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Moral Obligation

Dress-up is an activity that most kids partake in in-between playing house by strolling around with a plastic baby, and playing teacher with their friends. They grade papers with scribbles written on them, and they sometimes wear glasses to match the image they have of a teacher figure. These games are a huge part of childhood and trickle through to what we want when we’re adults. I can attest to this because I was someone who liked to grade fake papers when I was 7, and I loved to dress up. I noticed what my teachers wore and how fashion has evolved for them through the years. I was a student then, and now as someone who is going to become a teacher, it’s helpful to remember how my school experience was. I have a good idea of what kind of impact I’ll have on my students. I don’t know what brands my elementary school teacher wore, it probably didn’t line up with the stores I shopped at, like Limited Too. For all I know, they could have thrifted, sewn their own clothes, and/or shopped completely sustainably and I would have no clue. There was no space in the lesson planning for this sort of conversation. In the year 2023 though, I have to ask why not? 

Mohammad Kashem has done a study on the importance of fashion in the classroom. They bring up a great point, “though irrelevant, the impression of dress might get admiration from colleagues, staff and even outsiders. An individuals personality can be revealed through appearance. Choice in clothing can communicate responsibility, status, power and the ability to be successful. In students judgements, teachers formal dress represents competency”. Teachers are judged immediately by how they present themselves, With respect to dress, teacher credibility comprises three components like believability, trustworthiness, and goodwill” (Kashem). I will admit that even now, when I sit for class I notice the effort my professors put into their outfits to look professional. I currently observe an elementary school classroom and see teachers choices on a daily basis, if they’ve put effort in to what they wear. After taking a sustainable fashion class I also now ask myself where they got their clothes. The second grade class I observe admires their teacher greatly, everything she says is gospel. I look at this classroom of 7 years olds be impacted by their teachers words, and then myself, in college curious about my professors fashion choices, and have concluded that no matter where you are in the education system, your students will always be curious about you. They like to know about the person they spend an incredible amount of time with. I remember when I was in elementary school and one of my teachers was pregnant, it was a celebration. The same goes when a teacher gets engaged, moves away, or is even absent for a single day. The students care a lot, they want all the details on their teacher whether they’re 7, 17 or 27. Life outside of the curriculum is a subject frequently, so it makes sense that a huge topic like fashion is discussed at some point in time. 

If my elementary, middle or high school teachers discussed making their own clothes or went to a cool, new thrift shop, I might have seriously considered following in their footsteps. As Kashem has said, “In fine, from moral obligation, the teachers active role both in and outside of the classroom is necessarily inspiring toward goal achievement of students”. There is a place for sustainable fashion discussions in the classroom. Often, I have heard students compliment their teacher's outfit, “I like your outfit Mrs. ____”, it is a subtitle compliment that can end with a thank you, or it can make a statement. I hope my blog can guide you on how to make environmentally friendly choices, and when to express your decision making process with your students. There’s so many directions to go with it. Not moving forward with sustainable choices, ultimately means halting the future generations decision to join in. 

Ref: Mohammad Abul Kashem, "The Effect of Teachers’ Dress on Students’ Attitude and Students’ Learning: Higher Education View", Education Research International, vol. 2019, Article ID 9010589, 7 pages, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9010589

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2 Empowerment

I went through the Praxis and Praxis II, 4 years of college (2 years in the middle of a pandemic), and I student-teach with intentions to enter a system that changes quickly, with constant debate on how important a teacher is. Reader, you are probably in a similar situation as me. What is all of this work for? What exactly is our role? We can hope that we’re changing our students' lives, or even better, we can use research to prove that we do. If we’re aware of our power, it’s much easier to empower.

Right now, it’s important to educate students on the state of the world around them. As Abida Begum points out, “human behavior has detrimental impacts on the environment, especially younger generations. It is necessary to understand and improve ecological behaviors of individuals” When you talk about how you sewed your outfit today, the students may find it a cool hobby. It’s up to you to take that conversation further, what that choice means. It’s not just a hobby, but a lifestyle choice that affects you, them and everyone around you. Abida Begum also said, “studies show environmental concerns are higher among those students who are well aware of environmental education.”. If they’re presented with the information, they can help make a better world for themself. These discussions of style choices may be the first introduction students get to the idea of a more sustainable lifestyle. The discussion invites them to partake actively in making more sustainable choices. Surely students hear about the ice caps melting and resources running low, but there’s not much they can contribute to the conversation if they are never made aware of how they can contribute to helping the Earth. The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the world, mainly with fast fashion, and with students who revolve their world around trends that die fast, it’s a topic that needs to be discussed.  Unlike planting trees, buying paper straws and picking up garbage from the beach, fashion choices are something that students face every day. Helping students make more conscious decisions also happens to interest them, according to studies, “This finding supports previous claims that student find natural environmental protection learning an exciting subject and this changes their attitude towards green lifestyles.”(Begum). When students see how easy it is to contribute to a better world, they feel empowered to make that decision.  “psychological empowerment- internal process of an individual empowered to make effective decisions, or simply the act of empowering others.” (Begum). As teachers it’s up to us to get them there and pose as great examples. They won’t learn it on their own if they don’t even know where to start with it. Future teacher, we know how powerful we can be, let’s put our position to a greater good!

