Story by Kristin Breakell
The School of Global Environmental Sustainability’s Global Challenges Research Team “[Over]Consumption: The Culprit Causing an Environmental Crisis in your Closet” is hosting a three-day event March 27-29 to promote awareness of clothing sustainability at CSU and in the Fort Collins community.
The Denim Visual Impact display will serve as a visual representation of the large amounts of textile waste entering landfills each year. It will be on display in the Lory Student Center Arts Auxillary (beside Intermissions Café) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the duration of the event.
Hans Otto von Busch, associate professor of integrated design at the Parsons School of Design in New York, will be giving a keynote speech in the Behavioral Sciences Building, Room A101, at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28. The speech, titled “Sustainability after Fashion,” will address consumer values and the ways in which we can rethink how we reproduce and consume fashion.
T-shirt exchange, upcycling lab
Beyond the Label, a California-based company dedicated to shifting awareness of sustainable fashion, will host a t-shirt exchange and upcycling lab for the CSU community.
The t-shirt exchange will give consumers an opportunity to exchange a gently worn t-shirt for a new t-shirt that is sustainably and ethically made with the BtL “nutrition label” graphic printed on the front. The exchange will take place in the LSC Arts Auxillary from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29.
The upcycling lab will allow BtL experts to guide participants in a 10- to 15-minute t-shirt upcycle workshop, transforming t-shirts into bags and other re-imagined pieces. The lab will take place in the LSC Arts Auxillary from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29.
Movie screening
The True Cost, a documentary film that explores the impact of fashion on people and the planet, will be shown in the Behavioral Sciences Building, Room A101, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. The screening will be immediately followed by a short reflection and discussion.
This event is free of charge and open to the public. For more information, visit: http://sustainability.colostate.edu/events/clothing-and-sustainability-symposium.
The School of Global Environmental Sustainability at CSU addresses the world’s sustainability issues through transdisciplinary research, education and outreach. This GCRT team consists of Sonali Diddi, Ruoh-Nan Yan and Katharine Leigh of the Department of Design and Merchandising; Brittany Bloodhart of the Department of Atmospheric Science; Vickie Bajtelsmit of the Department of Finance; Katie McShane of the Department of Philosophy; and Kelly Martin of the Department of Marketing.
According to Diddi, principal investigator for the grant, “Consumer awareness regarding clothing [over]consumption is imperative to help them realize that their consumption choices can have a huge carbon footprint.” This research team aims to address the alarming rate of clothing consumption and its effect on society’s overall well-being of life.
