The PERC Test

Inside the "green" dry cleaning craze: 3 ways to tell if it's real or moregreenwashing

How green is your dry cleaner?
One easy way to check is to ask if they use PERC or not.

It seems that dry cleaners have been riding the green wave in Houston this year. Countless dry cleaning businesses have recently rebranded themselves as being “eco-friendly.”

But as is the case with many “green” businesses, it’s important for the consumer to conduct independent research to determine whether or not those environmentally focused claims are true or more greenwashing. Here are three key questions that you should ask to determine if your dry cleaner is as green as it says:

Do they use PERC?

This is the big one: most dry cleaners use a cleaning solvent called perchloroethylene, also known as PERC. In addition to polluting the air and water, PERC is believed to be a human carcinogen, and inhalation of fumes can cause severe health problems.

Fortunately, several alternative methods exist — and they all leave your clothes smelling better and last longer than PERC does.

Do they recycle plastic and hangers?

Wire hangers are notorious for causing closet organization crises, and I would advise most gentlemen to transfer their shirts to wood hangers for storage. However, that doesn’t mean that you should throw those old wire hangers away.

Take them back to your cleaners, and they should recycle them and use them for other customers. A green dry cleaner should also provide a bin for you to recycle the plastic garment bags, just in case you don’t have recycling in your neighborhood.

Where’s the cleaning done?

Many dry cleaners operate storefront locations throughout the city, but the clothes themselves are often actually cleaned offsite. However, it’s best to try to support a dry cleaner that does its cleaning onsite. Not only are the waiting times reduced, but less gas is wasted constantly transporting clothes to and from storefronts.

If your dry cleaner is doing all of these things, then it actually is "eco friendly", even though the phrase may be absent from its name.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”