Ref: Begum A, Jingwei L, Haider M, Ajmal MM, Khan S, Han H. Impact of Environmental Moral Education on Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Do Psychological Empowerment and Islamic Religiosity Matter? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(4):1604. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041604

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3 I Do, We Do, You Do.

In subjects across the board, teaching follows this routine: The teacher does, and then the student follows. After an explanation that provides reason, and observation on how to successfully do whatever content is being presented, the student then has the resources to make similar choices the teacher has to reach the same successful outcome. It’s a formula in the education world that has been valid for years. It works, and it doesn’t stop at teaching sustainable fashion choices. Students are more likely to make better choices if they see the results their teacher has gotten are positive, M Liang says “many scholars have focused on healthy student behaviors. Cheung measured the number of steps pre-schoolers were taking using pedometers to measure their level of physical activity. The results showed that children had a higher level of physical activity in physical education classes when the class was taught by more active teachers than those in classes.”. In science class, when you teach your students about Earth and the resources we have, which dwindle every day, they’ll probably listen and want to take an active role in helping the planet when they see how much their teacher cares. Now, science class isn’t just a direct instruction on hypothetical ways to save the planet, but involves students in decision making. They ask themselves ‘what can I do?’. 

I’ve accumulated some projects and extra credit ideas that can keep students motivated to engage in a sustainable lifestyle. As Liang has said, “ Consistent with the research hypothesis teachers positive demonstrations promoted the subjects pro-enviornmental behaviors. This indicates that teachers have a considerable influence on childrens pro-enviornmental behaviors. Teachers are role models for their students, and their positive behaviors significantly influence their students”. By the time you’ve had discussions with your students about how you thrift, sew or shop sustainably, they might be interested in following your footsteps but are not sure how to. 

I came up with this first idea when I considered my own elementary school experience. When I was in 5th grade, my school had a garage sale. What I remember from this is that it was mostly toys and CDs. All of us 5th graders sat on blankets in the gym, and sold our unwanted items to each other. Looking back I wonder, where were the clothes? A closet trade can be an amazing idea from elementary school to high school. It allows the students to stick with the trends, let go of the clothes they don’t care for anymore, or create new trends and promotes a sense of community. Best of all, a garage sale like this where they trade clothes can keep the students from giving in to fast fashion. I know how hard it is to let go of clothes sometimes, especially when you are younger and trends are everything. As an initiative to get students involved, this garage sale activity could be an assignment that gets them extra credit points. This activity could also allow students to have a self reflective moment, and think about how much of their clothes they actually wear or waste. To incorporate literacy, it would also be a great plus to have a written assignment alongside the garage sale for students to write about how they felt about the process. If they would consider continuing on with thrifting rather than buying new. 

Another great way to get sustainable fashion education into the school would be to have a club on it. If a sewing machine is accessible, it would be great in middle or high school to teach kids how to sew and get to make their own clothes weekly. 

  If possible, it would also be great to get a sewing class in the school which students could take as an elective. I know my high school offered this, and I learned so much about the benefits of making my own clothes that I wouldn’t have learned without this type of class. 

Finally, whether you teach elementary, middle or high school, offering some type of reward like a ticket towards pizza with the teacher, or a homework pass always keeps students motivated. Instead of a ticket or pass, try to work sustainability into the reward system. If students thrifted and tell you about their experience, or have sewed or even decided to do their own research on sustainability, they could get extra credit in the classroom. This is a great way to keep the conversation relevant and leaves endless room for more students to join in! 

By referring to studies done, Liang also mentioned 

“ However, positive demonstrations by a peer did not significantly affect the childrens pro-enviornmental behaviors. These results show that teachers are fairly congruent with the conception of role models in childrens minds.For this reason, in educational practice, it is necessary to choose individuals who are likely to be accepted and recognized by students and who demonstrate positive behaviors as role models.” 

