurants. I think it would be good if the city could start enforcing recycling programs at all homes/apartment complexes/ and businesses."