Like a lot of girls, I love to shop. As a consumer, it is important to be conscious of the impacts of your clothing purchases. It is estimated that over 90% of the clothing purchased in the United States comes from abroad. A sweater that you notice hanging on the rack or a pair of shoes you come across at a department store might have traveled thousands of miles, using up energy and polluting the planet with coal on its journey to reach you. The latter motivated me to become the type of consumer who primarily purchases consignment clothing.
What is Consignment?
Consignment clothing shops is a clothing shop that sells clothes that are owned not by the shop’s owner, but by the individual who had given (consigned) the clothes to the shop for the owner to sell. Both the shop owner and the individual who donated the clothing receive a portion of the profit once the clothing items are sold.
Consignment clothing produces a significantly smaller carbon footprint. While the sweater or the pair of shoes might have first come from thousands of miles away, it most likely made itself into the consignment clothing shop after someone in the local community wore it, and then sold or donated it to the shop. The only carbon emissions associated with the sweater or pair of shoes is the fuel that it took the donator and the shopper to drive to the store. The amount of emissions would be significantly less or virtually zero if either person walked, biked, or took public transportation to the consignment clothing store.
Consignment clothing items are tremendously discounted as well. I have always found that $50 at a consignment clothing store will earn me at least three or four times more than spending $50 at a department store. Purchasing discounted items does not mean sacrificing style. A majority of consignment stores tailor to the style of the glamorous, uptown, modern woman.
The 3 R’s
Reuse
While the idea of wearing something that someone else wore can be a turn off to some people, the clothing is first washed before it is placed on the racks, and the clothing must be gently used. Buying and using gently worn clothing follows one of the main principles of environmental friendliness. These clothing items, if they had not been donated or sold to the consignment shop, could have easily ended up in a landfill.
Reduce
The packaging associated with brand new items often ends up in landfills as well, especially if the new clothing item is ordered online. The new clothing items can come wrapped up in a lot of plastic, tissue, etc. Gently worn clothing items purchased in a consignment clothing shop eliminate that unnecessary packaging entirely.
Recycle
You can support consignment clothing shops by participating as a donor or seller. Bring your gently used, unwanted clothing items, shoes, and accessories to a consignment clothing store. You will be paid for your generosity and environmental stewardship!
-Meredith
February 28th was quite a day for UConn Women’s Basketball. Not only did the Huskies win their second-straight American Athletic Conference regular season crown; Kiah Stokes earned her 300th block, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis joined UConn’s 2,000 point club!
The responses from fans of all ages were enthusiastic and positive. So many of them expressed that they already practice great recycling strategies, which is fantastic to hear, and others appreciated the efforts and devotion of the volunteers to such a great cause.
Recycling is the law! According to the CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, every single resident of Connecticut must recycle. Fortunately, UConn has worked very hard to ensure that recycling on campus is effortless and accessible. Between 2013 and 2014 alone, our recycling rate has increased nearly 2 percent, equivalent to over 50 tons! 
New mixed recycling bins are designed to eliminate confusion regarding what items can be placed in what bin. Indicated by the bright blue color and distinct lid shape, these mixed recycling bins are all over campus. With an opening configured for both bottles and paper, nearly any recyclable, including plastics bottles, metal cans, milk cartons, newspapers and magazines, paper, books, and cardboard, can be tossed into this type of bin. It is no surprise that in 2014, 32 percent of the waste diverted at UConn came from mixed recycling. Now, when students are rushing to class, it takes no more time or effort to place a bottle in a mixed bin than it does to throw it into a garbage can.
Despite UConn’s efforts to make recycling timely and convenient, there still exists a lack of knowledge and understanding of the concept of mixed recycling bins to a degree. Many are not aware of the new guidelines, and are still unsure of what can be thrown out where. It is imperative that those who understand the concept and intention of these bins educate those students, faculty, and staff that do not. Spreading the word will make a world of a difference on our campus!
Road and in North Garage. Benefits for joining the Workplace Charging Challenge include informational resources and technical assistance for EV charging stations, assistance in assessing the feasibility of charging stations, exchange of information and networking with other organizations, and recognition of UConn’s EV charging station progress.