The club and garage sale are helpful for students to form a community and interact with their friends, but it’s not always guaranteed that they’ll continue with it on their own. It’s important for us, as teachers, to remain a part of the students journey to a sustainable life. We introduced these ideas them, it’s important to continuously show up, and guide them through how to make the best choices. There are endless resources to be found and it is our responsibility to help them see all of their options. 

Reference: Liang M, Chen Q, Zhou Y. The Influence of Various Role Models on Children's Pro-environmental Behaviours. Front Psychol. 2022 May 20;13:873078. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873078. PMID: 35668991; PMCID: PMC9164253.

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4 An Observation

As someone who will begin student teaching in January, I have been desperate for a new, professional, cute and sustainable wardrobe. As stated in an early blog, how we present ourselves is extremely important in the eyes of our students. Not just for professional purposes, but to state a point that we care about this Earth and need them to care, too. Searching for clothes online is incredibly easy, we can search anything we want, and give google our price point and boom- what we want is right there, ready for us to purchase. It’s so easy, almost too easy and affordable. What’s the catch? Ok, let’s see. 

To prepare for shopping I did a simple google search, ‘clothing stores for teachers’, and here are the top options I was recommended.

 Target

 H+M

Nordstrom Rack

 Loft

 Banana Republic

 Shein

In terms of affordability and style these stores are great choices- but let’s rate them through a different lens. How are their environmental practices? How are the workers treated, and how will my decision to purchase a piece of clothing affect the environment? When my student says they like my shirt what will I have to say back to them? Something purposeful, hopefully. You don’t need to spend too much time finding out whether your favorite store is sustainable or not, you don’t even need to go to 6 different websites to search 6 different stores. 

Tip: There’s a huge possibility a store like H+M is green washing and wants to trick you. Their ads may say they’re helping the environment, but if dig a bit deeper you’ll find they’ve done nearly nothing to reduce the waste they produce. There’s one great website that can validate or dismiss that claim.

 For my search on these specific brands, I used the website Good On You. Good On You rates stores on how their practices affect the environment, what they’re actively doing to prevent more harm to the environment, how they treat their workers, and how they treat animals. Long story short; only ⅙ of the stores from my list above had a decent rating. A brand can get We Avoid (the worst scenario), Not Good Enough, It’s A Start, Good, and Great. This website does research to back up their ratings and holds no bias. Goodonyou.eco 

Target: Target owns a brand called A New Day which supplies the clothes in the store. It was ranked Not Good Enough. 

It uses few eco-friendly materials. It has set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from its own operations and supply chain but there is no evidence it is on track to meet its target. There is no evidence it minimises textile waste when manufacturing its products. There is no evidence it has a policy to minimise the impacts of microplastics.

 None of its supply chain is certified by labour standards which ensure worker health and safety, living wages or other labour rights. It received a score of 31-40% in the Fashion Transparency Index. 

H+M: Not Good Enough.

It follows an unsustainable fast fashion model with quickly changing trends and regular new styles.

It has set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from its own operations and supply chain but there is no evidence it is on track to meet its target.

There’s no evidence it supports diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.

There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.

Nordstrom Rack: Not Good Enough 

It uses few eco-friendly materials. There is no evidence it minimises textile waste when manufacturing its products. There is no evidence it has taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals. There is no evidence it implements water reduction initiatives.

None of its supply chain is certified by labour standards which ensure worker health and safety, living wages or other labour rights. It received a score of 21-30% in the 2021 Fashion Transparency Index. There is no evidence it implements practices to support diversity and inclusion in its supply chain. There is no evidence it ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain

Loft: Not Good Enough 

It uses some eco-friendly materials including recycled materials. There is no evidence it reduces its carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. There is no evidence it has taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals. There is no evidence it minimises textile waste when manufacturing its products.

None of its supply chain is certified by labour standards which ensure worker health and safety, living wages or other labour rights. It received a score of 21-30% in the Fashion Transparency Index. It likely publishes information about its supplier policies, audits and remediation processes. It does not publish a comprehensive list of suppliers or information about forced labour, gender equality or freedom of association. There is no evidence it ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain. 

Banana Republic: It’s A Start 

 It uses some eco-friendly materials including recycled materials. There is no evidence it minimises textile waste when manufacturing its products. It has set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from its own operations and supply chain but there is no evidence it is on track to meet its target. It received an 'A' in the CDP water security questionnaire. It demonstrates leadership in managing water use in its supply chain.

