May 2, 2007
Under a large white tent, pants, shirts, hats and shoes hung in a flea-market-like style while members of the Environmental Action and Resource Center shouted, "Free clothes. We have free clothes."The Campus Closet Clothing Swap is an event EARC hosts to prevent clothes from getting into landfills. Students traded unwanted clothes for something else they wanted in the Free Speech Area on Tuesday.
On average, Americans throw away at least 10 pounds of clothing every year. About 2.5 million pounds of clothes are diverted from landfills, according to one of the posters made by event organizers.
Clothes don't deteriorate so it's bad when they end up in landfills, said junior David Wysocki, who helped organize the event.
Freshman Samantha Rutledge, who picked out a handbag and two shirts, said the event was a good opportunity to get free clothes. She didn't mind that the clothes were used, though she usually shops at the mall.
"I shop at a lot of places, but I don't like to spend much, so this is great," she said.
Students who hadn't heard of the event saw the tent and wanted to help out. Freshman Sonya Ballas picked out three shirts from the tent and returned 10 minutes later with a bag full of clothes she didn't want.
She usually donates her unwanted clothes to a thrift store in her hometown, but she hasn't gone home for six months. This is the next best thing because she had lots of clothes to give away, she said.
Ballas usually spend $100 on clothes every three or four months so she likes the idea of getting free clothes. She can also find all types of clothes in one area instead of shopping at a lot of different stores, she said. "This is a chance for a new look," she said. "It's just not one store's style. It's everybody's style."
The clothes swap is a sustainable way to reuse clothes, said senior Amy Sturgill, who works at EARC. It's a good way of replacing old clothes without having to buy new ones.
EARC usually holds the clothes swap twice every semester, this being the fifth time. All clothes that aren't taken will be donated to the Salvation Army.
Tang Lor can be reached at tlor@theorion.com
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