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The Resilient Advocate
The Newsletter of the Center for Sustainable Development

A Message from the Editorial Content Intern

For those of you who celebrate one, happy holidays!  And to all in the CofC community: cheers to another wonderful semester and I hope you all enjoy winter break.  2020 has been extremely challenging for communities across the globe and this is why it is even more important to take time to reflect on recent events in global politics, social justice, climate change, and global health. 

As you reflect on 2020, I encourage you to think of new ways to live more sustainably. If you are struggling to figure out how to be more sustainable and give back to your community, do not hesitate to contact the CSD or other departments and student organizations. While this year does present new challenges for safe activism and volunteer opportunities, there are still ways to safely get involved. 

Enjoy your winter break and let’s continue to maintain our commitment to securing the health and safety of our campus community by continuing to wear our masks, practice social distancing, and make smart choices. 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! We will see you all in 2021. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for updates and information on what the CSD is up to!

Keep an eye out for our January newsletter that will provide an overview of our spring 2021 programming, including another semester of Climate Fridays! 

Peace,
Isabel Crews 
 
 

Sustainability Song List 

Textile Recycling: What's That?
By Isabel Crews
 

                                                             

Textile recycling is not as rare as you might think, many schools and counties have places where you can donate old textiles. At the College of Charleston there’s a new Green Bin located behind Addlestone on the Pitt Street side where clothes and shoes can be donated. The one at the College of Charleston only accepts clothes and shoes, but there are other textile recycling bins that accept other fabric items. Before you get rid of old winter clothes, mismatched socks, or any other textiles, think about recycling them!

What’s a textile again? A type of cloth or woven fabric. This includes: pants, shirts, rugs, table cloths, rags, towels, and more. Most thrift stores and places like GoodWill and Plato’s Closet only accept clothes in good condition, without any missing buttons or stains. What you probably didn’t know is that bins labeled for recycling textiles allow you to donate stained rugs, shirts and socks with holes, as well as items that are in pretty good condition, but cannot be donated to thrift stores. 

What happens once they’re donated? The old textiles are sorted to determine what can be sold in clothing markets abroad, patched up and sold, repurposed, or used for insulation. By utilizing textile donation bins, all of the clothes that might otherwise have been thrown in the landfill bin serve a purpose in other markets by reusing them or upcycling them. Repurposing old clothes is increasingly important since about 85% of textile waste ends up in the landfill instead of being recycled, taking years to biodegrade. 

Think before you throw. A huge way we can eliminate landfill waste is by donating gently used clothes, recycling old textiles, and shopping at second-hand stores when possible.

About the Author: Isabel Crews is the Editorial Content Intern for the Center for Sustainable Development.
 
DIY Deodorant 

By Jayla Burton
 

 Looking for something fun and sustainable to do over the holidays? Here's an easy way to create a sustainable DIY deodorant! 

Deodorant is without a doubt one of the first steps in everyone’s morning routine. Because of this, we have become accustomed to buying deodorant without actually reading and researching about the ingredients that are being used. According to Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, an organization committed to ending the use of harmful ingredients in everyday products, the average deodorant contains ingredients such as aluminum compounds, triclosan and parabens. These chemicals have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and interference with your body’s natural hormone levels.

To go the safer route, you may want to opt for a natural deodorant. Unfortunately, those can sometimes be pricey. If you want to make your own all natural antiperspirant then follow the instructions below!

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons of coconut oil (solid state)
  • 4 tablespoons of arrowroot powder (can be substituted with cornstarch)
  • 1 tablespoon of baking soda
  • 4 drops of tea tree essential oil
  • 4 drops of lavender essential oil
  • 3 drops of lemon essential oil

Steps:

  1. Mix the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl
  2. Place the bowl in the microwave & set it for 30 seconds (or until it’s smooth) in 10 second intervals
  3. Pour it into a container of your choice and let it sit until it’s solid
  4. Enjoy!
About the author: Jayla Burton is the 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Intern for the CSD. 

How to Keep Your Textiles From Ending Up in the Trash
By Isabel Crews

 

                                            Person Holding Black Android Smartphone

Since the 90’s, consumers have been able to get trendy clothes quickly and cheaply. Being able to keep up with current fashion trends while not breaking the bank seems perfect, but it actually has a negative impact on the environment and on people. Audrey Stanton, an author for The Good Trade, helps summarize fast fashion describing how it “utilizes trend replication, rapid production, and low quality materials in order to bring inexpensive styles to the public”. Companies like Zara, H&M, and Forever21 and other fast fashion brands produce new items constantly, and Stanton claims they “produce about 52 ‘micro-seasons’ a year.” Instead of planning out each collection for a significant amount of time, companies are having people overseas produce an increasingly larger number of clothing items which consumers buy eagerly. 

Not surprisingly, due to the fast production in large numbers, fast fashion negatively impacts our environment. A company called Green Zone gives statistics to illustrate the impact, stating that “the average person attributes 81 lbs of textile waste to landfills every year...6% of the total U.S. Municipal Solid Waste stream.” It may not sound like too much in the grand scheme of things, but in the U.S. alone we contribute more than 15 million tons of textile waste each year. Consumer demands cause some of these fast fashion companies to grossly underpay and force their employees to work in poor working conditions to keep up with the need for new clothing lines constantly. Not only are almost all textiles recyclable with the textile recycling industry taking out 2.5 billion tons from the waste stream, these textiles shouldn’t have been mass produced in the first place. The consumer’s demand for new trends that have a cheap price tag keeps these companies in business and pushes them to cycle through new styles frequently so customers still want more.
                                                            