None of its supply chain is certified by labour standards which ensure worker health and safety, living wages or other labour rights. It received a score of 41-50% in the Fashion Transparency Index. It likely publishes information about its supplier policies, audits and remediation processes. It publishes a detailed list of suppliers in the final stage of production and some information about the second stage of production. It may be publishing some information about forced labour, gender equality or freedom of association. There is no evidence it ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain.

Shein: We avoid 

It uses few lower-impact materials.

It follows an unsustainable fast fashion model with quickly changing trends and regular new styles.

There’s no evidence it’s taking meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals in manufacturing.

There’s no evidence it’s taking meaningful action to reduce its climate impacts.

There’s no evidence it’s taking actions to minimise microplastic impacts.

It received a score of 0-10% in the 2022 Fashion Transparency Index.

There’s no evidence it provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages.

There’s no evidence it supports diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.

It audits some of its suppliers.

There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.

When I did this research I was shocked at all of the ratings except for Banana Republic and Shein. Target is a huge company which can definitely afford to hold more sustainable practices, as is H+M and Loft. For the prices of the clothes and Nordstrom Rack, they should also be able to have more sustainable practices. We fund these places, and in return we get cheaply made products that follow trends that die fast and chemicals which harm the air we breathe. There are other options! In my next post we’ll explore alternatives. 

Goodonyou.com

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5 The Choice is Yours

Most teachers would agree you shouldn’t wear Gucci to teach science. High end brands are flashy and inappropriate to wear in this kind of setting. It can give students the wrong idea about you as a professional, so why would you wear Shein? Online, Sheins lack of good ethical practices has become a hot topic. If a student hears that you support a brand such as shein, it could leave a bad taste in their mouth. 

I’ve gone on another search for good stores for teachers to shop at, except I changed my search to ‘sustainable clothing brands for professionals’. As I did with the previous brands, I will provide these stores Good On You ratings as well as the pricing of the websites. Since these are sustainable brands, higher prices are unavoidable. 

Everlane $$$ It’s A Start t uses a medium proportion of lower-impact materials including organic cotton.

It uses low impact materials that help limit the chemicals, water, and wastewater in its supply chain.

There’s no evidence it’s set a target to manage water use in its supply chain.

It’s eliminated some hazardous chemicals but has not made a commitment to eliminate all hazardous chemicals in manufacturing.

It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but there’s no evidence it is on track.

Its Code of Conduct covers ILO Four Fundamental Freedoms principles.

It audits some of its supply chain including all of the final production stage.

There’s no evidence it provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages.

There’s no evidence it supports diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.

There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.

ADAY $$ It’s A Start t uses some eco-friendly materials including recycled materials. It uses renewable energy in its supply chain to reduce its climate impact.  It states it has a Code of Conduct bit does not publicly share it. There is no evidence it ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain.

Amour Vert $$ GoodIt uses a medium proportion of lower-impact materials including organic cotton.

It uses low impact materials that help limit the chemicals, water, and wastewater in its supply chain.

While it offers resale of second hand products, there’s no evidence it’s taking further action to address textile waste in its supply chain.

It uses some recycled packaging.

Most of its final production stage happens in the USA, a medium risk country for labour abuse.

It partly traces its supply chain including all of the final production stage.

Thought $$ GOOD . It uses a medium proportion of eco-friendly materials including organic cotton. It reduces its climate impact through its use of sea freight for shipping its products. It reuses most of its offcuts to minimise textile waste. Its use of eco-friendly materials limits the amount of chemicals, water and wastewater used in production.

Honest Basics $ Good 

its use of eco-friendly materials reduces its climate impact and limits the amount of chemicals, water and wastewater used in production.

It monitors health and safety issues by visiting all of its final stage of production suppliers. It sources its final stage of production from countries with extreme risk of labour abuse. It traces all of its supply chain.

These brands are all on their way to becoming great brands we can rely on to partake in environmentally friendly practices. They have higher standards than the brands we typically reach for, and are just a click away! In my next post we’ll explore alternatives to shopping new! 

Goodonyou.com

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6 The Alternative Route

Besides shopping for new clothes, there are plenty of alternative routes to get new clothes. The websites I provided in my previous blog have great options, but believe it or not there’s better ways to get clothes and help the environment even more! Plus, when comparing prices, these alternative methods come at a cheaper price. 

Thrifting!  

