Fashionably Sustainable

   Let's face it, fashion is a huge industry, not only in the U.S. but, all over the world.  Milan, Paris, NYC, the list of fashion hubs across the globe goes on and on. So how can the industry of looking hip be sustainable? Easy, by purchasing recycled clothing.
     When I say recycled clothing I don't mean that it's taken somewhere to be broken down and made into something new like aluminum or plastic is when it's recycled.  Recycled clothing can be found and purchased at your local thrift or consignment store.  These may not seem like very appealing places to shop for the latest digs, but if you really spend some time looking you could go home with some pretty trendy stuff, not to mention this kind of shopping spree definitely won't break the bank.
     So, all of these things sound great, but what does it have to do with sustainability? Well, in short, a lot; when you purchase clothing from a thrift store you are buying something that would have otherwise been thrown out and added to the massive collections of garbage we know as landfills.  You are also avoiding mass produced materials that aren't made locally or by fair trade standards.  I'll give you an example; say a girl purchases a shirt from Forever 21 because it's stylish and cheap, which is understandable, but she's not thinking about all of the resources that went into the production and shipment of that item of clothing.
     A lot of inexpensive clothing companies, that are similar to Forever 21, outsource and take advantage of cheap labor in other countries.  This is problematic for many reasons, but the three largest would probably be the pollution created in the production/transportation process, the continuous creation and accumulation of more material "stuff" that eventually turns into waste, and the fact that outsourcing is not supporting the local economy and probably isn't paying workers fair wages.  Purchasing clothes at a thrift store is a better solution because it is extremely inexpensive, prevents excess waste and pollution, and supports the local economy.  An added bonus to thrifting is that many of the thrift stores are actually non-profits, so by shopping there you are supporting a greater cause, instead of supporting a clothing company that wants to maximize profits, pollutes, etc.
     These are all great reasons to shop at thrift or consignment stores, but some people are grossed out by the fact that they don't know where the clothing came from.  This anxiety of not purchasing something brand new can be cured after washing the clothes thoroughly, it's no different than washing the clothes that are in your hamper so you can wear them again.  Thrift stores do sort through the clothing that is donated and dispose of any articles that are unfit for sale explained Allen, an employee at Re Use which is a local Athens thrift store.  From personal experience, I know that whenever I donate clothing to thrift stores my clothing is already clean, and that is the case for most people I know of that donate clothes.
     There are other options for purchasing recycled clothing besides thrifting.  Some stores and websites that sell recycled clothing are much more picky about the items they sell, such as various vintage and consignment stores, but you'll need to know that those stores' prices may not be as reasonable because people usually sell their clothing to the store instead of donating it. Yet another option is visiting a local clothing swap which is an event where many people bring clothes they don't want and trade with others.   You don't necessarily have to bring clothes to trade though, you can just pay a minimal amount of money for any items you want to purchase. Clothing swaps may not happen that often but it's a great idea to look around for them as various organizations put them on from time to time.  The Ohio University Office of Sustainability holds a swap during the month of April as one of our Earth Month activities. 
     Even if you decide that thrifting is not something you want to do, you can always donate or sell old clothing instead of throwing it away.  You can even donate furniture, jewelry, appliances, etc. to most thrift stores.  Re Use even has a convenient pick up operation so you can call them and they will pick up anything you can't take yourself!  It's really important that we understand the many ways we can cut down on waste, and who would've thought it could be such a fashionable concept?

     Stay sustainable,

     Becca in Athens


There are many local thrift stores you can check out in our area, here are a few...

Re Use Thrift Store
100 Columbus Road

(740) 594-5103

Athens Underground
90 N. Court Street
(740) 592-6286

New-To-You
90 Columbus Road
(740) 592-1842

Goodwill Industries
743 E. State Street
(740) 592-4105

The Plastic Epidemic

    Plastic is a very controversial material.  It is a material that has changed the way we live for better and for worse.  Everywhere we go there is plastic; packaging, furniture, utensils, toys, car bumpers, the list goes on and on.  Although this compound seems unavoidable it must be used carefully and sparingly by consumers, meaning you and I.  You may wonder why we need to be conscious of our plastic use, so I'll help you understand that it is not a natural material and will never decompose like newspapers or food scraps, and even though it can be recycled there is no guarantee it won't end up sitting in a landfill for the next 500 years.  Plastic isn't an organic substance so there is no CO2 production which means no decomposition, whereas a banana peel, for example, produces CO2 allowing it to easily decompose in a compost pile. This means that common things like plastic water bottles that aren't recycled become excess unneeded waste that will sit for a very long time.  Although many people recycle their plastic, which is great, there is still a process attached to plastic production and it's not always a clean one. The problem with plastic is that we use it and don't think about what really goes into the mass creation of an inorganic material (i.e. pollution from production, pollution from distributing, etc.). 
    So why does this matter? It matters because we use plastic when we don't need to, and cutting out the unnecessary could do a lot of good.  I am mostly focused on bottled water when it comes to plastic's dark side because there is no reason for only drinking bottled water on a daily basis. When you think about it in numbers, it is recommended that the average person drinks 8 glasses of water a day, and if you are a bottled water drinker that means 8 plastic bottles a day, 56 bottles a week, 240 bottles a month, and 2,920 bottles a year.  If these bottles aren't recycled, I think it's safe to say that is a lot of waste.  Even if those bottles are recycled it still adds to the mass production of unnecessary plastic packaging.  If we buy bottled water we're telling those companies to produce more which means pollute more.
    What can people do to cut down on plastic waste though?  It seems so convenient to just grab a pre-bottled water and walk out the door.  Well, convenience plays a large roll in why bottled water is such a phenomenon, but drinking out of a reusable bottle is just as convenient, all you have to do is take 2 minutes to fill it up and you are on your way.  Buying and using a reusable bottle like a Nalgene or a Sigg is one of the easiest things you can do to promote sustainability and cut down on plastic consumption. You can even DIY and reuse a jar or other glass container as a water bottle if you don't want to purchase one.  It's simple, it's cheap, and you can rest knowing that your plastic bottles won't still be cozied up in a landfill somewhere when your great great great great great grand kids are graduating high school. Using a reusable bottle is without a doubt a sustainable daily practice, and once you've gotten into the habit of it, those plastic bottled waters look pretty silly.  Is it weird to say that my Sigg bottle has become one of my best friends?

          Stay sustainable,

          Becca in Athens