N.J. teen, 15, wants you to dress sustainably. That means goodbye ‘fast fashion.’ – NJ.com

As part of a climate fellowship, Amita Akshinthala, 15, of Plainsboro, built a project around the issue of "fast fashion" and the need to dress more sustainably. New Jerseyans young and old have heard the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” for decades. Amita Akshinthala is among them. Important, yes. But the 15-year-old from Plainsboro wanted to think beyond the scope of what’s become cliche for her sustainability project as part of a climate fellowship she was selected for this past spring. While New York recently made some headway to create more sustainable fashion practices, Abby Lillethun, an associate professor of art and design at Montclair State University, said it’s mostly gone unaddressed in the Garden State. Akshinthala hopes to change that in her hometown, throughout New Jersey and beyond, she said. As part of her project, the Plainsboro teen delivered a presentation at her high school on fast fashion and launched a website on the topic. She also plans to write about the importance of changing our ways in the school newspaper and — besides changing her own shopping habits — put the issue at the forefront of her school’s environmental club. “We won’t stop climate change to a large degree if we’re just (recycling),” Akshinthala told NJ Advance Media. “I wanted to teach people or at least have people become aware of the fact that there are different sections that could prevent climate change, not just something about waste management.” The 10-week fellowship — called the “Climate Leaders Fellowship” hosted by the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University and non-profit Rustic Pathways Foundation — ran from February to May. For her project, Akshinthala focused on the issue of “fast fashion.” Fast fashion is described in a peer-reviewed journal cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as selling large quantities of clothes at cheap prices made popular by brands including some in the U.S. Fast fashion, according to experts, results in an array of negative environmental and humanitarian impacts due to the water-intensive cotton and other materials used, the shorter life cycle of the clothing as well as the low wages and poor working conditions associated with creating the products. “There were a couple of different reasons why I chose fast fashion. One of the main ones was while I was brainstorming, I wanted to really come up with something that would impact my community specifically. A lot of people in my age range and in my school are very heavily into fashion,” said Akshinthala. “I was looking at the human rights aspect as well so this helped me discuss both issues.” The climate fellowship, which began in October 2021 and currently heading toward its third cycle, included half a dozen online meetings, with students gathering to discuss their projects and solutions for climate change-related problems. Through the non-profit’s recent cycle of fellows, more than 50 students from 10 different countries completed projects in their communities centered on waste management. Fellows in Akshinthala’s cohort included students from Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Japan and other parts of the U.S. like North Carolina and New York. “As someone living in New Jersey that had lived in New Jersey their entire life, I was only accustomed to the way that different people in New Jersey think and how different people live in New Jersey,” said Akshinthala, who attends West-Windsor Plainsboro High School North. Learning about other parts of the world throughout the fellowship inspired Akshinthala to consider the importance of living situations when installing her eco-friendly solutions or any climate initiative, she said. “We have a specific way of collecting trash. We have a specific way of talking to one another about climate and that’s the only real exposure that I had,” Akshinthala said. “What I realized was something that may be more doable for somebody that lives in my community was not doable, or was not reachable at all, for someone that lives in another community.” “When I chose to make a website for fast fashion I thought about how many people in my generation and other generations buy from fast fashion brands and how harmful that could be not only to the environment…” Amita, 2022 Climate Fellowhttps://t.co/9vgdWqgcGS pic.twitter.com/FqTIpZeSdk Lillethun, an associate professor at Montclair State University and an expert on apparel design and fashion history, said there are various issues with fast fashion. “Discarding things before they’ve reached their end-of-use life and overproduction in the effort to sell goods, because many people want to get into the fashion industry … and along the way, there’s all this problem of excess production. That has led to the global distribution of the things that we don’t use,” Lillethun said. Another problem with the growing trend, she said, is how difficult it’s become to recycle clothing. In addition, while President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will invest $369 billion in climate solutions and environmental justice, Lillethun said none of that money will go towards addressing the problem fast fashion has presented. “The federal government’s not doing anything about it and the apparel and textile trade is 4% of the global economy,” Lillethun said. Some of the facts Akshinthala shared with classmates while presenting in class: 342 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce synthetic fibers, 33% of all micro-plastics are from synthetic materials and 57% of all discarded clothes end up in a landfill. “We were excited to see that Amita conducted research to better understand the needs, opportunities, and possibilities to come up with a waste reduction project that would resonate with her community,” said John Hsu, climate fellowship director at Rustic Pathways. “As a result, not only will Amita’s project have a positive impact, but the skills she developed from the experience will help her make positive change in the world in the future as well.” Although the fellowship has concluded, Akshinthala said she plans to continue making strides toward more sustainable apparel by building out a part of her school’s 30-member environmental club with seven fast fashion-focused trailblazers. She’s also been experimenting with sewing clothes at home and repurposing clothing as part of her efforts to be more sustainable. What does Akshinthala plan to pursue as her career? “I want to be a video game designer actually,” she said. “I want to create story-based games, which include real life issues that are being talked about, issues that are going on in our world related to racism and climate change.” Visit amitaakshinthala.wixsite.com/takeitback to learn more about Akshinthala’s project. Applications for Rustic Pathways’ fall 2022 climate fellowship will be open until Sept. 30. To apply visit rusticpathways.com/young-climate-leaders-fellowship. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @stevenrodasnj. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. 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