Nov 18, 2021
The Associated Students Environmental Resource Center hosted a purchase-free clothing swap in the Cesar Chavez Student Center on Nov. 17, in an effort to combat environmental issues such as clothing waste and fast fashion.
In partnership with the Associated Students Queer and Trans Resource Center, the ERC set up tables and racks full of donated clothing, shoes and accessories that students were welcome to browse and take from — free of charge.
“The goal of the clothing swap is to essentially save clothing from landfills because as you can see, mass consumerism has left a lot of clothing in landfills which has a detriment on the environment,” Nichole Dodson, sustainable initiatives coordinator for the ERC, said.
The ERC’s mission centers around educating the campus about environmentalism as well as its intersection with social justice. It aims to host events that teach students how they can get involved and adapt more sustainable life habits, according to its website.
Clothing swaps are regularly scheduled throughout the semester, the last being on Dec. 1.
“I think these types of events are small steps for students to consider sustainability and environmentalism.” Nancy Lomeli, director for the ERC, said. “Just for this event in particular, people throw away their clothes, they don’t really know donation is a thing so this is just an outlet and it’s to help really go full circle with helping communities.”
