What started as a group project idea turned into a reality. The Swap for Sustainability event took place on April 14 at Borchuck Plaza from 1 to 4 p.m. and was hosted by a group of students for one of their courses.
Grace Cheshire, Jaden Gregish and Bethany Stout organized this event. It was a group project for Dr. Blackhart’s ecopsychology class, which started as a fun group project for an assignment.
The event was open to everyone, allowing people to browse and take items that sparked their interest. This is the first of this event, but the group expressed how they would love to make it an annual thing.
“If people are interested in an annual on-campus clothing swap, I would love to continue to host them or work with an on-campus organization to host them,” said Stout.
While success was present, challenges weren’t too far behind. Advertising and coordination were the group’s biggest challenges. Due to the inability to advertise in the D.P. Culp Student Center, advertising by friends and word-of-mouth aids in their favor. Despite the challenges, the turnout was great. The group started with two bags of clothes and ended with four by the end of the event.
Spreading awareness of the ecological dangers of fast fashion was the key takeaway. Introducing the idea of slow fashion to students on campus can aid in combating overconsumption that correlates with fast fashion.
“We wanted to show that you can make small, sustainable choices that don’t have to be life-altering, and that sustainable behaviors can be fun to participate in,” said Stout.
The four bags of clothes were donated to Grace Meadows Fellowship to be distributed to families in need.
