Our event took many hours of planning and effort, but it was surprisingly easy. The clothing that we could not give to Wearable Collections, like some plastic accessories and shoes, we donated to the local Salvation Army. This made it incredibly easy for our group to clean up the leftover items and to clear the office of the items on the same day. They even compensated our group by donating a few cents per pound of clothing. Thankfully, a company named Wearable Collections contacted our group and offered to bring a large truck to pick up the leftover clothing to recycle into new clothing products. Afterwards, we had about half a ton of clothes remaining, or about one quarter of the original donations. It provided a means of meaningful dialogue throughout the event time and included Internet links for more information.Ībout one hundred people sifted through the donations at the swap. This pamphlet was a fantastic supplement to the event. We also prepared a pamphlet about the effect of clothing waste on the environment and communities, and distributed the pamphlet during the swap to help raise greater consciousness to the need for recycling clothing and the impacts of fast fashion. Several professors also helped out in the effort by e-mailing their lists of students an online version of the promotional flyer. We advertised the event during the preceding weeks in the student newspaper, on social media sites, e-mail, word-of-mouth, and by posting flyers promoting the event in all the academic buildings and dormitories. The one-day “swap” event was open to all, and we invited both students and the larger community. Within two weeks, we had amassed several tons of used clothing, which consumed our office, leaving us barely enough room to squeeze through the door. We borrowed dollies from the Student Union and wheeled the boxes over to our tiny 12 x 15 office.
Many of the donation boxes filled up within a few days after they had been set out. The amount of clothing we collected surprised us. Because most students start packing up their things a few weeks before the semester ends, we decided to set the boxes out three weeks before the official last day of class. The idea was to encourage students to drop off unwanted clothing in the boxes as they moved out at the end of the school year. To make the “drop” as convenient as we could, we distributed about 15 clothing collection boxes to all the dormitories and academic buildings on campus. Group decided to hold a campaign that would help encourage clothing reuse, while also raising awareness to the idea of “fast fashion.” We called our event a “Drop n’ Swap.” The “drop” aspect of the event took place over several weeks and was followed by a one-day “swap.” Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Solid Waste, the average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing per year, which constitutes four percent of all waste.Į.A.R.T.H. Because of this, many consumers have come to think of clothing as “disposable.” With every changing season, American consumers throw away massive amounts of clothing. Globalization of the fashion industry has also resulted in clothing being produced at increasingly lower costs. In addition, factory workers in countries where the clothing is being produced work under difficult and sometimes harmful conditions. Depending on the type of cotton, it may take 10 tons of water to grow the cotton to produce one pair of jeans. Additionally, cotton crops demand enormous amounts of water. Cotton agriculture is chemically intensive, accounting for 16 percent of global insecticide releases - more than any other crop worldwide. The inspiration for the event stemmed from concerns our group had about the detrimental effects of clothing production on the environment and unfair labor practices.Ĭonsider cotton, the most popular material for apparel. Group decided to promote the idea of recycling clothing on campus. She writes about what her group is doing to promote recycling on campus.
Group, a student environmental organization at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Moravian baseball.This week Planet Aid welcomes Juliette Honsinger as a guest contributor to our blog.