Who Made Your Clothes?

The moment that started a revolution in my own life, something that convicted me of things that I knew and believed in but had yet to put into practice, was last November. One comment from someone important in my life led me to recognize that if I wanted to truly live out my desire for social justice, equality, sustainability, and love for people around the world in every nation and circumstance, I needed to stop taking things for granted and make a stand. Specifically when it comes to clothing.

I've been a fashion enthusiast for as long as I can remember, subscribed to vogue for years, started following fashion blogs back in 2006 and have tried quite a few different "trends" in my day. The past couple years I stopped following the trends and began to focus on developing my personal style. I've been trying to prioritize quality over quantity in my budget and purchasing decisions, though sometimes I just needed a quick fix to take care of a hole in my wardrobe. The one aspect I had never truly given any thought to was the sustainability and social responsibility of the companies I was purchasing from.

So in November I immediately put myself on a shopping hiatus and began researching intensely. I discovered that there really is not that much information out there, hardly any comprehensive databases, very few companies put their ethical beliefs on their website, much less in an easy, intuitive-to-find location. And I've been striving to prove that quality/sustainability/social responsibility does NOT have to equal bankruptcy. My strategy basically consisted of googling "company name+social responsibility". Oh, and social responsibility and sustainability are not interchangeable. Additionally social responsibility has several layers when you take total supply chain into account - not just manufacturing.

I did not make my first purchase until nearly March. No Black Friday shopping, nor holiday deals nor after Christmas sales for me last year. (Consumerism and modern advertising is a whole different topic for another day...). I'm still collecting data and researching. I have a haphazard list of brands and products and links to databases, online stores, news articles and blog posts saved in Evernote at the moment. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to organize and consolidate and disperse my findings. I'm sure there's still great resources out there that I haven't discovered yet. There are brands that I used to shop all the time that left me surprisingly disappointed, and haven't stepped foot in since, and others that found me pleasantly surprised and have earned a spot in my budget. Some of my "blacklist" locations have left a hole that I'm still trying to fill.

I plan to begin a series on my findings, and try to keep things positive and encouraging. Brands will be featured and resources shared. It's hard to be perfect on something like this, it requires making some concessions and prioritizing (Is organic cotton worth it if the people aren't paid a fair wage? Or how about American-made vs international fair wages?). There will be mistakes (just because a brand puts something on their website doesn't mean they actually believe in it/follow through with it) and moments of weakness (Why are well-fitting jeans so expensive and rare without even adding the ethics requirement?). But this is one step toward living the life I'd like to live in a way that can meaningfully contribute back to the world around me.

Do you know who made your clothes?

Extra Credit: Fashion Revolution. #InsideOut. April marked the one year anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. Fashion Revolution started a campaign encouraging people to wear their clothing inside out (to feature the "made in" label) on April 24. Photos were posted across Social Media as a statement that things need to change. And that change starts with simply being aware of where your clothes are made, and by whom. When consumers are aware of this and begin to demand this information from brands, then supply chain transparency will be a natural part of every business model.

Peace and the Environment

My absolute favorite college courses, which I did not take until winter and spring of my senior year (I would have changed my major had I discovered these sooner!), was a two-part Sustainability Studies series. And it was taught by the most interesting professor of my college career, a man named Richard Matthew. Among many things, he is works with the UN on peacebuilding missions providing environmental assessments  in post-conflict areas. He helps provide recommendations on what natural resources and environmental concerns are a priority to aid the country/area get back on its feet. If the water has been contaminated, helping people and governments is difficult if they can't get and stay healthy. If previous mining/logging/etc operations have caused environmental damage and erosion, then investment in restoring the land to enable crops to survive - and therefore food security/self-sufficiency - will be crucial. The environmental assessments provide a complete and well-rounded solution to areas like the Congo, Northern Pakistan and Sierra Leone - showing just how interconnected the environment is to both economic and social recovery. Each class during the first quarter covered a different country he'd visited and all the specific environmental issues that contributed to a lot of their issues and how fixing these would help move them to a better place.

What struck me most, I think, about listening to him speak in each class was the incredible hope and passion he had. He conveyed a complete lack of cynicism despite the terrible situations he's witnessed and is so driven toward finding lasting solutions.

 (via TEDxOrangeCoast)

Who inspires you in a positive way?

What are your thoughts about a holistic solution process, and where do you see this playing out in other areas?

Extra Credit:

Read Collapse by Jared Diamond - how the downfall of ancient empires can be directly attributed to environmental destruction. So fascinating for a history nut like myself. Hey Easter Islanders, maybe it wasn't a good idea to cut down EVERY tree on your island in order to support your giant statue rituals...

Thursday Thoughts

(via instagram from my October visit to Sacramento)

Nearly 6 years after starting this little blog, with the smallest of intentions (to document my summer abroad), I feel like my experiences and knowledge and interests and passions are all finally converging upon a single point.

In light of Cassie's post today about actually having an opinion and putting it out there, it's time to start unpacking and connecting all these different things that get me fired up. It can pretty much be summed up into a single word: Sustainability.

