92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills every year, releasing greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Fast fashion is one of the most prominent issues in the world today, because of the excessive amount of clothing constantly made and thrown out. Greenhouse gases from clothes cause climate change and the clothing production process itself wastes millions of liters of water.
Our group is reducing clothing waste in our community by organizing local clothing drives and clothing swaps - they're called ReStyle Boutiques! We have partnered with the community center, grocery stores, and other businesses to set up collection bins for donations. We've also hosted various swap events outside small business and in flea markets; here, town members can exchange gently used clothes. Our goal is to provide accessible clothing for those in need, especially low-income community members. At the same time, we hope to benefit the planet and raise awareness about this issue by reducing textile waste in landfills.
Our ReStyle Boutiques were very successful! We held a few of these clothing swap events outside local grocery stores and in local flea markets. We were able to give away many of our gently used clothing (including shirts, sweaters, jackets, and more)! We also partnered with a local church to donate garments to families in the Dominican Republic.
I learned how to lead a large group of volunteers, whether that was assigning different roles to each member or getting each person involved. I have also grown more comfortable reaching out to my community, talking to adults, and encouraging other organizations to take part in our efforts.
We would advertise our ReStyle Boutiques further so more community members were aware and would attend! I would use more social media, rather than just physical flyers, to garner online engagement.
My favorite part of this project was meeting so many new people in town and having wonderful conversations with them! It was also great to see people finding hidden gems and loving their new clothing items.
My tip is to plan every detail in advance, from tables to clothing racks to flyers to banners. It'll make it much easier on the day of your event to set up!