Good Will, local shops, and even online websites like Mercari, Ebay, Depop, and Thredup are great options. In store shopping means you’ll find things at an extremely low price. If you’re lucky you’ll strike gold and find extremely cute pieces to add to your wardrobe. The options are pretty much endless once you’ve found shops in your area. Now that thrifting has become popular, we can definitely expect to see more shops pop up! Online, you can search for exactly what you’re looking for and find it at a much cheaper price than you would if you bought an item brand new. In many cases the clothes are rarely worn. I myself have sold clothes on Mercari which I never wore. The seller is required to tell you the level of use of the piece of apparel, if it has any stains or tears, and the overall condition of it. The prices are honestly comparable to Shein in most cases, and you can negotiate a price you find to be more appropriate. I’ve listed great websites I usually search on, and I’ve always found exactly what I was looking for at an affordable price.

Rent clothes

Renting clothes is great for the person who loves to try new styles but doesn’t want to commit. When I shop I get worried I’ll be stuck with something I’ll no longer love in a month or so. Online especially it’s hard to know if what the model looked like is true to reality and if the garment will match in real life. When you rent clothes, you get to try all different styles and the possibilities are endless. I’ve collected a few different rental websites that have options for every day clothes, and professional clothes as well as formal wear and any occasion you can think of. Alongside the website I provided their price points and what you can get from them! 

https://armoire.style unlimited plan $249 6 items per case $79 4 items 1 package per month. The upside is that, by renting clothes you’ve supported a business that is helping to prevent more waste from the clothing industry. For this particular website the one downside is that you only get 4 items per month, which compared to the following websites isn’t the best deal. Still, their selections are great!

https://www.renttherunway.com/ $69 for five items per month, $99 for 10 items, and $139 for 15 items. 

https://www.nuuly.com/rent  $98 per month 6 items at a time, but you can’t send back the 6 and get a new 6 that month. That 6 will have to last you the whole month. Again, it depends on your finances and what you feel is affordable to you.  

My personal favorite is https://www.fashionpass.com/daytime/skirts 

You pick a subscription which ranges from 89-149 per month. Hey wait, it’s the Holiday season so these options now range from $29-$69 your first month renting. Depending on the package you choose, you can rent 2, 4 or 5 pieces of clothing and 1 accessory. It’s dry cleaned for you, and if you end up loving it a lot you can purchase it. My personal taste in clothing is that I love unique designs, and because of Shein I gained this notion I only like to wear clothes a limited amount of times. It’s not a rule, it’s just that I love to explore design. Renting clothes combats this problem, I don’t feel like I wasted my money or wasted a piece of cheap clothing because I only wore it once- someone else gets to love it as much as I did for an occasion. 

It’s also said in big, bold, letters on their website you can swap the clothes as often as you wish.

While you’re thrifting basic pieces like t-shirts that can be dressed up with accessories, you can add an awesome piece to the mix every week.

Hypothetically, let’s say you buy the ‘Wanderlust’ option which gets you 5 pieces of clothing per shipment for $169. That’s a week worth of choices. I recently walked into TJ Max and saw that $25-30 was the average price for shirts, thats $150 for just one week worth of shirts alone. With rental, I can switch out those clothes at least 2 times a month (or more if I plan right). All it takes is a little consideration and planning. This particular website also has a stylist you can talk to- hey, that could take the pressure of searching for clothes off your busy schedule. 

3. Sewing

    The average sewing machine costs $100+ .

The average cost of fabric is $15-20 per yard as I have found of Joanne.com- like this denim https://www.joann.com/lucky-brand-7oz-blue-stretch-stovepipe-denim-fabric/16734758.html or corduroy https://www.joann.com/olive-corduroy-fabric-by-pop/19436013.html 

There’s also the option to go thrifting for materials or old clothes, and find pieces you love and create something new and beautiful for yourself! 

The resources to learn to sew are endless on youtube and Tik Tok, conveniently. This method is time consuming, but I believe it is worth it. Plus, it’s a fun hobby, something fun to do with your co-workers, friends, and family.

Once you learn to sew, you can start up a club at school. It’s the best way to engage multiple people and turn a community of people in to sewers who 1. Spend a lot less money on clothes 2. Create something they know they’ll love 3. Know the way it’s been produced is ethical. 

With these options, combined with the sustainable stores I found, there’s no reason to continue on with buying clothes from brands that are known to harm the environment, their workers, and not care at all as long as they continue to profit. 

When students see our efforts to live a better life, they’ll want the same for themselves. It doesn’t only benefit the Earth they live on, but it benefits their everyday life, and soul. To live sustainably can be empowering, and they can say it is their teacher who has brought them to enlightenment.