Since the Seed began in 1977, we’ve taken our role as planetary stewards seriously. Each year as we approach Earth Day, we focus on one theme to learn more about and expand awareness of it in our community. In years past we’ve drawn attention to the problems with using single use plastic bags in lunches, and collected lunch trash to highlight items that come individually wrapped in plastic. We’ve had years when we highlighted the use of plastic straws and their damage to our oceans and sea creatures. One year we looked at the impact of single use plastic water bottles, particularly when we learned how low (currently around 29%) the recycling rate is. Every year we review the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
This year, we’ll be learning about the impact of the fashion/clothing industry on the Earth’s ecosystem. We’ll look at the problems discarded clothing creates and, as always, come up with a list of solutions and actions we can do to help alleviate challenges. Here’s one link for kids that explains both problems and solutions.
One tangible approach to solving the excess waste in the clothing industry is to reuse items. In conjunction with the APA, the Seed will be holding a “Frock Swap” to give families a chance to bring in used children’s clothing and maternity clothes, and in turn select other clothing items. Here’s what you need to know in order to participate in this event:
- Between April 14—18, bring in your gently used clothing items (accepting sizes 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, 2-3T, 4-5T, 6, 7, 8, 9-12, and maternity)
- Make sure items are sorted by size and placed in the appropriate bins in the office
- Please be sure that items are clean and in good condition without stains or other issues
- The exchange will occur on Earth Day, April 22
- All remaining items will be donated to a local charity
A positive quality of focusing on reusing clothing is that it includes physical items. Even preschoolers can begin to grasp the concept of passing along clothes that are too small in exchange for receiving items that someone else has outgrown. I’ve noticed over the years that our focus on different earth-friendly topics has made a difference. The shift to reusable lunch containers alone has significantly reduced the amount of lunch trash we produce. I’m hoping our “Frock Swap” will have a similar impact. It’s another great example of the power of community to change the world.
Here are a few more links on the impact of clothing on the environment:
https://www.letsmatchmums.com/blog/the-environmental-impact-of-childrens-clothing
https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/