As the brisk autumn weather begins to set in, students may be preparing to swap out the clothes in their wardrobe to prepare for cooler weather. This time of year brings an excellent opportunity for students to assess their closets and determine what clothing they can donate to make a sustainable impact on Temple and the Philadelphia community.
The United States generates around 17 million tons of textile waste annually and 66% of unwanted clothes end up in our landfills, according to TheRoundup, a sustainability activism website. Clothing and textiles sent to landfills can take decades to decay, which releases harmful greenhouse gasses into the air and accelerates climate change.
To mitigate these dangers, students should make a conscious effort to practice sustainability through ethical shopping and clothing donation rather than just discarding their clothes. Temple’s campus and the surrounding Philadelphia area have many sustainability outlets students can utilize to revamp their wardrobes while practicing climate consciousness and providing clothing to those in need…