As I was taught in school, specifically a college course titled Sustainability (much much more on that to come), the most comprehensive definition comes from the March 20, 1987 United Nations Bruntland Commission. "Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Seems simple right? Sustainability is essentially the center of a Venn diagram of economics, environment/ecology, and social justice. It's an idea that seems like a win-win-win yet people still reject the entire concept. I'm a big picture person, so sustainability instantly made sense to my brain and I was 100% behind it. It's an expansion on the environmentalist movement, which many people disdain as it appeared to put the earth and animals AHEAD of humans (and of course there are those who couldn't see how that would help their bottom line). The UN definition more accurately captures the fact that all is interconnected and if we can find the balance between the three, then all three aspects will benefit.

Sustainability has a role in everything: food, consumer products, construction, transportation, business models, etc. I've been on board with this for awhile, constantly researching and trying to share with friends and the occasional family member. My problem is that I lack the tools to communicate effectively to strangers and to actually defend my position in the instance of differing opinions and backlash. What does any of this have to do with travel? I think it starts with the perspective that comes with traveling; experiencing another culture, another ecosystem and place. Traveling provides depth for the idea of globalization, while I think technology, which has allowed globalization to happen and has benefited immensely, actually narrows and obscures what globalization truly means. Traveling exposes me to other people, putting faces to the compassionate social justice reasons for sustainability. The incredible sights I've seen reinforce the desire to preserve both the natural and built environment for future generations (and in doing so - also ensuring that there ARE future generations that are healthy and happy).

There's a lot that I want to say and I'm going to do my best to sort and organize it all. My plans for this little corner of the web will also include lots of travel, past trips as well as future (Africa!).

SustainabilityU

So remember when I talked about iTunesU? Well finally UCI has begun using it for important classes (aka ones that I actually care about). The sustainability center has hosted a guest speaker series this year (which was part of my class), speakers have flown in from all over the world including Washington, D.C. and Geneva, Switzerland. People that are experts in their fields, who talk about the relevancy of sustainability to different subjects such as: business, government policy, ethics, and food security. Here's the link to the YouTube channel. I know they're long (about an hour each), but they're super interesting and relevant. These are very knowledgeable and influential professionals. Pick a subject that appeals to you and learn more about we can keep this earth a beautiful place to visit for many more years!

sustainable development="the ability meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (the Brundtland Commission, 1987)

Uni

oh my goodness you guys!
I've discovered the most amazing thing ever (well at least it is to me)...

My major in college has been on the intensive side. My curriculum was pretty much decided from my very first quarter. Out of my 18 required general ed classes, I got to choose 6 of them (3 philosophy, UK film studies, creative writing, and history of jazz music). That's only 24 units of free choice out of the roughly 220 units I will have completed when I graduate in June.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't hated all my classes (...maybe a few...). I wouldn't be spending the time to pursue engineering if it didn't fascinate and challenge me. Though one of my required classes that I took winter of my junior year (environmental policy) inspired me to no end. If I had discovered it earlier, I honestly may have changed my whole major. It was also too late to start a minor, so I had to find ways to learn on my own. I'm currently taking a sustainability class for my own satisfaction and will take the 2nd part next quarter. I've been seeking out university extension/online programs for a certificate.

Okay sorry for the long intro, here's the point. I remembered hearing about "iTunesU". Where some universities upload lectures onto iTunes for students to access free. It would be a great way to learn more on my own right? And then...then I realized that Cambridge University uses it. Oh happy day! They have VIDEO! and british lecturers. I immediately began downloading as many as I could. Even their Admissions video for prospective students. Anything to immerse myself in Cambridge and pretend I'm there. So glorious. So since my bank account remains a sad state of affairs, I can download iTunesU lectures and whisk myself away to foreign locales.

saving the world?

so i'm taking an environmental policy class right now. and it's FASCINATING. not so much "let's save mother earth" hippie stuff, but "everything is interconnected and is affected by everything else and our very society is on a downhill slope due to anthropogenic climate change unless we start making some drastic changes". it's a little overwhelming at first. but it's becoming clearer that even the tiniest changes will have an impact and be able to spur a chain reaction.

it did however instantly spur an intense desire to get out of my current surburbian location and move somewhere where i don't need a car and can ride a bike/(good) public transportation. (a more in depth post about that later). since moving isn't an option at the moment, i want my next car (the first one i'll buy myself) to be some sort of hybrid. heck, i'm even embracing the smartcars that we all made fun of in europe. biodiesel reduces our dependence on fossil fuels...BUT it still pollutes and with so much corn/grain going toward fuel now instead of food it's causing other economic problems.

it gets better. apparently the US government was one of the only main countries that didn't join the kyoto protocol in 1992. it was because china wasn't joining and they thought it would hurt trade or something lame like that. we're at least one step behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to legislature concerning environmental regulations. which is weird, because the people and celebrity culture are totally on top of the "green fad". there was a great article in the Guardian yesterday about regulating the fashion industry because of "trendy" and "throwaway" fashion is contributing huge amounts of waste to landfills. England has its own "Minister of Sustainability" in parliament. I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like that here.

for once the bandwagon is doing something right for humanity, jump on it America!

recommended reading:
Plan B 3.0, Mobilizing to Save Civilization. By Lester R. Brown.