There are numerous ways you can help lower the demand for fast fashion on the College of Charleston campus. Several organizations on campus have hosted clothing sales and swaps that give the students the opportunity to sustainably buy or trade their clothes. Ever heard of the Naked Lady Society? They are a group of women empowering other women by hosting meetups to discuss local female empowerment causes, swap clothes, and make new connections with other women in the community. This group hosts several clothing swaps annually, and the College’s Halsey Institute partnered with this group last spring to host a CofC swap! You can also join the newly formed sustainable fashion student club.  And instead of buying cheap clothes from fast fashion stores, think about buying gently used and still trendy clothes that might have otherwise ended up in the textile waste stream. For items you might not be able to resell or donate to places like Goodwill, stop by our Green Zone bin behind Addlestone where you can donate textiles not suitable for thrift stores. If you’re looking for more ways to shop sustainably, feel free to stop by the Center for Sustainable Development or contact us by email or via Instagram. In addition, look into where your clothes are being made and look for “slow fashion” companies. Audrey Stanton defines “slow fashion [as] a movement towards mindful manufacturing, fair labor rights, natural materials, and lasting garments.” Slow fashion is far more sustainable than fast fashion since it takes environmental and labor concerns into account. 

Best said by Lucy Siegle, “Fast fashion isn’t free. Someone, somewhere is paying.” It’s not always easy to avoid, but with little steps like going to clothing swaps or sales, we can start to phase out the need for fast fashion.

Sources:
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-fast-fashion
https://www.greenzonenc.com/get-involved/
https://www.facebook.com/nakedladysociety/


About the Author: Isabel Crews is the Editorial Content Intern for the Center for Sustainable Development.
Thrifting 101
By Jayla Burton

Thrift stores have always been around, but thrift shopping has recently begun to pick up popularity over these past couple of years. There are many ethical, financial, and environmental benefits to thrift, but the idea of doing so can seem daunting at first. If you are planning on squeezing in some shopping before or after Christmas, here are some helpful tips and tricks to make thrifting seem more reasonable for you! 

Have a plan, but be ready to go with the flow

It’s important to have some sort of idea of what you want before you begin shopping. Pinterest is a good website to use to figure out what pieces of clothing you’re looking to add into your wardrobe. Plenty of YouTubers post videos doing hauls of what they find at their local thrift shops. These videos can be very helpful in trying to see what articles of clothing you could be looking for when it’s time for you to go thrift shopping yourself. There are also plenty of fashion accounts on social media sites such as Instagram that have “Outfit Inspirations” that can get ideas from.

                                                         

It’s great to come in with an idea of what you want, but don’t limit yourself either. If you normally shop in the women’s section, don’t be afraid to switch it up and shop in the men’s section as well. If you came in looking for a new denim jacket, don’t be discouraged if you can’t find the one you want. Look at all the other coats that are available and maybe you’ll leave with something better than what you were originally looking for!

Remember that everything can be modified

If you don’t find something in your size, or you find a piece of clothing with beautiful fabric but it doesn’t seem as though it’ll fit you, don’t be afraid to modify it! You can cut fabrics or sew things together. Even if you have no idea how to use a sewing machine or if you don’t have access to one, there are still some alternatives. There are plenty of tips online for things like how to tailor a pair of jeans to fit your body more comfortably or cutting a top into a cute crop top to get the look you’re going for.

Fashion is meant to be catered to you, so don’t be afraid to switch things up and modify pieces the way you see fit!

Bring a friend!

It’s fun to thrift with a friend! Your friends might see something that you miss or you might be able to find something that looks good on them. It’s great to go with a friend because it’s always best to have a second set of eyes scouting out things you would normally look over. They can give ideas on how to spruce things up and make it work for you and vice versa.

Go during the week

Everyone loves to go shopping on the weekends, so it’s harder to find nice items when the stores are packed. Try shopping on weekdays to avoid the crowds and have a better chance at finding what you’re looking for.

If you really want to get into it, you can consider asking the employees at the thrift store which day of the week they put out their new items and shop on those days. Thrift shopping is all about strategy, and this is one of the best ways to go about it.

Don’t look in the same place

If possible, try to go to a different thrift shop whenever you can. If you routinely go to the same store, it might be harder for you to find new things. Try to go to a different thrift store in another city or one outside of your neighborhood to switch it up every once in a while.

Thrift Online

If you don’t want to shop in the stores, especially in the world of COVID, online thrifting is an option as well. Online second-hand shopping is also good if you’re looking for specific articles of clothing, since you can just type what you need into a search bar.

Websites such as threadUP, Depop, and Etsy are some great online stores just to name a few. You can even sell some of your clothing on these websites and make some extra money on the side as well!

It can be pretty discouraging to go thrift shopping and feel as though you can’t find anything you’re looking for. Thrifting has may benefits, but it can be pretty intimidating if it’s something you’re new to. These tips should help make your shopping experience much easier!

About the Author: Jayla Burton, Fall 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Intern.
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Copyright © 2020 Center for Sustainable Development at the College of Charleston, All rights reserved.
 
The Center for Sustainable Development
14 Green Way Charleston, SC 29424

Editorial Content Intern
Ms. Isabel Crews (she/her)
Email: crewsip@g.cofc.edu

Climate Manager and Zero Waste Coordinator
Darcy Everett (she/her)
Email: everettdc@cofc.edu
Phone: 843-953-0749

Director, Sustainability Literacy Institute (Quality Enhancement Plan)
Dr. Todd LeVasseur (he/him)
Email: levasseurtj@cofc.edu
Phone: 843.953.3911

Program Coordinator
Ms. Nicole Killen (she/her)
Email: killenn@g.cofc.edu
 


 






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